KINSHASA, Congo — Militants with ties to ISIS launched deadly raids on Congolese villages near the Uganda border, leaving at least 40 people dead and destroying homes, according to local civil rights leaders who reported the violence Friday.
The overnight assault was conducted by the Allied Democratic Forces from Wednesday evening through Thursday afternoon, said Charité Banza, who heads the Ituri civil society organization, and Kinos Katua, a group member residing in the affected region.
The Allied Democratic Forces originated in Uganda and declared loyalty to ISIS in 2019, maintaining a presence in the cross-border area for years.
Banza informed The Associated Press that the violence claimed 25 lives in border communities within North Kivu’s Beni territory, while another 15 people died in Ituri province.
The casualty count could climb higher as multiple residents remain unaccounted for following the raids, Katua warned.
Amnesty International released a report this week labeling the Allied Democratic Forces responsible for “war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
The ADF represents just one of many armed factions active in Congo that regularly target innocent civilians. This past July, the organization massacred 66 people in eastern Congo in what United Nations officials described as a “bloodbath.”
Congo continues to endure violence from approximately 100 additional rebel organizations, particularly the Rwanda-supported M23 movement, which has captured major urban centers throughout the eastern territories.
