The armed group Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), local branch of the Islamic State, hacked to death more than 30 civilians, most of them Christians, with machetes on Wednesday in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). ). Local sources cited by the Congolese radio station Radio Okapi put the death toll at 32, while the group itself claims 50 deaths. This new massacre, in the city of Muhangi (North Kivu) and other surrounding towns, also leaves an undetermined number of people missing.
A recent United Nations (UN) report indicates that the ADF, which it considers “one of the deadliest armed groups in eastern DRC”, murdered more than 650 civilians between June and November 2024 in the provinces of Ituri and North Kivu. In Christmas week alone, 21 people were killed in different attacks.
Joint military operations by the Congolese and Ugandan armies have weakened the terrorists by arresting or killing dozens of their members, allowing the release of numerous hostages. However, the United Nations report recognizes that this response is insufficient.
The ADF militiamen have dispersed in small groups in the border area of these two provinces, from where they have intensified attacks against the civilian population. One of the main concerns of the UN group of experts is the existence of contacts between the ADF and the armed group M23, which fights the Congolese Army in the surroundings of Goma and near the border with Rwanda with the support of the armed forces of this country. However, the talks have not led to any agreement because the M23 wants the jihadists to stop killing civilians and concentrate on the Congolese Army, something that the ADF rejects.
The Allied Democratic Forces, inspired by international Salafism, were born in Uganda in the 1990s as a movement against President Yoweri Museveni. Founded by Jamil Mukulu, a Christian converted to Islam who studied in Saudi Arabia, they later established themselves in the northeast of the DRC. Converted into a terrorist organization, their actions have as one of their main objectives Christian civilians, whom they consider “infidels.” Musa Baluku leads the group after Mukulu’s arrest. In 2019 they pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and became its local branch in central Africa.
This terrorist group obtains financing through illicit activities, ranging from kidnappings for ransom to cross-border trafficking of wood, cocoa and other products, according to the United Nations. In addition to its extreme violence, it is characterized by its intense jihadist propaganda. Its members come mainly from Uganda, but they also include radicals from Tanzania, Burundi and Mozambique.
The conflict in northeastern Congo remains one of the main challenges facing the entire region. While the ADF continues its massacres, the M23 continues to gain ground against the Congolese Army. Between April and November 2024, this armed group has increased the territory under its control by 30%, which includes strategic points for mining activity. According to the United Nations, this armed group has the direct support of between 3,000 and 4,000 Rwandan soldiers, a link denounced by the Congo and the UN, but which Rwandan President Paul Kagame has denied on numerous occasions.
