At least 50 people were killed when fighters linked to the Allied Democratic Forces attacked a village mourning ceremony in North Kivu province in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, local officials and army spokesmen said.
The provisional death toll of 50 was given by Macaire Sivikunula, a local administrator, who said most victims were hacked with machetes during a night-time assault on the village of Ntoyo. Democratic Republic of Congo army spokesman Lieutenant Marc Elongo said soldiers intervened but the attackers "had already committed the massacre" by the time security forces arrived.
Witnesses quoted by local broadcaster Radio Mishapi Voice described "utter carnage" and said some residents had been burned in their homes. The Allied Democratic Forces, known by the acronym ADF and affiliated with the Islamic State's Central African Province, have not commented on the attack.
The assault follows a string of deadly incidents attributed to the ADF in recent months, raising concerns among officials and analysts about the group's resilience and capacity to carry out mass-casualty attacks. In July, the United Nations and the Congolese military said ADF fighters killed more than 40 people, including nine children, during an attack on worshippers taking part in a night vigil at a church in the town of Komanda.
The ADF emerged in Uganda in the 1990s, accusing the Ugandan government of persecuting Muslims. Over time the group relocated across the border into eastern Congo, where it has conducted repeated assaults on villages, military installations and civilian gatherings. Research by BBC Monitoring indicates that nearly 90 percent of Islamic State operations are now carried out by affiliate groups in Africa, reflecting a widening pattern of activity on the continent.
Authorities in North Kivu have struggled to secure large rural areas where armed groups operate, and communities have repeatedly borne the brunt of attacks. Local administrators and rights groups have documented cycles of reprisals, displacement and limited access to humanitarian assistance following major incidents.
The national army has conducted operations against the ADF and other armed groups, often in coordination with United Nations peacekeepers, but security gains in the region have been uneven. Army officials say constrained resources, difficult terrain and the presence of multiple armed actors complicate efforts to protect civilians and prevent attacks.
The identity and motives of the attackers in the Ntoyo raid will be subject to further investigation by authorities. For now, officials have described the toll as provisional while recovery and identification efforts continue, and no group has publicly claimed responsibility.
The latest massacre adds to a pattern of violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo that has persisted for decades, driven by local, national and regional dynamics. The Congolese government and international partners face renewed pressure to accelerate security and humanitarian responses as communities contend with repeated deadly assaults and displacement.