Ituri : 27 civilians killed and 11 missing in new attacks attributed to the ADF

SOS Médias Burundi

Mambasa, July 26, 2026 — At least 27 civilians have been killed and 11 others are missing following a new series of attacks attributed to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in the Mambasa territory of Ituri province, in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The attacks, which targeted several villages in the Babila-Babombi chiefdom, also caused looting, population displacement, and reignited fear in a region plagued by chronic insecurity.

The attacks were recorded between Thursday, July 23, and Friday, July 24, in the localities of Manzya, Kazaroho, and Makongo. These attacks occurred the day after other deadly incursions reported on Wednesday, July 22, in Njiapanda-Bela and in the villages of Mambembe, Manteite, and Bangole, all within the same chiefdom.

According to the report released by the Association for the Protection and Defense of Vulnerable Children and Women (APDEF), at least 27 civilians were killed during these attacks. The organization also indicates that 11 people are still missing.

Several homes were reportedly looted and livestock stolen by the attackers, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian situation in this part of Ituri.

Persistent insecurity

For Ram’s Malikidogo, APDEF coordinator in Mambasa, the violence shows no sign of abating.

He asserts that suspected ADF fighters are still present in several villages in the area, notably Makombise, Giza, and Mangalala, where they are moving about without having been neutralized by the forces engaged in military operations.

This continued presence of the attackers is fueling a climate of fear among the inhabitants. In several affected localities, families have fled their villages to seek refuge in centers considered safer. Others no longer dare to return to their fields, fearing further attacks. This insecurity is jeopardizing agricultural activities and exacerbating the precarious situation of thousands of households.

Faced with this resurgence of violence, Ram’s Malikidogo is calling on the Congolese authorities to review the strategy of military operations conducted against armed groups active in the region. According to him, the repeated attacks risk further eroding public trust in the security forces if more effective measures are not quickly taken to ensure the protection of civilians.

The Mambasa territory remains one of the ADF’s main strongholds in Ituri. Despite joint operations conducted in recent years by the Congolese and Ugandan armies, the armed group continues to launch deadly attacks against civilian populations, particularly in the forested areas between Ituri and North Kivu.

The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an armed group active in eastern DRC, is designated as a terrorist organization by the US government.

Since the beginning of July, several attacks attributed to the ADF have already been reported in this part of the province. Local civil society organizations denounce an increase in incursions against isolated villages, where residents remain particularly vulnerable to armed groups.

At this stage, military authorities have not yet released an official report on this new wave of violence. The figures provided come from local human rights organizations, which are continuing their verification operations in the affected villages.

For over a decade, the ADF has been accused of committing serious atrocities against civilian populations in eastern DRC. The group is regularly implicated in massacres of civilians, kidnappings, summary executions, looting, the burning of villages, forced recruitment, and mass displacement of populations. Despite repeated military offensives, the ADF remains one of the deadliest armed groups in eastern DRC, where its attacks continue to fuel a persistent humanitarian and security crisis.