KINSHASA, July 26– At least 32 civilians were killed over the past 72 hours in two attacks attributed to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), local media reported Saturday.
The attacks targeted villages in Mambasa territory, according to Radio Okapi, a United Nations-backed outlet in the DRC. Local civil society representatives said the death toll remained provisional as search operations continued for possible additional victims. The surge in violence triggered a fresh wave of displacement in the affected villages and neighboring communities as residents fled for fear of further incursions. As of late Saturday, neither local authorities nor the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo had officially commented on the latest attacks. Local civil society organizations said the armed group had killed more than 100 people in about 20 villages across Mambasa territory since March this year. The ADF, an affiliate of the Islamic State in Central Africa, is a Ugandan rebel group operating in eastern DRC. Its continued activity has prompted joint military operations by Congolese and Ugandan forces since November 2021 to track and neutralize the group.
Xinhua
