GOMA, Congo (BN24) — Suspected Islamist rebels aligned with the Islamic State group have killed at least 30 people in a wave of attacks on villages in Congo’s volatile North Kivu province, a military official said Saturday, underscoring the worsening security crisis in the country’s east.
The attacks struck Bapere village between Wednesday and Friday, according to Col. Alain Kiwawa, the military administrator of Lubero territory, who confirmed the death toll and warned that more than 100 people remain in rebel captivity.
“We have more than 30 people dead, and at least a hundred who are being held hostage,” Kiwawa told The Associated Press. He urged residents to remain on high alert as the violence continues.
Witnesses said victims were largely killed with knives and machetes, while several homes were set ablaze. Samuel Kaheni, head of the local Bapere civil society organization, described the assaults as “systematic and brutal,” noting that families are still searching for missing relatives.
The Allied Democratic Force (ADF), a militant group with origins in neighboring Uganda, is believed to be behind the killings. The ADF, which pledged allegiance to the Islamic State several years ago, has staged repeated massacres in eastern Congo. Just last month, the group killed nearly 40 worshippers in an attack on a Catholic church in Ituri province, again relying on machetes in its assault.
Despite joint military operations by Congolese and Ugandan forces, the ADF has intensified its attacks, targeting remote villages near the porous border region. The mounting bloodshed comes as Congo’s government is already grappling with other armed groups, including the M23 rebels, who have seized key strongholds such as Goma, further destabilizing the region.
The cycle of violence has left thousands dead and displaced millions in eastern Congo, where aid groups warn that humanitarian needs are escalating amid renewed insurgent activity.
