DRC: at least 18 civilians killed by the ADF

In the province of Ituri in the Democratic Republic of Congo, at least 18 villagers were massacred during an attack attributed to the armed group ADF-Nalu.

In the province of Ituri, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, terror has struck once again. Last Monday, civilians were the target of a deadly attack perpetrated by the armed group ADF-Nalu. According to reports from local civil society, the provisional toll shows at least 18 deaths, mainly villagers going to their fields.

The events took place in several small isolated villages, a three-hour walk from the road linking Mambasa to Beni, in the Babila Babombi chiefdom. Despite the alert launched by residents, the authorities were unable to intervene in time to prevent this new massacre. Mandela Moïse, head of civil society in the chiefdom, expresses the feeling of helplessness that reigns in the face of these recurring attacks.

Fear of a food crisis is also taking hold in the region. Maître Jospin Paluku, a civil society figure in Mambasa, warns of the disastrous consequences on agricultural activities, the cornerstone of the local economy. With farmers massacred and fields invaded by rebels, the region’s food security is compromised.

While the population tries to cope with this tragedy, military operations continue in the province. A joint maneuver by the Congolese and Ugandan armies aims to push back the rebels in the Irumu region. However, civil society in Mambasa expresses fears about the effectiveness of this intervention and calls for more decisive action to end the violence.