Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): ADF militants attack numerous villages in North Kivu province

As reported by Reuters on 10 June 2024, more than 80 civilians have been killed in a week, following a series of attacks on villages in eastern DRC between 4 and 7 June 2024 which army spokesmen blamed on  Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels. Already previously, at the end of May, approximately 10 civilians had been killed by ADF militants, according to VOA News reporting on 26 May 2024. Local leaders have appealed to the country's authorities to help them restore peace to the region.

World Watch Research analyst Yonas Dembele comments: “DRC is one of the sad stories in post-colonial Africa. The country has seen numerous conflicts in the past 60 years and never seen a stable and democratic government that could uphold human rights and the rule of law. The ADF, affiliated with the Islamic State group, is just one of the sources of atrocities and pain in the country. This group has established a presence over the past three decades in eastern DRC, killing thousands of civilians. Since the end of 2021, the Congolese and Ugandan armies have been conducting joint operations against the ADF in North Kivu and neighboring Ituri province but have so far failed to stop the deadly attacks on civilians.”

Yonas Dembele continues: “The ADF has been particularly brutal in its attacks on Christian communities. Churches and Christian leaders are frequent targets, with some church buildings being destroyed and pastors being killed or abducted. While the incidents reported above did not seem to specifically target Christians, it goes to show how unsafe the area remains for the Christian community.”