Islamic State-linked militants killed at least 43 people in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, officials said Thursday, according to LETA citing AP.
Militants from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) killed civilians in the village of Bafwakoa on Wednesday. This Ugandan Islamist group operates on both sides of the border between the two countries.
"They set fire to houses in this village," a local civil society representative reported by phone.
A statement from the Congolese army mentions 43 fatalities. However, local authorities reported that the death toll is at least 56, with at least two taken hostage and several others missing.
The Congolese army is fighting against the ADF and several other rebel groups in the eastern part of the country. The most significant of these is the M23 group, which is supported by Rwanda and captured several key towns last year.
The ADF emerged in the late 1990s in Uganda and became an affiliate of the Islamic State in 2019. The exact number of its fighters in the DRC is unknown.
About 10% of the DRC's population are Muslims, primarily residing in the eastern part of the country.
