IS group-linked militants slaughter 60 people in eastern DR Congo

Published on 09/09/2025 - 13:15 GMT+2

Militants linked to nan alleged Islamic State (IS) group person killed astir 60 group successful eastbound Democratic Republic of Congo successful an overnight onslaught against residents, an charismatic has said.

The Allied Democratic Force (ADF) committed nan atrocity astatine a funeral successful Ntoyo successful North Kivu province, according to nan section administrator Colonel Alain Kiwewa.

“The ADF onslaught caused astir 60 deaths, but nan last toll will beryllium fixed later this evening because nan territory has conscionable deployed services to nan area to count nan number of beheaded people,” Kiwewa said.

Speaking connected nan information of anonymity, a subsister described what she saw during nan attack.

“There were astir 10 of them. I saw machetes. They told group to stitchery successful 1 spot and started cutting them. I listened to group screaming and I fainted,” nan witnesser said.

Who are nan ADF?

The ADF, an equipped group started by Ugandan rebels successful nan 1990s, moved to nan DRC successful 2002 and pledged allegiance to ISIS successful 2019.

The group operates successful nan separator region betwixt Uganda and eastbound DRC, wherever it and different militias conflict complete nan Congolese region’s abundant mineral resources.

After a comparative lull successful activities earlier this year, nan ADF killed much than 30 group worshipping successful a Catholic religion successful Komanda, a metropolis successful Ituri province.

This onslaught successful July was followed by further atrocities nan pursuing month, pinch nan United Nations peacekeeping ngo (MONUSCO) successful nan DRC saying that nan group slaughtered astatine slightest 52 civilians betwixt 1 and 16 August successful North Kivu’s Beni and Lubero territories.

The ADF killings were accompanied by “kidnappings, looting, nan burning of houses, vehicles, and motorcycles, arsenic good arsenic nan demolition of spot belonging to populations already facing a precarious humanitarian situation”, MONUSCO said.

War-torn eastbound DRC has been beset by years of violence, which accrued earlier this twelvemonth erstwhile nan M23 group seized nan strategical metropolis of Goma.

Thousands person been killed successful nan region this twelvemonth alone, while tens of thousands of others person been forced to fly their homes.

A caller UN study published connected Friday recovered that some nan Rwanda-backed M23 rebels and nan Congolese service were responsible for crimes including nan sidesplitting of civilians, pack rape and torture.

“DRC and Rwanda carnivore work for their support to equipped groups pinch known way records of superior abuses, and for failing to meet their obligations to return each measures to guarantee respect for world humanitarian rule and to protect civilians from superior harm,” nan study said.

Although a US-brokered bid woody was signed by nan 2 countries successful June, massacres successful eastbound DRC proceed to beryllium reported.