ADF rebels advance in DRC's Haut-Uele, displacing over 10,000 civilians

The eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is facing a growing humanitarian crisis as over 10,000 civilians have been displaced from their homes in Haut-Uele province.

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These fighters, tracked in the territory of Mambasa in Ituri, are trying to establish new sanctuaries in the forests of Haut-Uele, taking advantage of a weak deployment of the armed forces of the DRC (FARDC) in the rural areas of this province.

Local sources report that rebels from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), previously active in Ituri province, are advancing into the territories of Watsa and Wamba. These fighters are allegedly seeking to establish new strongholds in the forests of Haut-Uele, taking advantage of a limited deployment of the Congolese army (FARDC) in rural areas.

Reports from civil society actors indicate that the ADF is operating in successive waves. A significant attack targeted the locality of Mungbere two weeks ago, followed by rebel movements towards Betongwe, a town less than 100 kilometers from Wamba. Last week, the army reportedly thwarted another incursion on the outskirts of Wamba.

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The ADF allegedly established their main bastion in Suka ya Mboka, in the heart of the forest located between the territory of Mambasa, in Ituri, and the territories of Wamba and Watsa, in Haut-Uele.

The ADF appears to have established a main base in Suka ya Mboka, a strategic area within the forest straddling Ituri and Haut-Uele provinces. This escalating violence has forced thousands of families from the Mahaa, Andobi, and Kebo-Apodo chiefdoms to flee. They are converging on settlements like Gombari, Watsa-Centre, Moku, and Giro, where they face dire living conditions.

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The military understaffing and silence of the authorities.

Civil society groups are highlighting a severe lack of security, with insufficient or absent security forces in border villages leaving populations vulnerable. They have issued a dual appeal: for immediate humanitarian assistance, including food and shelter for the displaced, and for large-scale military operations to dismantle the ADF stronghold in Suka ya Mboka before the rebels become entrenched. Congolese authorities are reportedly planning a regional response, with security officials from five provinces meeting in Kisangani to devise a plan against the armed group.

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At the humanitarian level: The organization of emergency assistance in food and shelter for the thousands of displaced people scattered in urban centers.