Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo — Fighters from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a Uganda-origin rebel group linked to the Islamic State, killed at least 36 people across two days of attacks in northeastern DR Congo this week, local and security sources confirmed on May 8, 2026, deepening the humanitarian catastrophe in one of Africa most conflict-ridden regions.
According to local civil society organisations, ADF fighters attacked the town of Biakato in Ituri Province on May 6, opening fire on residents with bullets and machetes. At least 15 people were killed, including one child and three women. The head of the local civil society organisation confirmed that 15 bodies had been recovered from the scene.
Separately, attacks on four isolated villages along the border between Ituri and North Kivu provinces killed a further 21 people, most of them farmers working in areas that are largely beyond the reach of state authority or international peacekeepers. The areas targeted are covered in dense forest that has long served as the ADF primary operational territory.
The ADF was originally formed in Uganda with the aim of overthrowing the Kampala government and establishing an Islamic state. Since the late 1990s, however, the group has been based in eastern DR Congo, where it has evolved into one of the most dangerous and long-running insurgencies in the Great Lakes region. Analysts say the group has increasingly expanded its reach beyond its traditional strongholds, carrying out attacks in more populated areas and targeting a broader range of civilians.
Amnesty International published a report on May 5 accusing the ADF of war crimes and crimes against humanity in eastern DR Congo, documenting patterns of mass killings, sexual violence, and forced displacement. The United Nations has also implicated the group in extrajudicial killings, extortion, and kidnappings for ransom.
The mineral-rich eastern DRC has been plagued by conflict for three decades, with a complex web of armed groups, militia, and army troops operating across Ituri and North Kivu provinces. Since 2021, Uganda army has been deployed in northern North Kivu and Ituri in a joint operation with the Congolese military, but the ADF operational capacity has remained largely intact.
The latest killings add to a grim toll in the region. Attacks have intensified in recent months even in areas where joint Ugandan-Congolese operations have been most active, raising questions about the long-term effectiveness of the military approach to containing the group.
For communities in Ituri and North Kivu, the attacks represent another blow to already shattered livelihoods. Farmers have been unable to access their fields, markets have been disrupted, and thousands of families have been forced to flee deeper into towns and displacement camps where humanitarian assistance remains severely inadequate.