At least 23 people have been killed and around 20 others taken hostage this week in north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo by a group linked to Islamic State, local sources told AFP on Friday.
The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) launched the attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday in Ituri province, near the Ugandan border.
“A total of 23 people executed by these rebels” in the villages of Matolo and Samboko, said Jospin Paluku, coordinator of a key civil society organisation in Mambasa territory. He noted that the death toll remains provisional.
At least 20 more civilians were “taken hostage, including the son of the village chief of Matolo”, he added.
Humanitarian groups corroborated the figures and warned that casualties could rise. The victims, according to a local police chief, were primarily farmers working in the fields.
The ADF, originally composed of Ugandan rebels, has been active in north-eastern DRC since the mid-1990s, killing thousands of civilians despite the presence of Ugandan troops supporting Congolese forces.
In late 2021, Uganda and the DRC launched a joint military offensive, codenamed “Shujaa,” aiming to dismantle the ADF. However, the group continues its deadly operations.
Paluku noted this was the first ADF attack of the year, following a three-month period of relative calm.
