GOMA, DR Congo, April 2 (Xinhua) -- At least 40 civilians were killed overnight Wednesday in an attack attributed to Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), according to local sources.
The assault occurred in a village about 40 km from Niania in Mambasa territory, Ituri Province, a frequent target of ADF attacks, said local officials and security sources.
Armed men believed to be ADF rebels raided several villages, killing civilians and setting homes, vehicles, and motorcycles ablaze. Videos circulating on social media showed bodies lying on roads and in villages, as well as charred vehicles near the attack sites.
Local civil society officials said that the death toll remains provisional and could rise.
"We strongly condemn this attack, which is nothing but a sabotage of the government's actions against these rebels," Dieudonne Lossa, coordinator of civil society forces in Ituri, said, calling on authorities to reinforce the military presence in the region.
On March 25, United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Nada al-Nashif told the Human Rights Council in Geneva that since October 2025, ADF rebels have expanded their operations across Ituri, North Kivu, and Tshopo provinces, killing more than 260 people and displacing thousands.
She added that women and girls have been subjected to sexual slavery, resulting in dozens of pregnancies.
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. ■
