DRC to raise ADF threat in Washington accords talks

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s National Assembly has urged the government to give the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) greater attention and push the issue higher in its international diplomacy, including within the implementation of the Washington accords framework.

Speaking at the opening of the new parliamentary session in Kinshasa on Tuesday, Assembly president Aimé Boji said the ADF threat should be treated with the same level of diplomatic urgency as the eastern crisis linked to the AFC/M23 rebellion.

Boji said the government should raise the profile of the ADF threat in discussions with international partners, and more specifically in the implementation of the DRC-Rwanda peace track and the DRC-U.S. strategic partnership. According to the parliamentary remarks reported by Actualite.cd, he argued that the nature of the ADF insurgency requires a broader regional and international response rather than a purely military one.

The intervention comes as the ADF remains active in North Kivu and Ituri, notably in Beni, Lubero, Irumu and Mambasa. Joint Congolese-Ugandan operations against the group have been in place since November 30, 2021, but attacks have continued despite those efforts.

Boji’s comments also follow fresh violence in Ituri. Actualite.cd reported that ADF-linked attackers struck the Muchacha and Mavuvu mining sites in Mambasa on the night of March 11-12, with the Islamic State claiming the assault and circulating images showing vehicles and camp infrastructure set on fire.

The latest incident has reinforced calls in Kinshasa for the ADF threat to be folded more clearly into wider regional security discussions already shaped by the U.S.-backed Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity.