| August 2022 North Kivu attacks | |
|---|---|
| Part of Kivu conflict | |
| Location | North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Date | August 25-30, 2022 |
| Deaths | 54+ (per International Crisis Group) [1] 40+ (per local groups) [2] 76 kidnapped [2] |
| Perpetrator |  Allied Democratic Forces |
Between August 25 and 30, 2022, fighters of the Allied Democratic Forces attacked six villages in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, killing over fifty-four people.
The ADF is a Ugandan jihadist group formed in the 1990s, but spread to eastern Congo in the 2010s. [3] In 2019, the group pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, and a subsequent uptick in civilian attacks occurred. [3] In the summer of 2022, the ADF ramped up attacks in North Kivu, with attacks in Otomabere and Kandoyi killing dozens. with On August 11-12, the ADF freed 800 inmates at a prison in Butembo, killing two policemen in the process. [4]
Villagers from Nord-Kivu claimed that the ADF had crossed over from neighboring Ituri province in search of arable land, and attacked six villages in North Kivu around the night of August 25. [5] On August 27, three civilians were killed by the ADF in a locality of Bashu chiefdom, according to a local chief. [6] At 5 am that same day in Kavasewa, a nearby village, the ADF attacked a military outpost before assaulting the village, burning down dozens of houses and bludgeoning multiple women to death. [6] On August 29, an ADF attack west of Oicha killed two.
Attacks ramped up again on August 30, with the ADF pillaging the villages of Alima and Laliya. [7] Fourteen villagers were killed in these attacks. The Congolese army also claimed to have secured control over the area after the ADF left. [7] On the same day, ADF fighters assaulted the hamlet of Beu-Manyama, killing five villagers. International crisis groups, local hospitals, and local human rights groups assessed that the total death toll was over fifty people killed by the ADF in six days. [4] [5]