Suspected Islamic State-aligned militants killed 19 civilians in an overnight raid on the village of Mukondo in North Kivu province, local officials said on Monday, underscoring the persistent insecurity in eastern Congo’s mineral-rich region.
Alain Kiwewa, the military administrator for Lubero territory, said the attack was believed to have been carried out by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). He warned the death toll could rise.
Witnesses said the assailants wore uniforms resembling those of the Congolese army, enabling them to enter the village without raising alarm before attacking residents with firearms, knives and clubs. A local pastor, who requested anonymity for security reasons, described scenes of chaos.
Civil society leader Espoir Kambale put the number of dead at 19, adding that eight people were wounded and 26 houses torched. “The population is in a state of panic. Some residents fled into the bush and have not returned,” he said.
The ADF originated in Uganda but has operated from the forests of eastern Congo since the late 1990s. Recognized by Islamic State as its Central Africa Province affiliate (ISCAP), the group has claimed a series of recent attacks, including a strike on a funeral in September that killed more than 60 civilians.
The latest raid adds to security fears in a region also contending with advances by the Rwandan-backed M23 rebellion, even as international efforts continue to broker a wider peace.