DRC: violence by ISIS-linked ADF rebels escalates, over 200 people killed in one month

The restive North Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has seen more deadly attacks on civilians this week, when ISIS-linked militants killed at least 30 people in several villages and, most recently, armed men attacked a fuel truck on Thursday (15 August) killing at least seven people, including four children, according to local officials.

The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a rebel group linked to the Islamic State or ISIS/ISIL, has left a trail of death in North Kivu province in eastern DRC. Attacks from the ADF have increased recently, according to local media reports, saying that their militants killed over 200 civilians in North Kivu in June only and more than 100 in July. The latest attack on the village of Mukonia on 10 August reportedly claimed 30 lives, left at least 14 people missing and also caused great material damage, including burnt or looted houses. Last June, the ADF militants are also suspected of being behind a massacre in neighboring Uganda when 41 people, mostly students, were brutally killed. This may have seen a retaliation against Uganda’s army that in 2021 launched joint air and artillery strikes against the ADF in eastern Congo.

At least seven people, including four children, died on Thursday after a truck was set on fire by unidentified armed men. It is not immediately clear who is responsible for the attack, but some local sources point to the presence in the area of the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group and also elements affiliated with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). Eastern DRC has struggled with armed violence for decades as more than 120 groups fight for power, land, and valuable mineral resources, while others try to defend their communities.