The United Nations has strongly condemned a series of deadly attacks by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, describing them as intolerable violations of international law.

Between 9 and 16 August, ADF fighters carried out assaults in several locations across Beni and Lubero territories, North Kivu province, killing at least 52 civilians, including women and children. Local reports warn that the death toll could rise further.

“These attacks targeting civilians, which add to the atrocities committed during the night of 26 to 27 July in Komanda (Ituri), are intolerable and constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law and human rights,” said Binto Keita, Head of the UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO.

Witnesses reported abductions, looting, and the burning of homes, vehicles, and motorcycles, leaving communities already in fragile humanitarian conditions further devastated.

MONUSCO urged foreign armed groups, including the ADF, to lay down their arms and return to their countries of origin, and called on Congolese authorities to identify perpetrators and bring them to justice.

In response to the new wave of violence, MONUSCO has reinforced its military presence in affected areas.

On 13 and 14 August, peacekeepers in Mayi-Moya, North Kivu, sheltered 206 civilians, including 93 children and 70 women, who fled ADF attacks.

“MONUSCO remains fully committed to supporting Congolese authorities and local communities in preventing further violence, protecting civilians, reducing tensions and contributing to the stabilisation of areas affected by armed conflict,” the mission said in a statement.

Context

The ADF, originally a Ugandan rebel group, has operated in eastern DRC for decades and is among the most violent armed groups in the region. Despite joint Congolese and Ugandan military operations, attacks against civilians continue to escalate.