ISIS-linked group massacres civilians in eastern DRC
Shafaq News – Kinshasa
On Friday, fighters from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an ISIS-affiliated armed group, killed 89 civilians in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
According to a statement from the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO), at least 20 women were among the victims, with an unspecified number of children also killed.
ADF militants stormed a Catholic-run health center, killing at least 17 people and setting fire to four patient wards, the statement added. The group also carried out kidnappings and looted medical supplies in other areas.
MONUSCO urged Congolese authorities to launch “immediate, independent, and credible investigations” to identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
The ADF, originally a Ugandan rebel group active since the 1990s, now operates from remote forests in eastern Congo after pledging allegiance to ISIS in 2019. However, UN investigators stress that the group is not acting alone – a recent report from the agency also implicated the Congolese army, Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, and other armed groups in killings, sexual violence, and other abuses that "could constitute war crimes."
#MONUSCO condemns ADF attacks in Lubero Territory that killed 89 civilians and reaffirms protection of civilians as an absolute priority.👇https://t.co/jVEXJuB0pF pic.twitter.com/OW4eTRJ4ui
— MONUSCO (@MONUSCO) November 21, 2025
