Escalating Civilian Death Toll: Unrest and Violence in Congo Surge

Owning up the second-largest region in the African continent, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo or DRC) holds immense potential to thrive as a prosperous nation with its rich natural resources and a wide variety of wildlife. It has to sort through one problem: conflict and stability—which proved complex to manage, especially for a country plagued with corruption and terrorist groups.

Among the multitude of armed organizations active in the country, the ADF rebels stand out as the most notorious and brutal group, responsible for a staggering number of civilian casualties since their inception in the 1990s. Their actions have resulted in the loss and displacement of thousands of innocent lives and the destruction of dozens of infrastructures.

A Dangerously Volatile Region

Most recently, the extremist rebel has allegedly instigated deadly attacks, stirring unrest in eastern DRC late last week. According to local officials, this recent violence has cost nine more lives, adding to the grim toll that the ADF has maintained over the years.

A local civil society organization reported that several others were also missing after the attack, with one seriously injured survivor.

The extremist rebel raided the Museya Kanyamutsutsa village in the volatile city of Beni in Northern Kivu province last Thursday evening, said local activist Delphin Maleki via AP News.

Suspected Islamic State group-affiliated ADF rebels have killed at least nine villagers in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, a local monitor said Friday.

The volatile and mineral-rich region along the border with Uganda has been wracked by increasing violence pic.twitter.com/FpLZiGwsf8

— African news corporation (@AfricanNewsCorp) June 5, 2023

He said that the attacks encompassed not only house intrusion but also the abduction of several hostages and the plundering of livestock and personal belongings. Furthermore, some shops in the area were vandalized and likely looted by the group.

This incident is particularly troubling because Congolese and Uganda troops, stationed a mere three kilometers (two miles) from the horrific scene, failed to respond promptly.
In light of this, Maleki has urgently appealed to both administrations to bolster security measures in the area. He has urged them to consider deploying additional forces or establishing new installations to enhance the safety of nearby civilian villages and other volatile regions.

ADF: Who, What, Why

The ADF, or the Allied Democratic Forces, is a claimed Islamist rebel group based around DR Congo and Uganda. The latter’s government regarded it as a terrorist organization when it first emerged sometime in the mid-1990s, specifically in western Uganda, before it expanded into its next-door neighbor. Back then, the rebel group comprised mainly Ugandan Muslims who strongly opposed the country’s administration, particularly its support for the United States War on Terror campaign. It caused havoc in the western region before it was forced to flee to DR Congo in 1999, where it joined forces with other rebel groups and expanded unrest and disturbance against the DR Congo government through low-level insurgency.

At least 17 civilians killed by Allied Democratic Forces rebels in eastern #DRCongo – https://t.co/K4PsoFRS0j pic.twitter.com/jmXjWuYxJO

— ADF Magazine (@ADFmagazine) May 31, 2023

With estimated forces of around 1,000 recruited fighters, the ADF also associates itself with the Islamic State (IS), who they pledged allegiance in late 2018. Moreover, its faction, the IS Central Africa Province (ISCAP) led by former ADF commander Musa Baluku, has linked itself with IS as well and has since carried out major attacks around DR Congo, including the brutal Beni massacre in 2019 that killed nearly 90 civilians.

It is to note that the horrific incident was not an isolated case and has been, in fact, plaguing the northeastern city in recent years and causing displacement for thousands of Congolese citizens. ISCAP’s most recent attack transpired last year when they carried out a series of deadly attacks in the Beni region and killed at least a hundred civilians.

We then traced how money sent to Uganda was moved to the ADF in eastern Congo, which has been IS’s “Central Africa Province” since 2018. Most is withdrawn as cash in Kampala and likely smuggled into Congo along existing recruitment and supply networks. pic.twitter.com/SAcV8ybYrH

— Ryan O'Farrell (@ryanmofarrell) June 5, 2023

The United Nations has long regarded the ADF as a dangerous and violent group known for conducting brutal massacres, beheadings, and bombings, shaking up the security and stability across DR Congo and Uganda. Both administrations had launched military operations to counter these regional threats. Regardless, the rebel group remained up and thriving as they were well-armed and equipped with sophisticated weapons and armories financed through extortion, taxation, and every terrorist organization’s favorite, smuggling.

Efforts Made to Curb Armed Confrontations

As previously mentioned, resolving the conflict in the region has proven exceptionally challenging in the past decade. This conflict has been simmering for decades, with numerous armed groups vying for dominance and control over the expansive territory abundant in valuable minerals. The allure of these resources creates lucrative opportunities for mining and financial gain, while certain groups also strive to safeguard their communities.

The UN has deployed peacekeeping troops in DR Congo since the late 1990s to mitigate violent armed conflict, foster peace, ensure civilian security, and support the country’s recovery from these damaging hurdles. The nation has also made efforts to disarm and demobilize militias, assert state authority, and restore security for its citizens. However, despite these efforts, the challenges remain significant obstacles that need further attention and resolution.

Since late 2021, Congolese and Ugandan forces have been conducting joint operations in the northern part of North Kivu and the neighboring province of Ituri to fight off pestering ADF rebels.

The recent raid in the Museya Kanyamutsutsa village is just one of the many attacks it has launched so far this year alone, with the latest reported in early May, which also took place in Beni.

In the recent wave of attacks during May, the Kivu Security Tracker (KST), a Congolese civil society organization, documented a tragic toll. On May 19, at least 15 civilians died, followed by another 15 fatalities on the evening of May 27. These brutal incidents occurred across different distinct villages within the volatile region.

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