At least 25 farmers have been killed in a series of overnight attacks carried out by fighters linked to the Islamic State (IS) group in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to local leaders, security sources and humanitarian workers.
The attacks occurred between Saturday night and early Sunday in several remote villages located in the forested areas of Ituri province, a region that has endured years of persistent armed violence. The assailants have been identified as members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an armed group originally formed by Ugandan rebels and now affiliated with IS.
A humanitarian worker in the area told AFP that many of the victims showed signs of extreme brutality, saying they “had been bound and hacked with machetes.” The worker added that more than 20 bodies had been seen following the raids.
Leon Undemutau Manzaleke, a local civil society leader, confirmed that all those killed were farmers who had been tending to their fields in the affected communities. He described the death toll of 25 as provisional but said it had been corroborated by multiple sources.
Further details emerged from local human rights activist Christophe Munyanderu, who said that in addition to the killings, several residents were abducted during the attacks. The exact number of hostages remains unclear.
The ADF has been blamed for repeated massacres across eastern DRC, particularly in Ituri and neighbouring North Kivu province. The region has also faced ongoing insecurity linked to other armed groups, including the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel movement.
Since 2021, joint military operations by Congolese and Ugandan forces have been underway in Ituri and northern North Kivu in an effort to dismantle ADF strongholds. Despite these operations, attacks on civilians have continued, underscoring the persistent security challenges in eastern Congo.
Authorities have yet to issue an official statement on the latest incident as investigations and security assessments continue.
