At least 20 people killed in attack by group backed by Islamic State in Congo

According to activists in the area, the rebels first raided several farmers’ fields before attacking civilians with knives and firearms

The attack by the Allied Democratic Forces took place on Saturday (AP Photo/Al-hadji Kudra Maliro)

At least 20 people have been killed in an attack by Islamic State-backed rebels on a village in eastern Congo over the weekend, the military confirmed on Monday.

The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) carried out the assault early on Saturday in Mambimbi-Isigo village, located in the Lubero territory of North Kivu province. Colonel Alain Kiwewa Mitela, a military administrator, relayed the details to The Associated Press.

The attack has triggered a significant displacement of residents, exacerbating an already critical humanitarian crisis in the region, Col Mitela added.

Local civil society activists reported that the rebels initially targeted several farmers' fields before turning on civilians with knives and firearms. There has been no immediate statement from the ADF.

“This toll is still provisional because many civilians are missing,” Kinos Kitwa, head of civil society in Bapere, said. He criticized the small number of Congolese army troops in the area.

Armed groups, including the ADF and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, have carried out several deadly attacks in eastern Congo. The ADF, which pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group in 2019, operates along the border with Uganda and often targets civilians.

At least 62 civilians have been killed since the beginning of the year by ADF fighters in the Beni and Lubero territories, according to the North Kivu Provincial Civil Society Coordination.

On Monday, U.N. peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix began a two-day official visit to eastern Congo, including Beni, which has been particularly affected by ADF attacks.

The ADF was formed by disparate small groups in Uganda in the late 1990s following discontent with President Yoweri Museveni. In 2002, following Ugandan military strikes, the group moved to neighboring Congo and has been blamed for the killings of thousands of civilians.In July 2025, the group carried out a series of attacks that killed more than 100 people.