Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels armed with machetes and firearms have carried out a brutal attack at a funeral in eastern Congo, resulting in the deaths of at least 61 civilians, officials confirmed on Tuesday. This incident marks one of the deadliest assaults by the group associated with the Islamic State in recent months.
Identified also as Islamic State — Central Africa Province (ISCAP), the militants claimed responsibility for the attack that took place on Monday, asserting that they had targeted nearly 100 Christians, as reported by the U.S.-based SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors extremist activities. According to the SITE report, approximately 30 houses were set ablaze during the assault on the funeral gathering in Ntoyo village located in the Lubero territory of North Kivu, Congo.
Local administrator Macaire Sivikunula stated that 61 casualties had been accounted for so far, revealing that the victims were ambushed during a mourning ceremony in Ntoyo village around 9 p.m., with many of them being slain using machetes.
In a separate suspected ADF attack on another village, authorities informed Reuters later on Tuesday that 18 individuals had lost their lives. The ADF, initially formed as a rebel group in Uganda, has been operating from the forests of Congo since the late 1990s and is acknowledged by the Islamic State as an affiliate.
A recent surge in assaults attributed to the ADF has heightened insecurity in eastern Congo, a region abundant in minerals where the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels made significant progress this year, prompting efforts by the Trump administration to facilitate peace negotiations.
Last month, the ADF was responsible for the deaths of over 50 civilians in multiple incidents, while an ADF assault on a church in July led to 38 fatalities. Col. Alain Kiwewa, the military administrator for Lubero, warned that the death toll from Monday’s attack could rise as there are still missing persons.
Aside from employing machetes, the attackers also used firearms to shoot some victims and set fire to vehicles, as reported by Samuel Kagheni, a local civil society leader. Congolese soldiers arrived at the scene on Tuesday morning, with many residents attempting to evacuate the area.
Lt. Marc Elongo, the spokesperson for the Congolese army, disclosed that the ADF militants had already carried out the massacre when the soldiers intervened. There have been intensified military operations by Congo’s army and its ally Uganda against the ADF in recent weeks.