In brief
In the early hours of May 27, armed men believed to be from the ADF assaulted the village of Cantine, North Kivu, killing at least 33 civilians and setting more than 50 homes ablaze. The raid also destroyed a health post, forcing 180 patients—including a confirmed Ebola case—to flee. Local officials and civil society groups blame the group, amid fears that the violence could trigger a new outbreak.
In an overnight raid on the village of Cantine, about 50 kilometers west of Beni in North Kivu province, armed men linked to the Allied Democratic Forces, an ISIL‑affiliated group, killed at least 33 civilians and set more than 50 houses ablaze, authorities and civil society groups say.
Sources confirm that the attackers also destroyed a health post, prompting 180 patients—many with suspected or confirmed Ebola—to flee the facility, said the medical director of Kelekele Hospital Centre in Cantine.
Beni territorial administrator Colonel Charles Omeonga told Reuters that the raid involved gunfire and fire that reached as close as 50 metres to the hospital, and that the attackers left a trail of material destruction.
Justin Paluku, head of a local civil society group, said the operation left "33 bodies and more than 50 houses set on fire, along with various other forms of material destruction," to the AP news agency.
Tchetche Aliamini, another local civil society leader confirmed the death toll to Reuters, adding that most victims suffered gunshot wounds, while others were burned or hacked with machetes.
The incident occurs amid a rapidly spreading Ebola outbreak that has claimed over 5,300 deaths across the DRC, with North Kivu accounting for almost half of new cases. The ADF, which pledged allegiance to ISIL in 2019, has historically carried out violent raids in the region including previous Ebola outbreaks.
While local officials and civil society groups attribute the attack to the ADF, independent verification of the attackers' identity is still pending, leaving some details unconfirmed by broader international observers.
