Islamist Rebels on Record Killing Spree in Congo, UN Experts Say

An Islamist militia with links to the Islamic State killed more than 650 civilians in Democratic Republic of Congo between June and early November, one of the deadliest campaigns by the group on record, United Nations experts said Wednesday.

The Allied Democratic Forces, which opposes the government of Uganda from neighboring Congo’s gold and oil-rich northeast, lashed out at civilians after joint military operations against the group by Congolese and Ugandan soldiers, the experts told the UN Security Council in an interim report.

The group killed more than 200 people in June alone, its most destructive month since a resurgence of ADF attacks beginning in 2021, according to the report.

The militia, which originated in Uganda more than two decades ago, also seems to have improved contacts with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the experts said.

The Islamic State, also known as Da’esh, claimed credit for more than 111 ADF attacks between June and October, according to the report.

The group has previously targeted civilians with multiple bombings and attempted bombings in Congo, Uganda and Rwanda, though the recent joint offensive against the group has weakened its reach, the experts said.

Source » bloomberg.com