At least 20 people have been killed in a series of attacks blamed on the Allied Democratic Forces in North Kivu’s Beni territory in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, underscoring the persistent insecurity gripping the region.

Local civil society groups and security sources report that the assaults unfolded over several days in and around the town of Beni, a strategic urban centre that now hosts the provincial authorities after the fall of Goma to the M23 rebellion. The dead include civilians and members of the Congolese armed forces, with many more residents displaced.

The first attack targeted communities west of Beni, where fighters linked to the Islamic State group are said to have ambushed army positions and nearby villages. Seven civilians were killed and three soldiers reportedly fell into an ambush as the assailants swept through the area, looting homes and sending families fleeing into the bush.

In Mangina, a trading town on the road toward Ituri province, residents endured two further assaults in quick succession. During the first night-time raid, gunmen moved silently through the streets, killing at least four civilians and burning houses. A second attack days later left another ten people dead, according to local monitors who have been documenting the violence.

Terrified survivors have streamed toward Beni’s town centre, seeking shelter in churches, schools and with host families. Humanitarian workers warn that the influx is straining already limited resources, as many displaced people arrive with nothing but the clothes they are wearing.

The ADF, originally a Ugandan insurgent group that has entrenched itself in eastern Congo’s forests, has been accused of some of the worst atrocities in the region. Rights organisations and UN investigators have documented patterns of massacres, abductions, forced labour, child recruitment and sexual violence, including forced marriage and forced pregnancy.

Amnesty International and other watchdogs say these abuses amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, and have urged stronger protection for civilians as well as accountability for commanders. Despite joint military operations by Congolese forces and regional allies, the group has retained the capacity to strike remote communities with devastating effect.

For residents of Beni and Mangina, the latest killings are another grim reminder that the conflict in eastern DR Congo remains far from resolved, and that rural populations continue to pay the highest price.