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Women connected a maternity ward were among 89 civilians killed successful a week-long spate of Islamist rebel attacks successful the eastbound Democratic Republic of Congo, the United Nations ngo successful the state said connected Friday (November 21, 2025).
A fig of equipped groups and militia are operating successful the conflict-wracked region, including Rwanda-backed anti-government M23 forces, which seized swathes of territory successful North and South Kivu successful January and February.
North of the M23’s country of operation, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an equipped radical of erstwhile Ugandan rebels which has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, has been carrying retired repeated massacres successful some provinces.
The MONUSCO ngo said successful a connection that the ADF waged “particularly deadly” attacks betwixt November 13 and 19 astatine respective locations astir the Lubero country successful North Kivu.
“The attacks successful the Bapere and Baswagha (chiefdoms) person resulted successful the sidesplitting of 89 civilians, including astatine slightest 20 women and an arsenic yet undetermined fig of children,” it added.
In the locality of Byambwe, 60 kilometres (37 miles) westbound of Lubero, astatine slightest 17 civilians — among them women receiving attraction successful the maternity ward — were killed wrong a wellness centre operated by the Catholic Church.
“During the attack, 4 wards lodging patients were acceptable connected fire.”
AFP reported connected November 15 that astatine slightest 15 radical died successful the attack, portion the section Red Cross said 23 mislaid their lives.
MONUSCO said different towns “were besides affected by superior abuses, including abductions, the looting of aesculapian supplies, the burning of homes and the demolition of property”.
Criticisms
Since 2021, the Ugandan Army has been deployed successful bluish North Kivu and neighbouring Ituri to combat alongside the Congolese Army.
But the rebels are avoiding equipped confrontations and the associated cognition has not stopped the violence.
The Congolese Army, already battling M23 fighters successful the southbound of the Lubero region, is proving mostly powerless against attacks by the ADF, which operates successful tiny groups that tin easy find refuge successful the region’s dense forests.
After each attack, residents and civilian nine organisations criticise the Army’s dilatory response.
Muhindo Tafuteni, a section person successful Lubero, told AFP that determination was a “reduced subject presence”, “insufficient logistics” and an “absence of subject officers to hunt down the killers”.
He besides told AFP that roads were successful an “advanced authorities of disrepair”, which makes patrolling difficult.
The Bapere assemblage of Lubero is good known for its golden deposits, which pull assorted section militias and transgression gangs.
The ADF has carried retired respective deadly attacks determination since July, including 1 successful the colony of Nyoto successful September that killed astatine slightest 71 people.
