Armed men kill 33 in village in Ebola-hit eastern DRC

Suspected members of an ISIL-affiliated armed group launched a deadly overnight raid in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, killing dozens of civilians and torching numerous homes. The assault struck the locality of Cantine, located roughly fifty kilometres west of Beni within the volatile North Kivu province.

Colonel Charles Omeonga, who serves as the Beni territorial administrator, stated that fighters belonging to the Allied Democratic Forces set multiple houses ablaze and targeted residents. Local civil society leader Justin Paluku reported that authorities counted thirty-three bodies alongside extensive material destruction. Tchetche Aliamini confirmed the death toll, noting that victims suffered from gunshot wounds, burns, and machete injuries.

During the chaos, attackers also set fire to a health facility, compelling individuals inside to scatter. Christian Kakule, the medical director at the nearby Kelekele Hospital Centre, explained that one hundred eighty patients fled the premises, including individuals under medical monitoring for suspected or confirmed infections. Healthcare professionals expressed grave concern that displaced vulnerable individuals could accelerate disease transmission across the region.

Armed men killed 33 people and forced Ebola patients to flee during a village raid in eastern DRC.

North Kivu currently records nearly half of all fresh cases in the ongoing provincial outbreak and remains second only to Ituri in overall impact. The locality previously hosted multiple major health emergencies, including a massive epidemic between 2018 and 2020. Continental health authorities have documented thousands of infections and fatalities nationwide as regional insecurity complicates medical interventions.

Civil society representatives expressed deep frustration regarding the security situation. Paluku questioned how assailants managed to penetrate military defenses protecting the local population despite active deployments of government security forces in the area. Alongside the ADF, numerous other armed factions operate across the eastern territories, most notably the M23 group supported externally, compounding humanitarian challenges while health emergencies unfold.

Why it matters

Locals blame the ADF armed group, which pledged allegiance to ISIL in 2019, for the deadly raids on North Kivu villages. This security breakdown directly threatens vulnerable civilian populations and disrupts critical public health responses in a territory already struggling with severe disease outbreaks.