Recent rebel assaults near a town central to the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have resulted in over 30 fatalities in just a few days, further complicating efforts to address the epidemic.
Early Wednesday morning, at least 10 individuals were reported killed during raids on three villages surrounding the city of Beni, located in North Kivu province.
The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a militia group with ties to the Islamic State, has been held responsible for these violent incidents, which occurred in the villages of Matété, Mamuli, and Kitoho in eastern DRC.
Isaac Kavalami, a local community leader, stated, “We have tentatively noted around 10 deaths. The ADF rebels set fire to motorcycles and homes, and they have also kidnapped civilians, though the total number remains unknown.”
As of Wednesday, the Ebola outbreak in North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri provinces has seen 344 reported cases and 60 deaths.
On Saturday night, the militia infiltrated Beni, a city under military administration since 2021. Eyewitnesses described horrific scenes, including beheadings and shootings, which caused widespread fear and prompted hundreds to flee into the surrounding bush. Reports indicated that over 20 individuals, including men, women, and children, were killed, with many more unaccounted for.
Mumbere Sivya, a resident of Beni’s Ngandi neighborhood, recounted, “As we prepared for bed, we heard cries for help. It was an ADF attack. We fled in panic to save ourselves, only to discover in the morning that our neighbors had been beheaded.”
The ADF has intensified its assaults on both civilians and the Congolese military in the Beni area. Civil society organizations estimate that around 10,000 civilians have lost their lives to the armed group since 2014.
This group, characterized as a loose alliance of insurgents and criminals, is also implicated in violent acts across the border in Uganda.
The military governor of North Kivu reported on Tuesday that three confirmed Ebola patients had escaped from treatment centers in Beni following Saturday’s attacks.
The violence and ensuing panic in local communities have severely hampered responses to the 17th Ebola epidemic in the DRC since the virus was first identified in 1976.
“Ebola is deadly, but not through decapitation. We are losing our loved ones due to the ADF’s brutality, which is a harsh reality to confront,” remarked Albert Lusenge, a civil society advocate in Beni. He has personally lost 20 family members to attacks linked to the ADF, expressing concern that gaining public support for the Ebola response may be challenging amidst such devastation.
Other community leaders highlighted the increased risk of Ebola transmission as individuals flee violence. “The disease can easily spread from one community to another,” Lusenge explained. “After the attack in Ngandi, residents fled, making it difficult to enforce containment measures. If any of them carried the Ebola virus, the implications could be dire.”
Previous extensive military campaigns by the Congolese army from 2005 to 2014 failed to eliminate the ADF. A renewed offensive commenced in 2021, with joint operations between the Congolese and Ugandan armed forces aimed at locating ADF militants in North Kivu and Ituri.
Reagan Miviri, a researcher at the DRC-based think tank Ebuteli, indicated that the targeting of civilians is a retaliatory tactic employed by the ADF to deter military actions against them. “These killings act as a form of military deterrent, as the group responds to assaults by attacking innocent civilians, possibly as a means to halt military operations,” he noted.
He further explained that the ADF operates in small, elusive groups that are difficult to detect, especially during aerial operations, and that their concealment in forested areas allows them to evade military oversight.
Miviri added that military efforts by the Congolese and Ugandan forces seem primarily designed to drive the ADF away from the Ugandan border, but as these operations continue, civilian casualties persist.
The government in Kinshasa has confirmed the ADF’s involvement in the recent killings and has condemned the violence in the strongest terms. “In light of this tragedy, the government reiterates that combating the ADF is a top priority,” stated the ministry of communication and media.
Miviri cautioned that ongoing insecurity in the Beni region and beyond could rekindle public mistrust towards Ebola response teams, potentially leading to unrest similar to what was seen during the Ebola crisis from 2018 to 2020, which resulted in nearly 2,300 deaths. “Interventions in areas where the ADF operates will be challenging, as healthcare workers may be reluctant to work in such dangerous conditions. Additionally, the public may question why there is significant mobilization against Ebola while the massacres continue unchecked,” he elaborated.
Last week, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, highlighted that the prevailing insecurity in the DRC, particularly in Ituri, is severely hindering the Ebola response. He emphasized that isolating patients and building trust within communities is nearly impossible “while bombs are falling.”
