Killing spree
The death toll in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has risen to 41 following last Friday’s attack by suspected Islamist rebels, bringing the total deaths to over 80 since Tuesday. The attack, attributed to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), targeted the villages of Masala, Mapasana, and Mahini, according to Lieutenant-Colonel Mak Hazukay, a Congolese army spokesman. Originating from Uganda and now based in eastern Congo, the ADF has pledged allegiance to Islamic State and frequently attacks the region. Over the past week, the ADF allegedly conducted multiple assaults, including one in Masawu that killed 17 people.
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The eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been ravaged by violence perpetrated by armed groups for decades, with both the government and external entities supplying weapons to the belligerents. The M23 movement, backed by Rwanda, relaunched its offensive in late 2021, capturing significant territory in North Kivu and causing the displacement of tens of thousands of people due to intensified combat. As of the end of last year, conflict had forced the displacement of around 6.9 million people across the DRC, primarily in the eastern provinces. The escalation of hostilities in March 2022 has led to the displacement of more than 1.6 million individuals in North Kivu, eastern DRC. The ADF, which pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in 2018, originally began operations in Uganda, where in that country’s capital in late 2021, the group launched a series of attacks that targeted security and civilian populations alike. Since the end of 2021, the Congolese and Ugandan armies have conducted joint operations against the ADF in North Kivu and neighbouring Ituri but have so far failed to stop the deadly attacks on civilians. Part of this failure stems from complacency. Residents in the besieged areas report that security presence is sparse, and the group which has made the region its home take advantage of poor troop distribution and accurate knowledge of the gaps to launch attacks. Also, despite the presence of an international force, the strategy has not been aimed at curtailing armed groups’ access to weapons. How such a strategy, if adopted in the future, will work is anyone’s guess because, beyond the use of guns, the ADF has also demonstrated a capacity to use machetes to make up for the numbers. In the volatile region of Eastern Congo, the ADF may be counting on frustration with the performance of peacekeeping forces to spark another round of protests against their deployment. Such protests could give the ADF and allied groups more freedom to operate. Before this happens, the Congolese and Ugandan continents, the primary international forces, may have to reassess their strategy for better outcomes.
