A report by the Bridgeway Foundation, a US charity organization dedicated to ending and preventing mass atrocities around the world has indicated that ADF has over the past five years expanded its influence to become the deadliest armed group in DRC.
There are more than 120 militias and armed groups actively operate in the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC) Taking advantage of the thick forests to carry out their activities including but not limited to attacking civilians, homesteads to loot and also force them into their ranks.
Speaking in Kampala on Tuesday, Bulama Bukarti, the Bridgeway Foundation Vice President of Programs said since 2017, ADF has grown stronger in its ranks, operations and area of operation.
"In 2017, ADF killed 61 people but after that, in 2018 when they affiliated with Islamic State in Levante, we saw and escalation of the attacks. Between 2018 and today(2023), ADF has killed 4650 people and their area of operation has expanded from 1700 square kilometres to over 10,000 square kilometres," Bulama said.
He said during this period, the ADF has conducted 10 attacks and attempted attacks outside DRC.
In 2021, ADF carried out a series of suicide and urban bombings in the DRC and Uganda and attempted similar plots inside Rwanda.
On November, 16 in 2021, suicide bombers detonated two explosives targeting the Central Police Station and along Parliamentary Avenue killing over five people including police officers whereas several others were left critically injured.
The blasts have been blamed on ADF.
However, just four years earlier, these attacks would have been virtually unthinkable as ADF was still a relatively little-understood rebellion whose threat was largely confined to a small area of Congo's restive east.
ADF is said to have extended their areas of operation beyond the provinces of North Kivu and Ituri but have also sought to recruit and carry out attacks in Kinshasa as well as in the Congolese provinces of Tshopo, Haut-Uélé in the north-east and Sud-Kivu.
ISIS affiliation
Designated as a terrorist group by the US government, ADF has used the name Madina at Tauheed Wau Mujahedeen (City of Monotheism and Holy Warriors--MTM) to refer to emphasize its links to the Islamic State.
In 2019, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for an ADF attack and first referenced a "Central Africa Province."
The Islamic State group has in the past claimed that ADF is its Central African offshoot.
However, according to the Bridgeway Foundation Vice President of Programs, ADF has since been specifically named as Islamic State in DRC to move away from being referred to as the Central Africa Province of ISIS/ ISIL.
"When ISIS recognized ADF, it became the Islamic State in DRC and Isis fighters from across the region started joining ADF. More fighters moved from Somalia, Tanzania, South Africa and many other places. Because ADF got more manpower, they became more deadlier."
The UPDF has in its operations in Eastern DRC code-named Operation Shuja jointly with the Congolese army, FARDC killed several foreign fighters from Tanzania, Kenya and Somalia who were found within the ranks of the ADF,
A number of them were Improvised Explosive Devices experts and this lends credence to the assertion by the Bridgeway Foundation.
Financing
According to the US charity organisation, affiliation by ADF towards ISIS has seen them receive huge amounts of funds from the group.
"Our research has tracked at least $250, 000 that was sent from ISIS in Somalia to the ADF in DRC. Because they(ADF) had more money, they could buy more weapons, more logistics and launch more attacks."
These funds are sent from Somalia, through Kenya, then South Africa, through Uganda, then Tanzania and DRC.
The ADF and ISIS agents however use discreet methods to transfer these funds without detection.
"They use informal banking that doesn't require to know your customer or do due diligence, mobile money but also crypto currency," Bulama Bukarti said.
According to Bridgeway Foundation, whereas Al Shabaab in Somalia largely pays allegiance to Al Qaeda, a small faction of the group(Al Shabaab) pays allegiance to ISIS and it is through this that funds to ADF are channeled.
The allegiance to ISIS has also seen ADF get training on how to use modern and new equipment from ISIS.
This is largely done via telegram and you tube videos sent to ADF or via virtual trainings like on zoom.
"Operational training and guidance; increase in the number of foreign fighters and sending of funds have made the ADF become the strongest and deadliest armed group in DRC."
Operation Shuja
In November 2021, after the bombings in Kampala, the UPDF and the Congolese army launched attacks against ADF inside Congo in what was named as Operation Shuja.
The UPDF last week displayed a large cache of weapons and ammunition which was seized from the Allied Democratic Forces(ADF) rebel and extremist group in the Democratic Republic of Congo( DRC).
The cache of 151 weapons also included bullets and various types of guns, including 142 submachine guns(SMG), eight pieces of PMK Machine guns, one 60 millimeters mortar, 111 military, 45 radio charger ports and 10 batteries has been seized in the past one year or so during the joint operation with the DRC army, FARDC since November 2021.
In June this year, President Museveni said at least 500 ADF fighters including senior commanders had been killed since Operation Shuja started.
Speaking on Tuesday, Bulama Bukarti, the Bridgeway Foundation Vice President of Programs said the joint operation between the UPDF and the Congolese army has had a big impact on the structure of the ADF.
"In the past two years since the Operation Shuja started, we have seen a drop in the number of fatalities by the ADF. We have seen a number of their fighters killed and many other defected. Between September 2022 to date, we have received and recorded 358 members of ADF who have left the group. Some of them left because they were angry with the group or disillusioned with the group's false promises but many left because of the pressure of Operation Shuja. Bombs and bullets are raining on them and they know they would die if they don't leave the group," Bulama said.
The official from Bridgeway Foundation said many leaders of ADF have been killed by the joint forces but noted that whereas this doesn't necessarily stop the group, it impacts on its ability to continue to operate.
He insisted that fighting and fishing off rebel groups such as the ADF is not a one day event but rather a continuous process.
Former fighters speak out
On Tuesday, 48 former ADF fighters who have finished their psycho-somatic treatment, de-radicalization session and the learning of trades, were presented to the media.
This training was provided by the Bridgeway Foundation and will be followed by socio-community reintegration for Ugandans whereas the Congolese will be repatriated shortly to DRC.
Narrating their ordeal, the victims who have since been rehabilitated said they had been hoodwinked into joining the group's ranks.
Born Annet , 15 year old Mariam Annet Wanyana said she was the third born in a family of seven that live in Masajja, Gangu in Wakiso district.
She says in 2017 before she could start her P.4, his father deceived the mother that he was taken the children to another school.
By this time, her mother was pregnant prompting the dad to take advantage of her weakness to take them away.
"One midnight, dad woke us up and took us to a forest where we spent a night. During the day, we would been taken as early as 5am to the forest and leave by 8pm back to the house. After a month, we were put on a bus and taken up to Kasese where we were handed to some men who claimed to be our relatives who had come for us to visit them in DRC," the 15-year-old narrated.
She said in DRC, they found men dressed in military like attire whereas others put on torn clothes and were told they was no way out of the camp.
Wanyana broke down as she narrated how two of her siblings died while in the bush.
"My elder brother Shafik was shot as I watched whereas another one, Swaib Ssewanyana got sick and died. I only remained with Sophia."
She said one day the UPDF attacked their camp, forcing them to disperse, before reorganizing and joining another camp.
According to the 15-year-old, strikes by the UPDF continued until she was later rescued by the Ugandan army.
" I never lost hope in seeing my family. I continued praying and I was happy to see my mother again," she said.
This website has however learnt that a few months after rejoining with his family, the mother died while giving birth.
Many other victims, mostly children from both DRC and Uganda narrated that they had either been lied to or abducted from both DRC
"I was abducted from the garden and taken by the rebels, trained and handed gun to start fighting. After being taught how to operate the gun, I was sent for an operation where we encountered the UPDF and I surrendered."
A female victim, of Congolese origin said she lived in Beni said her father asked her to visit her relatives but little did she know that they were taking her to an ADF camp.
She said on visiting the 'relatives' she was taken inside the Eastern DRC forests where she ended up in an ADF camp.
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According to 23-year-old Mugalya Yusuf from Kibuku district, he was lured into ADF ranks by a close friend who asked him to join him so they could make some good money.
"He kept sending me some money before one day he took me and we ended up in DRC forests where I was trained and we would be sent for operations to fight and also loot food."
"There are many young individuals, both boys and girls and teenagers that are abducted into the ADF, deceived through false economic promises or promises of scholarships and they join the group. There are those who join ADF because they believe in ADF ideology and agenda but many join because they are tricked. They are in the bush angry, tired, ill and fed up because they didn't get the economic benefits they were promised. Many want to leave ADF. Our research shows that 30% of fighters want to leave ADF and defect," Bulama Bukarti, the Bridgeway Foundation Vice President of Programs said.
He said the charity organisation is helping some of the ADF fighters defect as one of the ways of weakening the terrorist group.
According to Nathan Twino, the chief legal officer for Uganda Amnesty Commission, the fighters who have finished psycho-somatic treatment and de-radicalization have given amnesty.
"We give them certificates to ensure they are not prosecuted for any crimes committed while in the rebellion. For the children are not given certificates to avoid traumatizing them. The certificates are for those 15 years and above," Twino said.
He however urged these former combatants to behave well as they go back to their communities.
"I want to remind you we give amnesty once. If you re-offend, we don't give you forgiveness again."
The UPDF spokesperson, Brig Felix Kulayigye said the ADF is using deception to recruit, especially children into their ranks.
He noted that Operation Shuja has helped rescue a number of them before being rehabilitated and reunited with their families.
"We continue to rehabilitate ADF ex-combatants both captives and defectors from eastern DRC following heightened Operation Shuja. This is done in a phased way and so far, 48 both Ugandans and Congolese ADF elements have been rehabilitated," Brig Kulayigye said.
"The ADF uses children but we condemn it because it is an abuse to use them in combat operations. It is a total abuse of their childhood and innocence."
