{"id":7528,"date":"2026-07-24T23:23:19","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T23:23:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/home\/dr-congo-18-civilians-killed-in-ituri"},"modified":"2026-07-25T00:10:38","modified_gmt":"2026-07-25T00:10:38","slug":"dr-congo-18-civilians-killed-in-ituri","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/dr-congo-18-civilians-killed-in-ituri","title":{"rendered":"DR Congo: 18 Civilians Killed in Ituri"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press. <\/strong> <\/span>Figures released by local civil society organizations indicate that at least 18 civilians were killed in a new attack attributed to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in Mambasa, Ituri Province, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The attack targeted several villages in the Mambimbi Bela area.<\/p>\n

The death toll in the Democratic Republic of the Congo remains preliminary, as several individuals are still missing, and reports suggest that the attackers continue to be present in the area.<\/p>\n

The majority of the victims were artisanal gold miners active in this mining region, and the extremist group also kidnapped several individuals.<\/p>\n

Kambale Benzi Filemon, head of the civil society group, warned that “the toll is likely to rise,” calling on authorities to provide protection for the population, stating that “the enemy continues to roam the villages without any concern or deterrent.”<\/p>\n

He explained that some victims were killed by having their heads severed with machetes, urging the Congolese government to enhance military presence, reminding that “it is the government’s duty to protect the population and their property.”<\/p>\n

He also expressed regret over the lack of intervention from the forces deployed in the area during the attack, emphasizing that the situation is becoming increasingly painful as “every day we bury our citizens who fall victim.”<\/p>\n

He stated: “We have not even witnessed intervention from the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO)… It is painful to have to bury our citizens who are killed every day.”<\/p>\n

This operation is part of a series of bloody attacks carried out in recent weeks by the Allied Democratic Forces, an armed group that has pledged allegiance to ISIS and operates in the border area between Ituri and North Kivu provinces.<\/p>\n

Recent violence has caused a new wave of displacement among the population.<\/p>\n

John Folivirio from the “Protection Plus” human rights organization stated in an interview with Radio France Internationale from Kinshasa, “Innocent civilians continue to be massacred amid a troubling state of indifference.”<\/p>\n

Folivirio called on both national and international communities to take urgent action, stressing that “every day that passes without effective response puts thousands of families at risk of death, forced displacement, and fear.”<\/p>\n

He added, “Once again, the Mambasa region is engulfed in mourning, and innocent civilians continue to be killed amid alarming indifference. The recent attack has also led to the displacement of residents within the province. We continue to urge both national and international communities to recognize that urgent action has become a necessity.”<\/p>\n

He emphasized that “the people of Ituri and North Kivu cannot be left to face the atrocities of the Allied Democratic Forces alone… We remind that silence and inaction claim lives… Every day that passes without effective response exposes thousands of families to death, forced displacement, and fear. It is time to provide full protection to civilians and make this a top priority.”<\/p>\n

This attack comes at a time when the death toll from an assault on the village of Nzibanda in the neighboring Beni province has risen to 22.<\/p>\n

Among the victims was a technician working at a local radio station.<\/p>\n

These attacks continue despite military operations carried out by the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in cooperation with the Ugandan army in the region.<\/p>\n

Despite years of joint military operations between the Congolese army and the Ugandan army, the Allied Democratic Forces still retain significant capability to carry out attacks and redeploy.<\/p>\n

In November 2021, the Congolese armed forces, in collaboration with the Ugandan People’s Defense Forces, launched a large-scale military operation against the group’s strongholds in eastern Congo.<\/p>\n

The operations achieved some successes, including the liberation of hundreds of hostages and the destruction of camps belonging to the group.<\/p>\n

Just months ago, Ugandan and Congolese forces announced the liberation of over 200 civilians held by the group, including children, during an operation targeting one of its camps in eastern Congo.<\/p>\n

However, these operations have not ended the threat due to several factors, including the complex geographical nature, the weakness of Congolese state institutions, and the continuation of other armed conflicts, as well as the group’s ability to recruit and move across borders.<\/p>\n

Additionally, the Congolese army’s focus since early 2025 on combating the “March 23 Movement” rebellion supported by Rwanda has allowed the Allied Democratic Forces to expand their activities against civilians.<\/p>\n

A previous report by Amnesty International indicated that the group exploited the distraction of government forces and the shift of international attention towards the “March 23 Movement” crisis to escalate its attacks and commit further violations.<\/p>\n

Find more news and analyses on Africa<\/span> on the Africa Press<\/span> website<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press. Figures released by local civil society organizations indicate that at least 18 civilians were killed in a new attack attributed to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in Mambasa, Ituri Province, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The attack targeted several villages in the Mambimbi Bela area. The death toll in the Democratic Republic of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":7527,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[120],"class_list":{"0":"post-7528","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-policy","8":"tag-africa"},"yoast_head":"\nDR Congo: 18 Civilians Killed in Ituri - Africa Press English<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Figures released by local civil society organizations indicate that at least 18 civilians were killed in a new\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/dr-congo-18-civilians-killed-in-ituri\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"DR Congo: 18 Civilians Killed in Ituri\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Figures released by local civil society organizations indicate that at least 18 civilians were killed in a new\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/dr-congo-18-civilians-killed-in-ituri\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Africa Press English\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-24T23:23:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-25T00:10:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/africa-home\/sites\/69\/2026\/07\/sm_1784938146.477407.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1171\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"530\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/dr-congo-18-civilians-killed-in-ituri#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/dr-congo-18-civilians-killed-in-ituri\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"DR Congo: 18 Civilians Killed in Ituri\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-24T23:23:19+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-25T00:10:38+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/dr-congo-18-civilians-killed-in-ituri\"},\"wordCount\":780,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/dr-congo-18-civilians-killed-in-ituri#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/africa-home\/sites\/69\/2026\/07\/sm_1784938146.477407.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Africa\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/dr-congo-18-civilians-killed-in-ituri#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/dr-congo-18-civilians-killed-in-ituri\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/dr-congo-18-civilians-killed-in-ituri\",\"name\":\"DR Congo: 18 Civilians Killed in Ituri - 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