About 50 civilians have been killed over the past week in a series of attacks attributed to Allied Democratic Forces rebels in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

According to local media reports, the attacks occurred mainly in North Kivu and Ituri provinces, where ADF fighters carried out raids, kidnappings, looting and arson in several localities.

Since Sunday night, ADF fighters attacked the villages of Makumo and Mabuo in Mambasa territory in Ituri province, killing at least 15 civilians and burning houses, local civil society groups said.

Several residents were also reported missing in the aftermath.

Civil society representatives cited by Radio Okapi, a United Nations-backed outlet in the DRC, said more than 20 villages in Mambasa territory have been targeted by ADF attacks since March, with over 130 people killed during the period.

The United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the DRC on Friday condemned recent attacks against civilians in North Kivu and Ituri provinces, though it did not name the perpetrators.

The Congolese government has yet to officially comment on the latest violence.

The ADF, an armed group affiliated with the Islamic State Central Africa Province, originated as a Ugandan rebel movement and is active in eastern DRC.

Its continued operations have prompted joint military actions by Congolese and Ugandan forces since November 2021 aimed at tracking and neutralising the group.

Despite these operations, local observers said the ADF continues to expand its area of activity in eastern DRC.

(Xinhua/NAN)