At least 36 people have died as a result of an overnight raid on a community in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The Allied Democratic Forces, an armed Ugandan organization headquartered in eastern DRC that has sworn allegiance to ISIL and frequently conducts violent raids on villages, is thought to be responsible for the attack, according to a local official and the leader of a civil society organization.
The village of Mukondi was the focus of the raid. It is located in North Kivu province, 30 kilometers (19 miles) south of Beni. Since 2021, the military has been in charge of this rebel-infested region to restore order.
Province governor, Carly Nzanzu Kasivita, stated on Twitter that at least 36 people had died in the incident, which began on Wednesday evening.
The president of a local civil society group, Mumbere Limbadu Arsene, offered a tentative death toll of 44, including women, children, and the elderly, and stated other villagers were still missing.
No shots were fired, therefore “the modus operandi suggests it was the ADF,” he told Reuters news agency over the phone, adding that several victims died trapped in their homes after assailants set them on fire.
The ADF frequently uses hatchets and machetes to conduct attacks.
Although Antony Mwalushayi, a local army spokesperson, acknowledged an attack, he did not provide a death toll.
A resident of the adjoining village of Kalunguta named Kakuke Kilalo Emmanuel claimed that he went to Mukondi on Wednesday but returned after witnessing people in a panic as the attack was taking place.
He added that many Kalunguta citizens have left out of concern for their safety.
