At least 61 civilians were slaughtered during a funeral in eastern Congo after suspected Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) militants armed with machetes and guns launched a brutal attack, local officials confirmed on Tuesday.
The assailants struck around 9 p.m. on Monday in Ntoyo village, Lubero territory, North Kivu province. Survivors said most victims were hacked to death. Local administrator Macaire Sivikunula said 61 bodies had been counted, though the toll could rise as more people remain missing.
The U.S.-based SITE Intelligence Group reported that the Islamic State-linked fighters—who identify as the Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP) claimed responsibility, boasting of killing nearly 100 Christians and burning some 30 houses.
In a separate assault the same day, authorities said 18 more people were killed in another suspected ADF attack nearby.
“This massacre happened while people were mourning. Some were killed with machetes, others shot, and vehicles were torched,” said Samuel Kagheni, a local civil society leader.
Colonel Alain Kiwewa, Lubero’s military administrator, warned the death toll could climb. By the time Congolese soldiers arrived, “the massacre had already been committed,” army spokesperson Lieutenant Marc Elongo admitted.
The ADF, originally a Ugandan rebel movement, has operated from Congo’s forests since the late 1990s. Recognized by Islamic State as an affiliate, the group has intensified attacks in recent months despite joint Congo-Uganda military operations.
In July, an ADF attack on a church killed 38 people, while more than 50 civilians were massacred in a series of raids last month. The surge in violence has worsened insecurity in the mineral rich east, where the Rwandan backed M23 rebels are also active.
Many residents of Ntoyo fled on Tuesday as soldiers moved in, fearing further bloodshed
