‘Major atrocities’: Terrorists attack Congolese civilians | Story

The ISIS-affiliated group has tortured, killed and kidnapped civilians in the Democratic Republic of Congo, including children.

Amnesty International has criticized the rebel group in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

In a damning new report published on Monday, the human rights watchdog said the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) are responsible for many cases of murder, kidnapping, forced labor and marriage, abuse of women and girls and child abuse.

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The report is entitled “I’ve Never Seen So Many Groups: War Crimes Committed by Allied Democratic Forces in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo”.

The ADF has been involved in a multi-year campaign against the central government in Kinshasa and pledged allegiance to ISIS/ISIL, also known as ISIS-Central Africa, in 2019.

The Secretary General of Amnesty International, Agnès Callamard, said.

“The atrocities of the ADF are causing a growing humanitarian crisis… These atrocities are war crimes that the world must not continue to ignore.”

The ADF mainly operates in eastern DRC, near the Ugandan border, and has for years been at odds with the government’s armed forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC), along with the UN’s MONUSCO.

Repeated attacks by the ADF have led to mass displacement of people in other parts of the DRC and limited access to medical care, food and education.

Terrorism by the Rwandan-led March 23 Movement, also known as M23, has worsened the situation for civilians in the region, while the ADF has taken advantage of international and domestic threats to increase its military operations in eastern DRC.

Amnesty interviewed 71 people, including survivors of ADF attacks, as well as aid workers and police, as part of its investigation in North Kivu province, in eastern DRC, where the violence is most common.

In another notorious attack that took place in Ntoyo village in September 2025, ADF militants allegedly disguised themselves as mourners and killed more than 60 people using hammers, machetes, guns and axes.

Another attack two months later in the nearby village of Byambwe killed 17 civilians, and four hospital wards were burnt down. A survivor told Amnesty that the fighters “shot at everything that moved” at the church-run hospital.

Forced marriage, child recruitment and kidnapping

Amnesty also spoke to five women and two girls who were forced into marriages by ADF fighters, who were interviewed indicating that members of the group were given “women” as an incentive to fight the government. Threatened with death, victims were converted to Islam and subjected to sexual harassment and beatings, and several women were forced to watch the execution of others who refused the group’s orders.

Amnesty documented 46 cases of kidnapping, including hostages for ransom, torture, sexual slavery, forced labor, or execution. Some carried heavy loads for days, were beaten and given little food during their ordeal.

“They taught us to kill with guns and knives,” a woman who escaped after two years told Amnesty. “In the bush, you have to do what you are told, you cannot be weak.”

‘Strong action to ensure the safety of civilians’

Amnesty has called on the authorities in the DRC to do more to protect civilians and has asked the government to work with the UN and rural areas to develop early warning systems and to respond quickly to any incident.

Witnesses said the security forces sometimes arrived late at the scene of an ADF attack or not at all. Peace and rehabilitation programs were also important to help survivors and communities cope with their trauma.

“The Congolese government must take strong measures to protect civilians,” Callard said, warning that ignoring the threat posed by the ADF could undermine security and human rights in the country.

“The international community must continue to support the Congolese country by advancing efforts to protect civilians, ensure justice, and provide long-term support to victims and survivors.”