Description: The ISIS – affiliated Allied Democratic Forces militant group attacked a village in the Mambasa village in the Ituri province, killing more than 50 civilians and torching more than 43 places of residence. ADF has significantly upscaled the level of its attacks and primarily targets the civilian population while avoiding direct confrontations with the army and other rebel groups in the eastern parts of DR Congo. The militant group is primarily active in the conflict laden zones, where security vacuums are created by the constant confrontation between the military and rebel groups such as the M23.
Impact: ADF continues to exploit the porous security situation in the country, creating larger unstable areas where the group aims to intensify its asymmetric warfare mechanism, inflicting maximum damage and civilian casualties. ADF could most likely destabilize larger swathes of territory in the conflict laden zones in Congo’s east, which would in turn substantially undermine any ceasefire or peace efforts. The security and humanitarian situation remains severely unstable and deteriorating since all ceasefire and peace initiatives have failed to deliver concrete measures of practically ensuring stability in Congo’s eastern provinces.