The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) has confirmed that the ISIL-affiliated Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) slaughtered at least 52 civilians in North Kivu’s Beni and Lubero territories between August 9 and 16, 2025.

The attacks, marked by brutal machete and hoe killings, kidnappings, and widespread looting, have deepened the region’s humanitarian crisis, with fears the death toll may climb higher. MONUSCO condemned the ADF’s “heinous acts in the strongest possible terms,” according to its spokesperson, as the group targeted vulnerable communities already reeling from ongoing conflict.

The violence included burning homes, vehicles, and motorcycles, further devastating an area rich in minerals but plagued by militia warfare. The ADF’s rampage coincides with heightened tensions between the Congolese army and the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group, both accusing each other of breaching a US-brokered ceasefire meant to pave the way for a permanent peace deal by August 18. No agreement was announced, leaving the region on edge. Lieutenant Elongo Kyondwa Marc, a Congolese army spokesperson, claimed the ADF’s attacks were retaliation for recent military losses.

“They gathered civilians, tied them up, and hacked them to death,” - Macaire Sivikunula, Lubero Chief.

The ADF, formed in the 1990s by Ugandan dissidents and aligned with ISIL since 2019, has a long history of terrorizing northeastern DRC. Last month, the group killed nearly 40 people in a horrific assault on a Catholic church in Komanda, Ituri province, targeting worshippers during a vigil.

MONUSCO has bolstered its military presence and opened its bases to hundreds of fleeing civilians. Despite a joint Uganda-DRC operation, “Shujaa,” launched in 2021 to dismantle the ADF, the group continues its deadly campaign.