An assault by an Islamic State-affiliated armed group in eastern Congo killed at least 25 people early Sunday, a local human rights organization said.
The victims of the attack, blamed on the Allied Democratic Force (ADF), included 15 men who were burned to death inside a house and seven others who were shot dead in Apakulu village of Irumu territory in Ituri province. Three more people were killed in the Walese Vonkutu administrative area, according to the rights group.
“This tragedy happened around 4am and claimed at least 25 lives. This ADF incursion amounts to a real massacre,” said Christophe Munyanderu, president of the Convention for the Respect of Human Rights, which is based in Ituri.
There was no immediate response from the ADF regarding the reported attack.
Eastern Congo has seen a surge in violence in recent months, with repeated assaults by armed groups, including the ADF and the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels.
The ADF operates along the porous border between Uganda and Congo and has been responsible for numerous deadly attacks on civilians. The group originated as an insurgent movement opposing Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni before being driven into Congo following military pressure. In July last year, a wave of ADF attacks killed more than 100 people.
Ugandan and Congolese forces have been carrying out joint military operations aimed at dismantling the group.