The death toll from two attacks on civilians in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo by an Islamic State‑affiliated rebel group climbed to 89, Congolese authorities said Tuesday.
Seventy-one people were killed at a funeral in the village of Nyoto on Monday, and 18 others died in a separate attack in the city of Beni on Tuesday, officials said. Both incidents occurred in North Kivu province, a region long plagued by violence and armed groups.
The government said it had provided support to the North Kivu provincial authorities to manage the humanitarian consequences of the attacks and reiterated its commitment to continuing military operations against the perpetrators. Authorities said those operations have resulted in the neutralization of several fighters, the destruction of several rebel bases and the release of civilian hostages.
The Allied Democratic Force, or ADF, has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group and has increased attacks on civilians in recent weeks. The group operates primarily in the border area between eastern Congo and Uganda. Congolese and Ugandan forces have been conducting a joint operation against the ADF in the region.
Onesphore Sematumba, a Congo analyst with the International Crisis Group, said the joint operation has scattered ADF fighters and that smaller, dispersed units have continued to carry out deadly raids inside communities and in nearby forested areas. He described the pattern as a reaction by the group after being forced from established bases.
North Kivu has been the scene of overlapping conflicts involving a mix of local and foreign armed groups, communal militias and state forces. Civilians have frequently borne the brunt of the violence, which has produced recurring humanitarian needs, including displacement, medical emergencies and disrupted livelihoods.
The government statement did not provide a detailed breakdown of the victims or an immediate account of motives in the two attacks. Local officials and humanitarian organizations in North Kivu and national authorities continue to assess the scale of needs and the security situation.
International and regional attention has focused on efforts to curb ADF activity, including the bilateral security cooperation between Kinshasa and Kampala. Analysts and officials say that while military pressure can disrupt rebel command structures and destroy camps, it can also drive fighters into more remote areas, complicating protection efforts for civilians.
Investigations into the two attacks were under way as authorities sought to confirm casualty figures, locate survivors and provide emergency assistance to affected families.