At least 15 people, including two soldiers, were killed in an attack carried out by fighters from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an armed group affiliated with the so-called Islamic State, targeting three villages in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to local officials and military sources.
The attack occurred when militants launched coordinated assaults on the villages of Katanga, Maindilo, and Kilongwe in the Lubero area, located northwest of North Kivu province. The group originated as a Ugandan rebel faction before later pledging allegiance to the Islamic State.
Local official Makayir Sefikounola said the targeted villages, located within a radius of no more than seven kilometers, were subjected to a coordinated incursion by the armed group. He noted that the sound of gunfire lasted from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. local time, spreading panic among residents.
According to Sefikounola, the death toll reached 15, and 13 houses were set on fire, compounding the suffering of civilians in an area already plagued by insecurity.
For his part, regional army spokesperson Marc Elongo confirmed that units of the Congolese armed forces, supported by the Ugandan army, had begun pursuing the attackers. He said the armed group had “sown terror among civilians who were celebrating the New Year.”
The ADF has been active in northeastern Congo since the mid-1990s and is accused of killing thousands of civilians and carrying out repeated attacks and looting, despite the deployment of Congolese and Ugandan forces in the area as part of joint efforts to combat armed groups.