Rebels affiliated with the Islamic State group have killed at least 36 people in two days of attacks in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, according to local and security sources.
The attacks, attributed to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), targeted several villages located between the provinces of North Kivu and Ituri. At least 21 people have been killed since Tuesday in isolated villages near Beni-Mbau, while 15 others lost their lives during an attack carried out Thursday in the town of Biakato, in Ituri.
According to witnesses, the attackers surprised residents in their homes before attacking them with bullets and machetes. Among the victims are women and a child. Several people are also missing.
The ADF, originally a Ugandan rebel group, has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group and has operated for several years in eastern DRC, mainly in North Kivu and Ituri, near the borders with Uganda and the Rwanda.
This new violence comes as Amnesty International published a report accusing the ADF of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The organization denounces in particular kidnappings, the recruitment of child soldiers, forced labor as well as sexual violence targeting women and girls.
Since 2021, the Ugandan army has been deployed in eastern DRC alongside Congolese forces to try to neutralize the armed group, without so far succeeding in putting an end to attacks against civilians.
