In brief
In a harrowing incident early this morning, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), linked to the Islamic State, launched an attack in Ntoyo, North Kivu, resulting in the deaths of at least 60 individuals. The assault occurred as residents gathered for a burial ceremony, with eyewitness accounts describing a brutal scene. Local officials are currently assessing the final toll as the region faces ongoing violence amid multiple conflicts involving various rebel groups.
GOMA, Congo (AP) — At least 60 people have been killed in an overnight attack by the Islamic-State-affiliated rebel group in eastern Congo, an official said. The attack was carried out by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in Ntoyo, North Kivu, while residents were gathered at a burial.“The ADF attack caused around 60 deaths, but the final toll will be given later this evening because the territory has just deployed services to the area to count the number of beheaded people,” Col. Alain Kiwewa, the local administrator of the Lubero territory where Ntoyo is located, told The Associated Press.“There were about 10 of them. I saw machetes. They told people to gather in one place and started cutting them. I listened to people screaming and I fainted,” a survivor who was present at the burial recounted. She requested anonymity due to fear of reprisal.The region is beset by complex conflicts, including an alarming uptick in ADF attacks, which operate along the border between Congo and Uganda. In July, the group perpetrated two significant attacks in Ituri province — a church attack that left at least 34 dead in Komanda and an earlier assault that killed 66 people in Irumu.Despite efforts by Congo and Uganda to counter the ADF, which vowed allegiance to the Islamic State in 2019, the group continues to target civilians. These violent acts exacerbate the ongoing suffering of those in eastern Congo, where additional conflicts involving Rwanda-backed M23 rebel groups and the central government are also unfolding.
