Kinshasa (Congo), 10 February (H.S.): ISIS-affiliated insurgents launched a weekend assault on Mambimbi-Isigo village in North Kivu's Lubero territory on Saturday, February 8, 2026, slaughtering at least 20 civilians in a predawn raid that triggered mass displacement, local military administrator Colonel Ellen Kiveva Mitela confirmed.

Mitela detailed how attackers—potentially comprising Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels—first raided farmers' fields before unleashing knives and firearms on villagers; civil society leader Kinoz Kitwa in Bapere cautioned the toll remains provisional amid numerous missing persons, lambasting sparse Congolese army presence.

ADF has yet to comment, though its ISIS allegiance—pledged in 2019—and Uganda-border operations render it notorious for civilian targeting; North Kivu civil society reports 62 civilian deaths by ADF in Beni-Lubero since January 2026.

Formed in late-1990s Uganda from Museveni dissidents, ADF fled to Congo post-2002 Kampala offensives, amassing blame for thousands slain—including 100+ in July 2025. UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix commenced a two-day official visit to Beni and eastern Congo on Monday, February 9, spotlighting the epicenter of ADF savagery.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar