After a brief calm, Christians who had fled and resettled in Eastern DRC faced renewed ADF assaults.

On May 5, ADF attacks occurred at Katerrain and Mangambo, villages situated along the borders of North Kivu and Ituri Provinces, resulting in at least 24 people killed and several missing. The next night, separate attacks hit Ikaya and Ndalya.

According to Alain Siwako, a member of North Kivu provincial parliament, the current death toll is provisional and could rise due to the number of missing residents.

This attack triggered massive displacement and spread fear among communities living along the North Kivu-Ituri border.

Security sources from nearby localities confirmed the tragedy and reported that the ADF now occupies and controls several villages along the Samboko River between Beni and Irumu territories.

The mayor of Oicha, Jean‑de‑Dieu Kibwana, said officials transported 19 bodies to the mortuary at General Referral Hospital and buried six at Katerain.

Following the killings, Siwako strongly criticized the current security approach in the region. He called on military and government authorities to adopt a new, more effective strategy against the persistent ADF threat.

“We cannot continue using the same language for 12 years while the enemy keeps earning a large number of territories, forcing people to leave their homes, lose their loved ones, and live a tough life away from their source of income,” he said. “In this situation, it is even hard to practice their Christian faith.”

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