Islamic State-linked ADF rebels kill 66 civilians in Ebola-hit eastern DR Congo

The attack on Cantine-Aloya

Suspected members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a group linked to Islamic State, attacked the town of Cantine-Aloya in North Kivu province, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Sources give different dates for the raid: Europa Press places it in the early hours of Friday, 7sur7 gives 5 November, and Notícias ao Minuto gives the 6th. An update from Africa CDC, the African Union's health agency, published on Thursday, 12 November, raised the civilian death toll to 66, among them three health workers. The World Health Organization's Congolese office confirmed the health worker deaths in a statement, adding that three health centres were looted and set on fire.

Health workers and the Ebola response

Africa CDC has recorded 445 cases among health workers during the outbreak, 74 of them fatal. WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote on X on Wednesday, 11 November, that the attack was a serious setback for response operations and was not an isolated case. He said that after the attack, three confirmed Ebola cases and more than 1,000 contacts had been lost to follow-up. Tedros also described insecurity as one of the biggest obstacles to the response in DR Congo. Africa CDC said attacks until September mainly targeted burial teams and health facilities, but since late September health workers themselves have been killed.

Attacks on the response

Africa CDC counted 31 attacks that disrupted the health response in DR Congo over the past six months. Four were armed attacks, including the Cantine-Aloya raid, 16 were assaults on personnel and 11 targeted health facilities.

Armed attacks4

Assaults on personnel16

Attacks on health facilities11

Armed attacks

4

Assaults on personnel

16

Attacks on health facilities

11

Data from the article text

Notícias ao Minuto lists further incidents cited by Tedros: a grenade found near a health post, gunfire near an Ebola treatment centre, an attempt to set fire to another medical centre, and stones thrown at a vehicle meant for safe and dignified burials. The same report mentions the killing of a nurse in October in Tshopo province. Wessam Mankoula, Africa CDC's emergency preparedness lead, told a press briefing that insecurity was allowing the virus to get ahead and hampering the response, and that such security incidents must stop.

The Ebola outbreak in context

DR Congo declared its 17th Ebola outbreak on 15 May, and Notícias ao Minuto reports that it has become an epidemic affecting eight provinces. Africa CDC has recorded 11,114 Ebola cases and 5,433 deaths in DR Congo, while Europa Press put the cumulative Ebola toll at about 5,400. Le Monde reports that the outbreak is the deadliest epidemic in the country's history, and Notícias ao Minuto calls it the second deadliest Ebola outbreak in history worldwide.

The ADF and eastern Congo

Europa Press reports that the ADF emerged in the 1990s in Uganda and has been especially active in eastern DR Congo, where it has killed thousands of civilians. The group split in 2019 after its leader swore allegiance to Islamic State in Central Africa (ISCA), the group's branch in the region, under whose banner it has operated since. Le Monde and 7sur7 note that eastern DR Congo has been plagued by violence from many armed groups for more than 30 years. 7sur7 adds that ADF massacres recur in the North Kivu and Ituri provinces.