DR Congo forces recapture South Kivu positions as ADF attacks surge in Ituri

The Congolese army (FARDC) announced on 17 June that it retook the village of Kitavi, the Irundu settlement, the UGEAFI school in Madegu and other strategic sites near Minembwe centre in South Kivu. The operation followed drone strikes that the army attributes to the Rwandan military and its allied M23 rebels, which also hit the Minembwe General Hospital and civilian homes. The FARDC said the advances aim to restore state authority and protect the local Banyamulenge population, which has been subjected to repeated killings and displacement.

In Ituri province, representatives of local communities and officials met with MONUSCO on 15 June to discuss a wave of attacks blamed on the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) and newly emerged “Wazalendo” militias. More than twenty villages in the Babila‑Babombi and Babila‑Bakwanza chiefdoms have been affected, causing civilian deaths, mass displacements and economic disruption. Michel Meta, president of the Union of Cultural Associations for the Development of Ituri, urged MONUSCO to support the FARDC, stating, “Il faudrait que la MONUSCO appuie notre armée dans les opérations contre les ADF… afin de restaurer durablement la sécurité et l’autorité de l’État.”