At least 43 civilians were killed in an attack by militants linked to the Islamic State group in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the army said on Thursday.
The assault took place on Wednesday evening in Bafwakoa village in Mambasa territory, Ituri province, near the town of Niania, according to military officials.
The Congolese army blamed the attack on the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a Ugandan-origin armed group operating in eastern Congo that has pledged allegiance to Islamic State.
The military said at least 44 homes were burned during the raid.
Local official Christian Alimasi said some victims were hacked to death with machetes while others were burned alive inside their homes. Two people were also abducted.
Violence attributed to the ADF has escalated in recent months across Ituri and neighbouring North Kivu province, despite ongoing joint military operations by Congolese and Ugandan forces launched in 2021.
According to data from research group Insecurity Insight, the ADF was responsible for roughly a quarter of all recorded attacks on civilians in eastern Congo between 2020 and 2025.