GOMA, DR Congo, April 2 (Xinhua) -- The death toll has exceeded 70 following an attack by rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Panic has spread across several districts of Mambasa territory in Ituri Province, after the deadly attack left more than 70 people dead overnight from Wednesday to Thursday, according to civil society sources.
Dieudonne Lossa, coordinator of civil society in Ituri, confirmed the toll, noting that the attack took place on Wednesday evening in the Bafwakoa Village, Mambasa territory, toward Kisangani, the capital of Tshopo Province.
Armed men believed to be ADF rebels raided several villages, killing civilians and setting homes, vehicles, and motorcycles ablaze. Videos circulating on social media showed bodies lying on roads and in villages, as well as charred vehicles near the attack sites.
The death toll could rise further, local civil society sources said.
Panic has been observed in Mambasa territory since Thursday morning as bodies were being gathered in surrounding areas. "People are in a state of psychosis. They are fleeing their homes for fear of new attacks," said a member of the local civil society, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"With unprecedented zeal, we condemn this attack, which is nothing but sabotage of the government's actions against these rebels," Lossa said, calling on the Congolese government to strengthen its military presence in the region.
On March 25, United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Nada al-Nashif told the Human Rights Council in Geneva that since October 2025, ADF rebels have expanded their operations across Ituri, North Kivu, and Tshopo provinces, killing more than 260 people and displacing thousands.
She added that women and girls have been subjected to sexual slavery, resulting in dozens of pregnancies.
The ADF, an affiliate of the Islamic State in Central Africa, is a Ugandan rebel group operating in eastern DRC. Its continued activity has prompted joint military operations by Congolese and Ugandan forces since November 2021 to track and neutralize the group. ■
