Serious allegations have emerged implicating the Governor of Ituri Province, Johnny Luboya Nkashama, in what sources describe as a premeditated plan to attack civilians in the Lopa groupement, located in Djugu territory.
According to credible information obtained by local observers and civil society networks, Governor Luboya has reportedly given direct orders to Colonel Chomarry, commander of the FARDC regiment stationed in Lopa, to carry out a deliberate military assault on the local population.
The attack, according to sources familiar with the situation, is intended to intimidate residents ahead of the governor’s planned visit to Bunia, scheduled for Sunday.
In a move that has further alarmed the population, several elements affiliated with the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) — a group notorious for massacres, kidnappings, and other human rights abuses — allegedly arrived in Lopa last night to reinforce the FARDC units on the ground.
Local monitors are warning that a targeted assault on innocent civilians is imminent, possibly taking place today. In an urgent appeal for protection, community leaders and activists are calling for immediate intervention from both national and international actors to prevent bloodshed.
“The population is defenseless, abandoned to the very forces meant to protect them,” said a local civil society representative.
“If this continues, civilians will have no choice but to resort to self-defense using any means available. This risks accelerating the emergence of non-state armed responses in a region already destabilized by the army’s failures.”
The reports underscore rising frustration in eastern DRC, where military forces have repeatedly been accused of complicity or direct involvement in violence against civilians.
The growing distrust between local communities and security forces threatens to deepen the cycle of insecurity and further weaken state authority in a region long plagued by armed conflict and humanitarian crises.
As of this publication, neither Governor Luboya nor the FARDC has issued an official response to the allegations. Calls for independent investigation and swift international monitoring continue to grow as the situation in Lopa remains tense and uncertain.