AFRICA/DR CONGO – New massacres committed by ADF jihadists in eastern DRC

Kinshasa – At least 25 people have been killed in North Kivu in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in a series of attacks attributed to rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces . According to Colonel Alain Kiwewa, military administrator of the Lubero territory, “since the night of January 24, the ADF have terrorized the population of the village of Musenge, in the Lubero territory, burning down several houses , a health center, and a Catholic church.” The Congolese officer added, “we are currently mourning two soldiers who suffered such severe burns that they are unrecognizable.” “A large portion of the local population has fled to the city of Butembo, at least 30 kilometers away. The current death toll is only provisional. We are awaiting further information from the Congolese and Ugandan security forces deployed in the area to obtain a complete assessment.”
The village of Musenge is located in the Mwenye region, where the constant attacks by ADF jihadists have created a situation of extreme insecurity. According to civil society sources, previous attacks in the area have already claimed more than 25 civilian lives and set fire to 63 houses. The severe instability in the Mwenye area has led to the closure of five local health centers, causing significant hardship for the local population. The ADF also continues to attack in the neighboring Ituri province, where at least three civilians were killed in a double attack on the villages of Ahombo and Mangwalo in the Irumu Territory on the night of January 24. According to local sources, an unknown number of residents from the two attacked villages have also been reported missing. Since May 2021, the provinces of North Kivu and Ituri have been under a state of siege to allow the Congolese Armed Forces to comprehensively combat the ADF and other armed groups that have been operating in the two regions for decades. But almost five years after the imposition of this measure, the insecurity in the two provinces appears to be far from over. In fact, according to the clergy of the Diocese of Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, the situation has worsened as a result of the military regime .

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