Islamic State-affiliated insurgents have fatally attacked 89 civilians in a series of incidents in Lubero territory, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, as reported by the United Nations peacekeeping mission MONUSCO on Friday. The assaults, carried out by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) fighters between November 13 and 19 in various locations of North Kivu province, resulted in the deaths of 89 individuals, including 20 women and several children. MONUSCO’s statement highlighted one attack on a Catholic Church-operated health center in Byambwe, where at least 17 people, including women seeking maternity care, were killed, and four patient wards were set on fire.
Aside from the fatalities, the rebels also engaged in abductions and pillaging of medical resources, according to the report. MONUSCO emphasized the need for Congolese authorities to promptly launch impartial investigations to identify and bring to justice the perpetrators and collaborators behind these atrocities. Last month, local officials disclosed that suspected ADF rebels had slain 19 civilians in an overnight raid in Mukondo village, North Kivu province. Additionally, in September, the ADF claimed responsibility for a devastating attack resulting in the deaths of over 60 civilians at a funeral in eastern Congo.
Originally a Ugandan rebel group, the ADF relocated to the Congolese forests in the late 1990s and has since been acknowledged by Islamic State as an associate. Despite military actions by Congo’s army and Ugandan forces against the ADF, the group’s assaults persist. Meanwhile, parts of North Kivu province are controlled by the M23 rebels, supported by Rwanda, who made significant advances this year. Mediators, including the United States and Qatar, are actively seeking a resolution to the conflict to pave the way for Western investments in the region’s mining sector.
