Rebels linked to Islamic State kill at least 61 at east Congo funeral
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A truck that was burnt when Islamic State-affiliated Allied Democratic Forces rebels launched an attack on a funeral in east Congo on Sept 9.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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- ADF rebels killed at least 61 civilians with machetes and guns at a funeral in east Congo on Sept 8, with ISCAP claiming responsibility.
- The attack in Ntoyo village targeted a funeral; victims were caught off guard around 9pm, and about 30 houses were burned, according to Site.
- Insecurity in east Congo has worsened due to ADF attacks, alongside M23 rebel activity, prompting military intervention and peace efforts.
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KINSHASA - Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels with machetes and guns have killed at least 61 civilians at a funeral in east Congo, officials said on Sept 9, in one of the deadliest attacks by the Islamic State-linked group in recent months.
The militants, also known as Islamic State Central Africa Province, claimed responsibility for the Sept 8 attack and said they had killed nearly 100 Christians, according to the US-based Site Intelligence Group, which monitors militant activities.
The Site report also said some 30 houses were set on fire in the attack targeting the funeral ceremony in Ntoyo village, in the Lubero territory of Congo’s North Kivu.
Mr Macaire Sivikunula, a local administrator, said 61 bodies had been counted so far.
“The victims were caught off guard at a mourning ceremony in the village of Ntoyo at around 9pm, and most of them were killed with machetes,” he said.
The authorities told Reuters later on Sept 9 that 18 people had been killed in a separate suspected ADF attack on another village.
The ADF started as a rebel force in Uganda but has been based in the forests of neighbouring Congo since the late 1990s, and is recognised by Islamic State as an affiliate.
A recent flurry of attacks claimed by the ADF has exacerbated insecurity in east Congo, a mineral-rich region where Rwandan-backed M23 rebels staged a major advance in 2025, prompting US President Donald Trump’s administration to try to broker peace.
In August, the ADF killed more than 50 civilians
People missing
Colonel Alain Kiwewa, the military administrator for Lubero, said the Sept 8 death toll could rise as there were still people missing.
As well as using machetes, the assailants also shot dead some victims and set fire to vehicles, said Mr Samuel Kagheni, a local civil society leader.
Mr Alain Kahindo Kinama, a resident, said Congolese soldiers arrived at the scene on the morning of Sept 9 and that many people were trying to leave the area.
Congolese army spokesman Marc Elongo said ADF militants had “already committed the massacre” by the time soldiers intervened.
Congo’s army and its ally Uganda say they have intensified operations against the ADF in recent weeks. REUTERS
