GOMA, DR Congo, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Fear and anger haunt local communities in eastern North Kivu Province as they mourn loved ones lost to a surge of assaults by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).

The latest bloodshed has once again exposed the porous security in this conflict-torn region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

According to local and military authorities, more than 50 civilians were killed between Thursday and Sunday in a series of attacks blamed on the ADF rebels in the Lubero and Beni territories of North Kivu.

One of the deadliest strikes hit the town of Oicha, where nine people were burned alive after rebels trapped them inside a house during an overnight raid. Grief quickly turned into anger.

"They were peacefully watching a football match when the rebels attacked. The rebels locked them inside a house and set it on fire. My brother died in his shop, burned together with his goods," said resident Jospin Kasayi.

"We are sad to see this situation repeating itself and even moving closer to our communities today. For decades, these rebels have been killing with impunity, without any concrete action to end this suffering," said Joel Kabunga Lugware, a resident of Oicha, recalling the massacres that once devastated Beni.

The ADF, founded in the 1990s by Ugandan opposition groups and now affiliated with the Islamic State, has escalated attacks in North Kivu and neighboring Ituri Province since last month, deliberately targeting civilians.

Despite joint DRC-Uganda military operations launched in late 2021, the group continues to kill at will. Civil society leaders sounded an alarm of escalating violence.

"We alerted the authorities after the Lubero massacres, but no appropriate measures were taken. Now the worst has happened, and we fear what will come next," said Isaac Kabalami, president of Oicha's civil society. "The ADF is operating without fear inside our towns, and it is deplorable."

Past massacres have yet to fade away from local residents' memories, including the July attack in Komanda, Ituri, where more than 40 Catholic worshippers were killed during a prayer vigil. Many fear that similar tragedies could come back.

The DRC army issued a statement on Sunday in response to mounting outrage.

Marc Elongo-Kyondwa, a military spokesperson, said the ADF's renewed attacks aim to "disrupt the operations of loyalist forces, which are yielding results on the ground." He reaffirmed the army's determination "to annihilate these terrorists" and urged civilians to support national defense efforts.

North Kivu has been under a state of siege since May 2021, with civilian authorities replaced by military and police administrators. Yet large swathes of the province remain unstable, with Goma, the capital, under the control of March 23 Movement (M23) rebels since January.

Despite more than three years of joint military operations with Ugandan forces, the ADF continues to launch strikes with ease. Although provincial military and administrative authorities temporarily relocated to Beni after Goma's fall to the M23 in January, the move has failed to stem the bloodshed.

"If, despite the presence of all the military and administrative authorities in Beni, the ADF continues to kill civilians every week just a few km away, we fear the situation may soon spiral out of control," warned Kabalami. ■