DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO – A brutal militia attack carried out overnight from Saturday to Sunday has left at least nine people dead in the eastern town of Oicha, as violence once again grips the region. The assault, allegedly committed by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF)—a group aligned with the so-called Islamic State—targeted civilians, homes, and local businesses, according to multiple local sources and eyewitness accounts.
The militia attack began under the cover of darkness, with fighters looting shops, setting fire to residential areas, and murdering residents in cold blood. The ADF, an armed rebel group originally from Uganda, has operated in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since the mid-1990s and is notorious for its ruthless violence against civilians.
Speaking to AFP, Isaac Kavalami, president of a local civil society group in Oicha, confirmed that eight civilians and one police officer were killed during the ADF’s incursion. The victims, some of whom suffered stab wounds, were later discovered and taken to the morgue at Oicha General Hospital.
“During this incursion, the ADF enemy killed eight civilians and a police officer,” said Kavalami. “Shops were looted, houses burned, and the community was left in terror.”
Civilians Targeted in Another Devastating Militia Attack
An AFP journalist at the scene on Sunday reported seeing nine bodies at the local hospital, with evidence of brutal injuries consistent with machete or knife attacks—a trademark of previous ADF atrocities.
Lieutenant Marc Elongo, a spokesperson for the Congolese army operating in the area, also attributed the militia attack to the ADF, stating that the assault appeared to be retaliation for ongoing military operations targeting rebel strongholds in the region.
“This cowardly act was a direct reprisal by the ADF for the pressure being exerted on them by joint Congolese and Ugandan forces,” said Lt. Elongo. “We remain committed to dismantling these terrorist networks.”
The ADF pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in 2019 and was officially designated as an ISIS affiliate. Since then, it has launched increasingly violent attacks, earning a reputation as one of the most dangerous armed groups in Central Africa.
Civil society representatives claim they had warned security forces about the risk of an impending militia attack, but no preventive action was taken.
“We sounded the alarm. We knew an attack was coming, but no reinforcements arrived,” said Kavalami. “This is a failure of security and a tragedy for our people.”
The incident highlights the ongoing security vacuum in eastern DRC, despite military efforts by both the Congolese and Ugandan armies to eradicate the ADF and protect civilians.
The Allied Democratic Forces was founded in the 1990s by Muslim extremists opposed to the Ugandan government. Over the years, the group established itself in the densely forested regions of North Kivu province, near the Uganda-DRC border.
While initially driven by political motives, the ADF has since transformed into a deadly jihadist insurgency, particularly after pledging allegiance to the Islamic State. Since 2019, the group has stepped up its attacks, using extreme violence to spread fear, destabilize communities, and recruit through coercion.
Estimates suggest that the ADF has killed thousands of civilians, with many attacks targeting villages, churches, and schools. Civilians often bear the brunt of their brutality, and massacres like the one in Oicha are tragically frequent in regions where government control is weak or non-existent.
Following this latest militia attack, human rights groups and international observers are renewing calls for increased international support to stabilize eastern Congo. While joint military operations between Uganda and the DRC have made progress, the vast, remote terrain and the ADF’s guerrilla tactics have made eradication efforts extremely difficult.
“The people of eastern Congo cannot be abandoned,” said one local NGO worker. “We need stronger protection, humanitarian aid, and accountability for these crimes.”
So far, no arrests have been made in connection with the Oicha attack.
As the community of Oicha mourns the latest victims of ADF terror, fears are mounting that more militia attacks are imminent. With security forces stretched thin and rebel groups emboldened, many civilians are left wondering when peace—if ever—will return to the region.
The militia attack serves as yet another grim reminder of the urgent need for coordinated regional and international action to restore stability, protect civilians, and hold perpetrators accountable in eastern DRC.
Source- EWN
