ADF Chief Musa Likely Killed in Strikes as UPDF, FARDC Pound Rebels

Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) leader Musa Baluku is suspected to have been killed or critically injured during a series of powerful UPDF artillery strikes that destroyed two major rebel camps in Mambasa territory, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), security officials have indicated.

The joint Operation Shujaa strikes—conducted by the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC)—were executed on November 22 and 23 near the village of Babunga, south of River Epulu.

According to preliminary intelligence, Baluku was believed to be present in one of the targeted camps when the bombardments began. His exact fate remains unconfirmed, but field reports point to the possibility of significant leadership losses within the ADF command structure.

Residents living near the strike zone reported heavy explosions throughout the weekend, with several confirming that dozens of ADF fighters were killed as the artillery barrage tore through the militants’ hideouts. These accounts align with Operation Shujaa intelligence assessments that the rebel group suffered severe damage.

Colonel Chris Magezi, Acting Director of Defence Public Information at the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs, said the strikes form part of a renewed offensive to dismantle remaining ADF cells entrenched in the vast forests of eastern DRC.

“ADF remnants remain under relentless pressure from the joint forces and have now scattered into small groups in an attempt to evade capture,” Col. Magezi noted.

Operation Shujaa, launched to eradicate ADF bases responsible for attacks in both countries, has intensified in recent months as joint forces close in on the militants’ last strongholds.