Kirindera massacre

The Allied Democratic Forces, an extremist Islamist militant group based near in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, officially pledged bay'ah to the Islamic State in 2018, with IS claiming responsibility for ADF attacks in 2019. The ADF eventually formed to become the Islamic State – Central Africa Province (ISCAP), and attacked civilians en masse in North Kivu.^[1]

The Kirindera massacre came as part of a larger campaign by ISCAP in early 2023 to attack civilians in Beni Territory. Days before the massacre, around forty civilians were killed in the Mukondi massacre.^[2]

The massacre began at 1am local time on March 12, 2023.^[3] In the attack, the jihadists first targeted a health center where they killed two people before moving onto the reception center of a motel where civilians were hiding.^[4][2] Eleven civilians were killed in the motel.^[5] In the valley where they jihadists entered the village from, two more people were killed.^[5] The health center, hotel, and many civilian homes and five cars were also burnt by the jihadists.^[5] Congolese officials stated that nineteen people were killed in the massacre, and an unknown number more were kidnapped by ISCAP.^[2]

The mayor of Kirindera, Joachim Vyaghulua, stated that he coordinated a FARDC intervention during the massacre.^[5]