A small group of Congolese women are undertaking heavy mining work for survival after escaping a deadly attack in a small village raided by Islamic State-aligned rebels.
According to reports, some of these women are nearing 50 and some in their late 40s – many with no remaining family since the last major attack which occurred in April 2025.
Engaging in this heavy duty work – which demands the daily lugging of 30 kg sacks of debris up a muddy slope to be processed for meagre pay.
The conflict in eastern Congo is between the Congolese and Ugandan forces (Operation Shujaa) and the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an ISIS-affiliated militant group.
The ADF, originally from Uganda, pledged allegiance to ISIS in 2019 and has since carried out brutal massacres, bombings, and church attacks.
Authorities are fighting to dismantle the group’s bases in Ituri and North Kivu, but its funding, adaptability, and use of Congo’s forests make it hard to defeat.
The ongoing war has left thousands of civilians dead, displaced many, and worsened insecurity in the region.
