The ADF’s funding is drawn from illicit sources such as the illegal mining of gold, cobalt, tin, diamonds, copper, and tantalum—commodities that fuel its militant activities. [Photo: Courtesy]
By TWV International Correspondent
The recent signing of a peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in Washington, D.C., aimed at ending a long-standing conflict, has renewed global attention on similar security crises plaguing other parts of the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa regions.
For decades, the mineral-rich Kivu region, comprising North and South Kivu, has served as the epicentre of the Rwanda-DRC conflict. Yet, as diplomats from both nations finalised their agreement, another, less-publicised war continues to rage in eastern DRC along the Ugandan border. This conflict pits the DRC and Ugandan armies against the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a militant Islamist group formed in the 1990s.
Internationally designated as a terrorist organisation due to its severe human rights abuses, the ADF is notorious for brutal attacks on civilians, widespread kidnappings, and the recruitment of child soldiers. The group has significantly destabilised the region, aggravating tensions between Uganda and the DRC. Although mutual suspicion has long hampered cooperation, Uganda has recently taken steps to de-escalate hostilities through military collaboration and high-level diplomacy. Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has met DRC President Félix Tshisekedi twice this year in Kinshasa to bolster joint security operations in eastern DRC.
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As a regional affiliate of the Islamic State (ISIS), the ADF has exploited the DRC’s chronic instability to entrench itself in remote territories rich in minerals, wildlife, and timber. The group’s financial self-sufficiency, largely fuelled by illicit trade, has made it a formidable threat. International efforts, including those by the United States, United Kingdom, and Israel, have increasingly focused on cutting off the ADF’s revenue streams to diminish its military capacity.
The growth of Islamist extremism in eastern DRC stems from a combination of ideological, social, and geopolitical factors. The spread of jihadist ideology from the Arab world has influenced parts of the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa, with funding for mosques, madrassas, and Muslim youth centres helping to foster radical views. Widespread socio-economic marginalisation among Muslims in East Africa, particularly limited access to education, public services, and employment, has created fertile ground for extremist narratives.
Radical clerics have gained influence across the region, promoting militant interpretations of Islam. The proliferation of Arab satellite TV channels broadcasting extremist content has further deepened ideological indoctrination among vulnerable communities.
Founded by Ugandan cleric Jamil Mukulu, the ADF seeks to establish an Islamic state in Uganda and eastern DRC. After Mukulu’s 2015 arrest in Tanzania and subsequent extradition to Uganda on terrorism charges, leadership passed to Musa Baluku, 48, who remains under U.S. and UN sanctions. The group’s activities have led to widespread displacement, further destabilising both Uganda and the DRC.
Over the years, the ADF has carried out numerous deadly attacks. In 2021, twin suicide bombings in Kampala killed three civilians and injured 33. In June 2023, the group attacked Mpondwe Lhubiriha Secondary School near the DRC border, killing 42 people, mostly students, and abducting six others. In 2014, a series of massacres in Beni Territory claimed over 250 lives. That same year, ADF attacks killed more than 400 people across Beni and Irumu towns. The group also targeted a UN peacekeeper base in North Kivu, killing 15 Tanzanian soldiers and five Congolese officers.
One of the most brazen attacks occurred in 2020, when the ADF killed an estimated 800 people and orchestrated a mass prison break at Kangbayi Central Prison in Beni, freeing over 1,000 inmates. In response, President Yoweri Museveni’s government has launched large-scale operations deep into eastern DRC, including airstrikes targeting ADF camps. The group’s ties to ISIS—confirmed by UN reports since 2019—have raised international alarm, as financial and logistical support from ISIS has enabled the ADF to escalate its operations.
The ADF’s funding is drawn from illicit sources such as the illegal mining of gold, cobalt, tin, diamonds, copper, and tantalum—commodities that fuel its militant activities. The group also runs a ruthless extortion regime, taxing local populations and traders while controlling trade routes and supply chains. In the dense Congolese forests, it engages in poaching, illegal logging, and smuggling—activities prohibited under international laws and conventions.
Several international instruments are in place to combat such crimes. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) regulates wildlife trafficking; the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) targets organised wildlife crime; and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), along with the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF), promote forest conservation and fight illegal logging. Smuggling is prosecuted under the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime (UNTOC), while the World Customs Organisation (WCO) works to halt the illegal trade in wildlife and timber.
Governments worldwide ought to leverage these frameworks to target and dismantle the financial networks sustaining terror groups like the ADF. Yet, due to the DRC government’s limited presence in many eastern regions, enforcement remains a challenge.
Concerns are growing that the ADF could extend its reach into South Sudan and the Central African Republic (CAR), countries with weak governance structures following years of civil war. Uganda and the DRC have faced criticism for their perceived sluggishness in coordinating counter-terrorism efforts, which has allowed the ADF to thrive.
The ADF’s resilience is the result of complex local grievances, regional instability, and inconsistent international engagement. To effectively neutralise the group, greater regional cooperation, sustained international pressure, and concerted efforts to address the root causes of extremism are urgently required.
