Ntoyo massacre
The Ntoyo massacre occurred on 8 September 2025, when ISIL-affiliated Allied Democratic Force rebels attacked a wake in Ntoyo, Bapere sector, Lubero territory in the North Kivu province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The attack occurred late at night, during which ADF rebels targeted a funeral wake. Initial reporting the day of the attack estimated over 60-61 deaths but authorities later reported 71 total deaths.
Background
In 2024, the ADF committed the highest number of civilian killings in the DRC. The Ntoyo attack comes just over a month after the attack on a church in Komanda.Context
Ntoyo was home to approximately 2,500 people at the time of the attack.Attack
Many civilians were gathered in attendance on a funeral in the town of Ntoyo.An estimated 10 ADF attackers stormed the funeral wake on the night of 8 September around 9:00 a.m. CAT, catching attendees off guard. Attendees noted that militants wearing what seemed like military uniforms. They rounded up civilians and summarily executed them with machetes and light arms.
After the primary attack, rebels burned down approximately 30 homes and vehicles, burning individuals alive inside.
Armed Forces of the DRC spokesperson Lieutenant Marc Elongo stated that the ADF militant perpetrators had fled the scene before the FARDC could intervene.
A separate attack by the ADF occurred in an adjacent town, killing 18.
The ADF claimed responsibility for the attack and claimed that they had killed nearly 100 Christians.
Reaction and response
Many residents were seen leaving Ntoyo as early as the morning of 9 September. Ntoyo was mostly deserted by 10 September. Residents blamed government inaction. 25 of those killed in the attack were buried on Wednesday.Military, governments, and intergovernmental organizations
France's Foreign Ministry condemned the attack on 11 September 2025, sent condolences, and called for peace in the Great Lakes region.Humanitarian Coordinator in the DRC for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Bruno Lemarquis, stated in a press release on 10 January that he was "deeply shocked by the brutality of these attacks against civilians," reminded that "civilians are not targets," and urged that protections of civilians under international humanitarian law was an "absolute ."
The African Union's Chairperson, H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, published a press release expressing a "deep shock" upon learning of the attack. He "strongly condemn this heinous attack, as well as the recurrent violence that continues to target civilians in eastern DRC." Youssouf mentioned that the attack violated IHL and called for the attackers to be found and held accountable "in order to put an end to the prevailing climate of impunity that fuels the recurrence of these atrocities. The text concludes by reaffirming the AU's commitment to "restoring peace, security and stability in the Great Lakes region."