In a raid on Sunday night, Islamist militants reportedly bound at least 19 villagers, using machetes and other weapons to carry out the killings in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, according to a civil society leader.
Maurice Mabele Musaidi informed media that while some villagers managed to escape, others fled and potentially drowned while attempting to cross the Lamia river into Uganda.
“There are still people missing,” he said.
Both Musaidi and a spokesperson for the Congolese army stated that the assault in the Watalinga chiefdom of Beni territory was orchestrated by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an armed group operating in eastern Congo that has sworn allegiance to the Islamic State.
Originating in Uganda, the ADF emerged in the 1990s before crossing the border, and it has been held responsible for thousands of killings in the past decade.
The Congolese army reported that it eliminated at least six militants that night, providing no further details on the operation.
Antony Mualushayi, the army spokesperson, stated that the provisional civilian death toll stood at 11.