Trending Now - Over 40 Lives Lost in ADF Assault in Eastern Congo
WHO:
CNN - The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a rebel group linked to the Islamic State group.
Al Jazeera - Lieutenant Jules Tshikudi Ngongo, regional army spokesperson; Baptiste Munyapandi, territorial administrator of Mambasa; Christian Alimasi, local customary official in Mambasa territory.
WHAT:
CNN - Local officials reported that the death toll could be as high as 56, with several people missing and at least two taken hostage.
Al Jazeera - Baptiste Munyapandi, territorial administrator of Mambasa, stated that search operations were continuing and that the death toll could rise.
Al Jazeera - Last year, the ADF killed 66 people and abducted several more in a neighboring area.
CNN - ADF fighters killed at least 43 people in an attack on Bafwakoa village.
Al Jazeera - The ADF killed at least 43 people and torched 44 houses during the attack.
CNN - Local officials reported the death toll could be as high as 56, with several people missing and at least two taken hostage.
Al Jazeera - Some victims were killed with machetes, while others burned in their homes.
WHERE:
CNN - The attack occurred in Bafwakoa village, located in Mambasa territory, Ituri province, eastern Congo.
Al Jazeera - The ADF operates on both sides of the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
WHEN:
CNN - The attack took place on Wednesday, March 31st, 2026.
Al Jazeera - The army reported the attack on Thursday, April 1st, 2026.
WHY:
Al Jazeera - Lt. Jules Ngongo described the ADF's attacks as "acts of revenge against the population, thus reprisals against our people."
CNN - The ADF's attacks are described as "acts of revenge against the population" and a means to sabotage peace efforts.
Al Jazeera - The ADF has intensified attacks in recent months despite joint Congolese-Ugandan military operations against them launched in 2021.
HOW:
Al Jazeera - Data from Insecurity Insight shows the ADF accounted for about a quarter of reported violence against civilians in eastern DRC between 2020 and 2025.
CNN - The ADF avoids direct combat with the army and attacks civilians instead.
Al Jazeera - The ADF's methods include setting fire to houses and using machetes against victims.
(UPDATED April 3, 2026 09:15 UTC)
Local officials have reported that the death toll from recent attacks could be as high as 56, with several individuals still missing and at least two taken hostage. Baptiste Munyapandi, the territorial administrator of Mambasa, confirmed that search operations are ongoing and warned that the death toll may continue to rise. The Allied Democratic Forces, responsible for these attacks, have been described by Lt. Jules Ngongo as carrying out acts of revenge against the population, and they accounted for about a quarter of reported violence against civilians in eastern DRC from 2020 to 2025.
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(UPDATED April 3, 2026 07:19 UTC)
In a brutal attack on Bafwakoa village in eastern Congo on Tuesday, the Allied Democratic Forces, a rebel group linked to the Islamic State, killed at least 43 people and set fire to 44 houses, with local officials estimating the death toll could rise to 56. The army reported on Wednesday that some victims were killed with machetes, while others were burned alive in their homes, highlighting the ADF's tactics of targeting civilians rather than engaging in direct combat with military forces. This violence is seen as part of the ADF's ongoing campaign of revenge against the population, aimed at undermining peace efforts despite joint military operations by Congolese and Ugandan forces.