The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a terror group that has roots in the 1990s Ugandan rebel movement, operates in eastern regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda. The group pledged allegiance to IS in 2019 and has killed over 6,000 civilians since 2013. The ADF holds a presence in Northern North Kivu and Ituri in Eastern DRC. Operating from bases in and around Virunga National Park, the group extracts illicit profits and carries out indiscriminate attacks. After the group perpetrated two suicide bomb attacks on Kampala in late 2021, Uganda sent its armed forces to confront the ADF in the DRC with limited success. In November 2022, the East African Community (EAC) sent a regional force to eastern DRC to abate armed groups, including the ADF.
Ethan Sanderson
Ethan is a recent MA graduate of Conflict, Security, and Development from King’s College London that specialises in armed groups, terrorism, and the security/development nexus. He also holds a degree in International Affairs and Doing Business in Emerging Markets from Northeastern University, and has lived and worked in the USA, United Kingdom, and Chile.