Several dead after ADF rebels attack gold mines in eastern DR Congo

KINSHASA — Rebels linked to the Islamic State group attacked mining sites in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, killing multiple people, the government said Sunday.

The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a group formed by Ugandan rebels that has pledged allegiance to IS, attacked gold mining sites near the town of Muchacha in Ituri province on Wednesday night, the government said in a statement.

Eastern DRC has been gripped by three decades of conflict involving various armed groups, militias and army troops.

The ADF has been accused of massacres and pillaging in Ituri and the neighbouring province of North Kivu.

"This attack, which was claimed by the Islamic State group, left multiple people dead, facilities burnt and civilian populations displaced," the government said.

Local police chief Matadi Muyapandi said the area targeted was home to "major gold-mining activity" and a Chinese-run mine.

He said fighters had ambushed soldiers sent to combat the rebels, leaving seven troops wounded.

"Two civilians' bodies have been found, but the death toll could be higher. It's still difficult to access the site," the head of a local NGO, John Vuleveryo, told AFP.

"Several people were also kidnapped. The Chinese nationals who were present in Muchacha fled."

Since 2021, the Ugandan army has been deployed in the northern part of North Kivu and in Ituri to fight the ADF, alongside Congolese forces.

But the joint operation has not stopped the violence.

The Congolese army, already grappling with the M23 armed group, has struggled to respond to attacks by the ADF, which operates in small groups and hides in the region's dense forests.