Mambasa Raids in Congo Kill at Least 35

Security: DR Congo

Published Friday, 13 November 2026, 6:30 a.m. ET · Source: local authorities, civil-society groups, Africa CDC, Uganda’s army, the US government

At least 35 people are dead and 14 are missing after attacks that local authorities and civil-society groups blame on the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an armed group linked to Islamic State, in Mambasa territory in north-east Congo. That is the count of the administrative secretary of the Babila Babombi chiefdom, a local administrative unit, and APDEF, a Mambasa civil-society group, gave the same figures through its coordinator, Malikidogo.

The United States listed the ADF as a foreign terrorist organisation in March 2021, under the name ISIS-DRC, short for Islamic State’s Congo branch. Africa CDC, the African Union’s public health agency, condemned a raid attributed to the group on 5 November at Cantine-Aloya, in Beni territory in North Kivu province, where an Ebola outbreak is under way.

Villagers in north-east Congo are counting their dead again. Local authorities say bodies are still being found.

What Happened in Babila Babombi

On the morning of Wednesday 11 November 2026, armed men entered the villages of Mingazi, Amani, Lelesi and Mitume in the Babila Babombi chiefdom, according to local authorities. The chiefdom’s administrative secretary later put the updated toll at 35 dead and 14 missing, with 12 houses and nine motorcycles burned.

Malikidogo said the count had risen from 22 to 35 as more bodies were found. Residents are returning to their villages, and searches for further victims continue, local authorities say.

New attacks followed on the morning of Thursday 12 November in Dondola, Makembise and a settlement known as Camp Kisangani, according to local sources. The toll there is unknown because the area cannot be reached, and local sources say residents of Lukaya and Makumo are on alert as the attackers move toward them.

What the Authorities Say

The Mambasa territory administrator, the senior local government official, says military operations are under way to track down the armed groups responsible. Customary chiefs and human-rights activists have called for a stronger security presence.

As of Friday morning, no army or national government toll and no ADF statement had been published. The territory administrator gave no casualty figure of his own.

A Pattern of Killing in Mambasa

APDEF counted at least 43 civilians killed in ADF attacks across Mambasa territory between 27 August and 1 September 2026. On 10 November John Vuleveryo, coordinator of the New Congolese Civil Society, a local rights network, asked the government to declare national mourning.

Civil-society sources counted at least 40 civilian bodies since 1 November in Bakaiku, a grouping within the same chiefdom. That count and the toll of 35 may overlap, and the available reports do not say by how much.

Uganda’s army (UPDF) said earlier this year that it had fought the group alongside the Congolese army (FARDC) in Operation Shujaa, the joint Uganda-Congo campaign against the ADF, since November 2021, and that operations intensified in January 2026. The same statement said the joint forces remain committed to dismantling the ADF’s networks.

Why the US Lists the ADF

The US State Department’s designation, published in the Federal Register, the US government’s official journal, on 11 March 2021, names the Allied Democratic Forces among the aliases of Islamic State–Democratic Republic of the Congo. US law makes it a crime to knowingly provide material support to a designated group.

Africa CDC said health facilities were attacked at Cantine-Aloya and patients fled, and it called for protection of patients, health workers and facilities. The statement was issued as Africa CDC responds to the Ebola outbreak in the same region.

What It Means for You

For readers with relatives, aid work or business ties in Ituri, the practical question is access: local sources say the area hit on Thursday cannot be reached. Travellers should rely on the official advisories of their own government, which this article does not replace.

Watch whether the army or the national government publishes its own count. Watch too whether the number of missing people falls as villagers return, since 14 are unaccounted for.

What Is Not Known

The final toll is not known, and the count of 35 comes from local authorities and activists, not from the army or the United Nations. It is also not known how many people have fled their homes or whether any of the 14 missing people have been found.

The identity of the fighters in Thursday’s attacks has not been confirmed beyond local attribution to the ADF. Nor has the outcome of the army operations the territory administrator describes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many people were killed in the Mambasa attacks?

At least 35 people were killed and 14 are missing, according to the chiefdom’s administrative secretary and APDEF, a Mambasa civil-society group. The count is provisional, and the toll from Thursday’s attacks is unknown.

Who are the Allied Democratic Forces?

The ADF is an armed group active in eastern Congo that is linked to Islamic State, the jihadist group. The US government lists it as a foreign terrorist organisation under the name ISIS-DRC, a designation published on 11 March 2021.

Where is Mambasa?

Mambasa is a territory, an administrative area, of Ituri province in north-east Congo. Babila Babombi, where the attacks took place, is a rural chiefdom inside it.

Connected Coverage

More on the same conflict from The Rio Times:

Congo Rebel Raid Near Beni Kills 33 or More

Plaine Savo Camp Attack Kills 3 in Congo

Congo’s Ebola Hotspot Shifts to North Kivu

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