A misleading narrative: How the Islamic State framing distorts responses to the Allied Democratic Forces

March 11, 2026

The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) was considered the deadliest armed group operating in eastern DRC in 2024, responsible for 38% of all conflict-related deaths in Ituri and North Kivu provinces. Created in 1995 from a merger between Uganda’s Tabligh movement and remnants of the National Army for the Liberation of Uganda (NALU) with the objective of overthrowing the Ugandan government, it has over