DRC urged to rethink ADF response as attacks reach Tshopo

Fresh pressure is building on the DRC government to reassess its response to the Allied Democratic Forces after Actualite.cd initially reported that the armed group has extended its operations into Tshopo province, citing a UN human rights update.

The new warning adds to concern that ADF violence is no longer confined to its long-hit strongholds in Ituri and North Kivu.

Speaking in Geneva on March 25, UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Nada Al-Nashif said the ADF had expanded operations across Ituri, North Kivu and Tshopo since October, killing more than 260 people, displacing thousands, and subjecting women and girls to sexual slavery, resulting in dozens of pregnancies, according to the OHCHR statement.

The reported spread has sharpened fears in Tshopo, particularly in Bafwasende, where local actors have already been warning about spillover from attacks in neighboring Mambasa in Ituri.

Those fears deepened after more than 7,000 displaced people were reported arriving in Bafwasende following recent violence.

The latest UN figures are likely to intensify scrutiny of ongoing military efforts against the ADF, including joint operations involving Congolese and Ugandan forces, as communities continue to face killings, displacement and growing insecurity across eastern DRC.