89 Civilians Slaughtered as ADF Rebels Target Maternity Wards in Eastern DR Congo

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – In a harrowing escalation of violence that has once again plunged the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo into mourning, Islamist rebels have systematically slaughtered nearly ninety civilians in a week-long campaign of terror that targeted the most vulnerable members of society.

The United Nations mission in the country, MONUSCO, revealed on Friday that the atrocities included a barbaric assault on a health center where women receiving care in a maternity ward were indiscriminately killed, marking a grim new chapter in the region’s chronic instability.

This latest wave of massacres, attributed to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), underscores the deepening security vacuum in North Kivu (a province bordering Lake Kivu in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo), where dense forests and logistical failures have left local populations defenseless against armed groups that have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.

The scale of the carnage, which took place between November 13 and November 19, 2025, has shocked the international community and local residents alike.

According to the detailed statement released by MONUSCO, as reported by the Agence France-Presse (AFP), the violence was concentrated around the Lubero area in North Kivu, specifically ravaging the chiefdoms of Bapere and Baswagha. The week-long spate of attacks resulted in the confirmed deaths of 89 civilians.

Among the dead were at least 20 women and a number of children whose exact count remains undetermined, highlighting the indiscriminate nature of the violence that swept through these communities. The sheer brutality of these incursions has highlighted the utter lack of protection for soft targets in the region, as armed groups continue to operate with seeming impunity despite the presence of international peacekeepers and regional military forces.

Perhaps the most horrific incident documented during this bloody week occurred in the locality of Byambwe, situated approximately 60 kilometers (37 miles) west of Lubero. It was here that the rebels launched a direct assault on a health center operated by the Catholic Church, a facility intended to be a sanctuary for the sick and the vulnerable.

The UN mission reported that at least 17 civilians were murdered inside the medical complex. In a display of extreme cruelty, the attackers targeted the maternity ward, killing women who were in the process of receiving medical care. The horror did not end with the killings; the assailants proceeded to set fire to the facility, burning down four wards that were housing patients at the time.

The destruction of this essential infrastructure not only resulted in immediate loss of life but also deprived the surviving community of critical healthcare services in an area where medical resources are already critically scarce.

The death toll from the Byambwe attack has been the subject of grim updates as more bodies were recovered and the extent of the devastation became clear.

Agence France-Presse (AFP) had initially reported on November 15 that at least 15 people had died in the assault. However, local responders from the Red Cross, who were on the ground managing the aftermath, provided a higher count, stating that 23 individuals had lost their lives in that specific incident.

The discrepancy in numbers often reflects the chaotic nature of the conflict zones in eastern DR Congo, where accessing remote crime scenes is fraught with danger and communication is often disrupted. The MONUSCO report confirmed that beyond the killings, the affected towns suffered a litany of other serious abuses.

These included the abduction of civilians, likely to be used as porters or forced conscripts, the systematic looting of medical supplies which are vital for the region's survival, the burning of family homes, and the widespread destruction of property, leaving survivors with nothing but the clothes on their backs.

The perpetrators of these massacres, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), are an armed group with roots as former Ugandan rebels. Over the years, they have evolved into one of the deadliest militias operating in the region, having pledged their allegiance to the Islamic State group.

This affiliation has brought a hardened ideological edge to their operations, which have been characterized by repeated massacres across both North Kivu and neighboring Ituri provinces. The ADF operates primarily north of the area where another major rebel group, the M23, is active.

The M23, which is an anti-government force backed by Rwanda, has also been a major destabilizing factor, having seized large swathes of territory in North and South Kivu during offensives in January and February. While the Congolese army battles the M23 in the south of the Lubero region, the ADF has exploited the security gaps in the north to wage its war against the civilian population.

The continued ability of the ADF to carry out such large-scale attacks has drawn sharp criticism regarding the effectiveness of the military response in the region. Since 2021, the Ugandan army has been deployed in northern North Kivu and neighboring Ituri to conduct joint operations alongside the Congolese army.

The objective of this cross-border military cooperation was to neutralize the ADF threat and restore stability to the borderlands. However, despite years of joint operations, the violence has not been stemmed.

The rebels have adapted their tactics to the military pressure, largely avoiding direct armed confrontations with the combined forces of Uganda and the DR Congo. Instead, they utilize the region’s geography to their advantage, operating in small, mobile groups that can easily vanish into the dense, impenetrable forests that characterize the landscape. This guerrilla strategy has rendered the conventional military approach largely powerless, leaving the rebels free to emerge from the bush to terrorize undefended villages before retreating to their hideouts.

Following each new atrocity, a wave of anger and frustration rises from residents and civil society organizations who feel abandoned by the state security apparatus. The response from the military is frequently criticized as being too slow to save lives or intercept the attackers.

Muhindo Tafuteni, a local leader in Lubero, spoke to AFP about the dire security situation, painting a picture of a military force that is overstretched and under-resourced. Tafuteni cited a "reduced military presence" in the critical areas, which leaves vast stretches of territory unmonitored.

He also pointed to "insufficient logistics" as a major crippling factor, along with a notable "absence of military officers" dedicated to hunting down the killers. Without the necessary leadership and resources on the ground, the military’s ability to project force and protect civilians remains severely compromised.

The logistical nightmare facing the security forces is compounded by the dilapidated state of the region's infrastructure. Tafuteni highlighted to AFP that the roads in the area are in an "advanced state of disrepair." This physical decay makes patrolling difficult and prevents the rapid deployment of troops when attacks are reported.

In a region where minutes can mean the difference between life and death, the inability of military vehicles to navigate the terrain allows rebel groups to strike and withdraw long before help can arrive. The dense forests and lack of accessible roads create a sanctuary for the ADF, allowing them to maintain their stronghold despite the nominal presence of state forces.

Economic factors also play a significant role in the persistent violence plaguing the Lubero area. The Bapere sector, where many of these recent attacks occurred, is well known for its rich gold deposits. These natural resources act as a magnet for various local militias and criminal gangs, creating a complex ecosystem of violence where ideology often intersects with resource theft.

The instability allows armed groups to exploit these mineral riches to fund their operations, creating a self-sustaining cycle of conflict. Control over mining areas and the routes used to smuggle gold often drives the violence, with civilians caught in the crossfire of groups vying for dominance over the region’s wealth.

The recent spate of killings is part of a disturbing trend of escalating violence by the ADF in the region throughout the latter half of 2025. The group has carried out several deadly attacks since July, demonstrating a sustained capability to inflict mass casualties.

One of the most devastating prior incidents occurred in September in the village of Nyoto, where the ADF killed at least 71 people. The recurrence of such massacres, culminating in the deaths of 89 people this week, suggests that the current security strategies are failing to dismantle the ADF's operational capacity.

The targeting of a maternity ward and the burning of medical facilities indicate a strategy of total warfare against the civilian population, designed to instill maximum terror and destroy the social fabric of the communities in North Kivu. As the death toll rises and the fires of the burnt wards smolder, the people of eastern DR Congo are left to bury their dead and question when, or if, the promised security will ever arrive.