Located approximately 65 kilometers from Butembo, the village of Byambwe now resembles a true ghost town. The atrocities attributed to the ADF rebels have profoundly disrupted the lives of its inhabitants.
On the night of November 14, 2025, at least 28 people were massacred. Two months later, on the morning of January 13, 2026, another attack claimed the lives of 6 more civilians. Since these tragedies, the population has fled en masse and is only returning tentatively.
Upon entering the grounds of Saint Paul Parish in Byambwe, visitors are greeted by weeds that have overgrown the once bustling pathways, a symbol of the area's gradual abandonment. According to Father Ghislain Katsere, the situation is dire.
"The situation is macabre… Twenty-eight people were massacred here on the night of November 14th, and then another six on the morning of January 13th."
Behind the parish church, the hospital is closed. The congregation of nuns who ran it have left, and the medical staff refuse to return out of fear.
"The health centers are closed, even burned down." “The healthcare staff no longer want to come because of fear,” laments Father Katsere.
Despite this persistent insecurity, two priests have chosen to remain to maintain a spiritual presence among the few parishioners. Father Katsere emphasizes, “We are still two priests here. It is very difficult, but it is our faith in Christ that keeps us going.”
The violence that struck the Lubero territory, Bapere sector, now appears to be spreading to new areas of the Beni territory. In the Malio group, Bashu chiefdom, 15 primary schools and 8 secondary schools have suspended their activities for nearly a week and a half due to the insecurity.
Since Monday, January 26, 2026, schools in the villages of Vurondo, Kisasa Ndondi, Kivira, Kisungu Vulera, and Kyondo Kitumbu have remained closed following repeated attacks attributed to the ADF/NALU in the Mwenye area (Lubero) and in Vurondo (Malio). This situation is severely disrupting the school calendar, as secondary school students are currently taking exams.
The affected populations have sought refuge in Butuhe and Butembo, considered safer, while civil society is calling on the government to intensify efforts to restore peace and allow schools to resume normal operations.
Hostages killed!
Two Pygmy citizens, held hostage by the ADF since February 6, 2026, were found dead on February 9 in Abulembi, in the village of Bwanasura/Otomabere.
They were returning from hunting when, upon encountering the ADF, they refused to be used as trackers, which led to their execution, according to a survivor.
Upon their arrival at the Bwanasura/Otomabere market, a wave of grief swept through friends and family. The widow of Dunga was rescued after attempting suicide upon discovering the bodies of her husband and her younger brother, Mapimbo.
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