The M23 rebel group has re-emerged as the deadliest armed force targeting civilians in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, even as the overall number of security incidents in the region fell by 19% in June. According to the latest report by the Kivu Security Tracker (a research project monitoring armed violence in eastern Congo run by the Congolese institute Ebuteli), at least 114 civilians were killed and 17 others abducted, mostly in the Masisi and Rutshuru territories of North Kivu, with the attacks described as reprisals against residents accused of collaborating with rival groups. The findings underscore that a decline in recorded incidents does not necessarily reflect improved safety for civilians, while the ADF (Allied Democratic Forces, an Islamist armed group originating in Uganda) is separately expanding its operations into the previously less-affected province of Haut-Uélé.