Islamic State-linked ADF fighters kill at least 44 civilians in Congo's Ituri province, sources tell AFP
Fighters of the Islamic State-linked Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) killed at least 44 civilians in attacks on villages in Mambasa territory, in Congo's northeastern Ituri province, between Monday and Thursday, humanitarian and security sources told AFP. The toll is not settled: one humanitarian source counted 47 bodies and local sources spoke of up to 49. The attacks come days after the ADF killed 66 people in neighbouring North Kivu, and in the province where Congo's Ebola outbreak was first detected.
Checking in progress
This story is still being checked. Claims below are published as claims — never dressed as facts — and each one moves only when the evidence earns it.
- Collecting reportsDone
- Grouping the versionsDone
- Checking claims5 of 5 claims checked
- 4Human gateWe are here
5 of 5 claims checked so far · step 4 of 4: Human gate
Key points
- At least 44 civilians were killed in ADF raids on villages in Mambasa territory, Ituri, between Monday and Thursday, sources told AFP.
- The toll is disputed: a humanitarian source counted 47 bodies and local sources spoke of up to 49.
- The attacks come days after the ADF killed 66 people, including three Ebola workers, in Cantine-Aloya, North Kivu.
Show more (1)
- Ituri is where Congo's Ebola outbreak — now past 11,000 cases — was first detected.
What happened
The ADF began as a Ugandan rebel movement and now operates in the forests of eastern Congo, where it has massacred civilians in Ituri and North Kivu for years. It pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in 2019 and is claimed by the group as its Central Africa province.
The violence is landing on an Ebola response already under severe strain: after the Cantine-Aloya attack, more than 1,000 contacts were lost to follow-up and response teams had to halt work in the area.
What we know / what we don't know yet
What we know
- That ADF raids on Mambasa villages this week killed dozens of civilians — humanitarian and security sources agree on the attacks and on a toll in the forties.
- That the attacks follow the 66 killed in Cantine-Aloya days earlier, in the same Ebola-hit region.
What we don't know yet
- The exact toll — the counts in the reporting run from 44 to 49 and the search for bodies is continuing.
- Whether Ebola facilities or response workers were targeted in the Mambasa raids — the reporting read does not say.
- Any Congolese government or UN statement on this week's attacks.
Claim by claim
Show all claims (5)
Why this label: The toll is a range, not a settled figure: the sources AFP cites give at least 44, 47 bodies and up to 49. The headline carries the lowest sourced figure.
On the ladder: credible sources conflict, so we show both workings. One side's own statement is that side's position — never proof.
Why this label: The place, the territory and the timing are common ground across the AFP-based reporting; the ADF's responsibility is the attribution of the humanitarian and security sources cited.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The Cantine-Aloya toll of 66 is the WHO's figure, carried on Vozia's live story on that attack; both reports here use it as the baseline for this week's raids.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The WHO chief's own words, made after the Cantine-Aloya attack and quoted in the reporting of this week's raids.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The Institute's figures as reported this week; the outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, for which there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why it matters
Eastern Congo's Ebola outbreak is the country's deadliest, and its containment depends on health workers reaching villages safely. Repeated massacres in the outbreak zone drive patients and contacts out of reach of the response — the mechanism the WHO chief calls one of the greatest obstacles to ending it.
Background
Show the background timeline (4)
The ADF pledges allegiance to the Islamic State, which claims it as its Central Africa province.
Congo's 17th Ebola outbreak is detected in Ituri province; it becomes the country's deadliest.
ADF fighters raid Cantine-Aloya in North Kivu, killing 66 people including three Ebola response workers and burning three healthcare facilities.
ADF fighters raid several villages in Mambasa territory, Ituri, killing at least 44 civilians.
Update history
No silent edits. Every change is written here, with its time.
- Latest
Published in Checking state — the attacks are confirmed by humanitarian and security sources; the death toll is disputed and is carried as a range.