❓WHAT HAPPENED: Rebels linked to the Islamic State, known as the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), killed 89 civilians in a series of attacks across eastern Congo, targeting health facilities and local villages.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The Allied Democratic Forces, local civilians, and Congolese authorities, including Colonel Alain Kiwewa. The United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission MONUSCO also issued a statement.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The attacks occurred between November 13 and November 19, 2025, across North Kivu province in eastern Congo.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Attacks on health facilities are a crime against humanity. These despicable acts must not go unpunished.” – Col. Alain Kiwewa
🎯IMPACT: The attacks have heightened insecurity in the region and drawn international condemnation, with calls for justice and investigations into the perpetrators.
Rebels linked to the Islamic State (ISIS) terror group have carried out a series of deadly attacks in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, leaving at least 89 civilians dead between November 13 and November 19, 2025. The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), originally a Ugandan rebel movement and now recognized by ISIS as an affiliate, struck multiple villages and health facilities across North Kivu province. One of the deadliest incidents occurred at a Catholic Church-operated health center in Byambwe, where at least 17 people, including women seeking maternity care, were killed as the fighters burned four patient wards and looted medical supplies. The group also abducted residents in nearby communities during the coordinated assaults.
Colonel Alain Kiwewa, administrator of the territory, condemned the violence and emphasized the gravity of attacking humanitarian locations, stating, “Attacks on health facilities are a crime against humanity. These despicable acts must not go unpunished.” The UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO issued a similar statement, urging authorities to open independent investigations to ensure accountability. Despite joint military operations by Congolese and Ugandan forces, the ADF has continued its campaign of violence, including an attack in September in which the group claimed responsibility for killing more than 60 civilians attending a funeral.
The violence in Congo is unfolding amid rising concern about extremist attacks on Christian populations across Africa. Rights groups and church leaders in Nigeria have reported that thousands of Christians have been killed this year by jihadist factions, including groups aligned with ISIS and al-Qaeda. Independent monitors have warned that the scale of the bloodshed, which includes mass killings and widespread abductions, reflects a worsening pattern of targeted violence.
Some Nigerian officials dispute the characterization of the crisis by President Donald J. Trump as a genocide, arguing that the violence affects citizens of multiple faiths, but Christian organizations maintain that the pattern of attacks clearly demonstrates religious targeting.
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