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At least 44 civilians killed in ADF attacks on villages in eastern DR Congo
Gunmen linked to the Allied Democratic Forces killed at least 44 civilians this week in raids on villages in Mambasa territory, Ituri province, according to humanitarian and security sources in eastern DR Congo.
A series of attacks by gunmen linked to the Allied Democratic Forces has left at least 44 civilians dead in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, highlighting the continuing insecurity facing rural communities in Ituri province.
Humanitarian and security sources said on Friday that the killings took place this week in villages in Mambasa territory. Local official Gabriel Tonge reported that some victims were hacked to death with machetes while others were shot. The raids were attributed to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an armed group operating in eastern Congo that is linked to Islamic State.
The death toll of at least 44 makes the incident one of the more lethal recent attacks in the area, and the number could rise as authorities and aid workers reach more remote settlements. Many people in Mambasa live in small, scattered villages where communications are limited and information about attacks moves slowly.
For survivors, the immediate consequences include flight to nearby forests or larger towns, separation of families, and the loss of homes and livelihoods. Each new attack adds to the number of displaced people in a region already strained by overlapping conflicts in Ituri and neighboring provinces.
The ADF has long exploited the dense forests and weak state presence in eastern Congo to mount raids on villages, roads, and small towns. Joint military operations by Congolese forces and regional partners have pressured the group in some areas, but the attacks in Mambasa show that ADF units retain the ability to reach into rural communities and inflict heavy casualties.
The latest killings will feed questions about how Congolese authorities and their partners are deploying troops in Ituri and whether security forces can better protect civilians in outlying territories like Mambasa. Aid agencies will be tracking new displacement, access to affected villages, and whether rising violence forces them to suspend or reroute assistance.
Signs of a changing situation would include redeployments of Congolese or allied forces toward Mambasa, announcements of new operations targeting ADF cells believed to be responsible for the raids, and updated casualty or displacement figures from local and humanitarian sources.