A Congolese civil-society organisation said on May 29, 2026, that attacks attributed to the Allied Democratic Forces had killed more than 100 people during the preceding three weeks in Mambasa territory, Ituri province. Radio Okapi reported that the figure could not be independently confirmed with local or military authorities.
The Association for the Protection and Defence of Children and Women, known by its French abbreviation APDEF, presented its assessment of violence in the Babila Babombi chiefdom. It said several attacks had taken place during May in the Bangole and Babila Teturi groupings. APDEF also reported that an unspecified number of people were missing.
Other civil-society organisations operating in the area described extensive human and material losses, according to Radio Okapi, but did not provide their own numerical estimates. That means the reported death toll rests on APDEF's account rather than on a separately verified count. The report did not include a response from military officials despite Radio Okapi's attempts to obtain one.
APDEF said homes and motorcycles had been burned and property looted during the incursions. It also linked the violence to large-scale displacement, reporting that residents had abandoned several villages and that many families were left without shelter. No detailed breakdown of the affected settlements, missing people or destroyed property was included in the supplied report.
The organisation called for stronger joint operations by the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda People's Defence Force against the ADF. It also appealed for urgent humanitarian assistance for people forced from their homes. Radio Okapi's account did not report a new operational commitment or aid announcement in response to those requests.
The claims concern events reported across three weeks in May rather than a single assault on May 29. The date marks APDEF's public assessment of the situation. The exact timing and individual circumstances of the alleged attacks were not specified in the available evidence. Radio Okapi also did not report whether displaced families had reached organised sites or remained scattered among neighbouring communities.
The absence of a military response leaves several central points unresolved, including the precise number of attacks, the basis for attributing them to the ADF and whether security forces had assessed the affected villages. APDEF's request combined two needs: greater protection through Congolese-Ugandan operations and immediate relief for civilians already displaced. Neither request was accompanied by a reported timetable.
With official confirmation unavailable, the figure of more than 100 deaths should be treated as an allegation from a local rights organisation. The corroborating groups cited by Radio Okapi supported the broader description of severe losses but not the precise number. The available source nevertheless documents a warning of continued attacks, displacement and urgent humanitarian needs in the affected part of Mambasa.
