In brief
A suspected Allied Democratic Forces assault in Cantine‑Aloya, Beni territory, North Kivu, left at least ten civilians dead and caused extensive property damage. Local sources reported additional casualties and ongoing uncertainty about the final death toll and the extent of destruction. The incident follows sustained joint Congolese‑Ugandan military operations targeting the group since 2021.
At least ten civilians were killed in an overnight attack by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in Cantine‑Aloya, a settlement in Beni territory of North Kivu province, according to local media reports published Friday. The assault, carried out between Thursday night and Friday morning, involved armed assailants who entered the community, set homes ablaze, and reportedly destroyed commercial buildings.
Local civil‑society sources, including Tchetche Aliamini, head of a nearby grassroots organization, confirmed the raid and detailed the damage to both residences and business premises. Several houses were set on fire, while a number of commercial structures were reportedly gutted. According to the reports, the destruction was widespread, with the attackers also targeting several “public” buildings, although precise inventory of damaged property remains unpublicized.
In terms of casualties, the death toll reported by local outlets is provisional. The main figure given is ten fatalities, yet other local media outlets indicated the death count could exceed twenty people. Some bodies were said to remain at the scene, while many residents fled the settlement amid the violence, leaving the exact number of victims unsettled.
The ADF is an Islamist insurgent group affiliated with the Islamic State in Central Africa. Since November 2021, Congolese and Ugandan forces have jointly conducted operations to locate and neutralise the group. Those joint military actions have been ongoing as the ADF maintains a presence in eastern Congo. In this incident, the ADF’s continued activity prompted reports that the attacks fell under this broader counter‑insurgency effort.
According to the same local sources, emergency services were dispatched to the scene, but many inhabitants fled before assistance could arrive. The assault left a number of bodies on the ground, with medical teams reportedly yet to process all casualties. As a result, authorities have not been able to ascertain the exact number of dead or confirm all survivors’ safety.
What remains uncertain are the final casualty figures, the total number of households destroyed, the extent of damage to commercial infrastructure, and whether all bodies were recovered. The provisional death toll could shift as rescue operations continue, and additional information may surface concerning the scope of the incident and the ADF’s motives.
