8/21/2025 DRC (International Christian Concern) — MONUSCO, the United Nations’ mission to the DRC, issued a release Monday accusing the Islamic State group-backed ADF terror group of killing at least 52 civilians in eastern DRC earlier this month. The attack targeted the Beni and Lubero areas of North Kivu province and lasted for the week between Aug. 9 and Aug. 16.

U.N. peacekeepers on the ground say that the death toll may rise in the coming days as they continue to explore the series of incidents.

In addition to the dozens of deaths, the ADF also conducted “abductions, looting, and the burning of homes, vehicles, and motorcycles, as well as the destruction of property belonging to the population already facing dire humanitarian conditions,” MONUSCO said in its statement.

Mangurejipa, located in the Lubero territory, suffered the bulk of the deaths during an overnight ADF attack on Aug. 14. “We have more than 30 people dead, and at least a hundred hostages,” confirmed Colonel Alain Kiwawa, the military administrator of Lubero territory. “Entire communities have been reduced to ashes.”

Agnes, a 42-year-old mother of five, recounted her ordeal with tears in her eyes. “They came at night, shouting in a language we could not understand,” she said. “They burned everything. I saw them binding my husband’s hands. He begged them not to harm the children. They abducted him. I do not know if he is still alive.”

MONUSCO reinforced its military presence in the area in response to the attacks, despite attempts by the Congolese government in recent years to undermine its effectiveness in the country and a formal request in late 2023 for MONUSCO to draw down its forces.

News of the August ADF attacks came as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, two human rights watchdog organizations, released reports this week detailing mass atrocities committed by the M23 militant group this year.

According to Human Rights Watch, M23 “summarily executed over 140 civilians” in July, possibly on ethnic grounds. The Amnesty report, published on Wednesday, details a widespread pattern of brutality in M23 actions, including gang rape, torture, and extrajudicial executions.

Roughly 120 distinct militant groups are active in the DRC, each with its own leadership, supply lines, and motivations. ADF is a jihadist militia aligned with the Islamic State and known for its brutality and hostility toward Christianity, the dominant religion in the country. M23 is backed by the Rwandan government and operates with more political and economic incentives, though its activities have brought widespread devastation to the Christian-majority country and significantly disrupted civilians’ ability to worship freely.

In February, local sources reported the massacre of 70 Christians in the DRC’s eastern Lubero territory, near the border with Uganda and Rwanda. The ADF was quickly identified as the likely perpetrator. According to reports, militia members detained scores of Christian villagers, tied them up inside a Protestant church, and decapitated them with machetes.

“We found Bibles and hymn books covered in blood,” said Bishop Melchisedec Sikuli Paluku of Butembo-Beni. “It was so painful that these rebels chose to defile a place of worship in such a way. We utterly condemn this animalistic act.”

The DRC’s government has long struggled to effectively govern its northeastern territories and last year demanded the withdrawal of the United Nations peacekeeping mission, leaving the path to long-term stability even more uncertain.

U.N. peacekeepers work to protect millions of displaced persons but have faced increasing difficulty executing their mission amid rebel advances. MONUSCO has grown increasingly unpopular with Congolese leaders. In December 2023, the U.N. Security Council approved a phased withdrawal following a request from President Felix Tshisekedi for an expedited exit.

MONUSCO began its drawdown in February 2024. Before that, the mission had been operating in the DRC for more than 13 years, fielding nearly 18,000 personnel, including about 14,000 armed troops. Recent territorial gains by terrorist groups appear to be at least partly the result of the vacuum left by the mission’s departure.

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