Suspected Islamist rebels killed at least 38 people in a nighttime attack on villages in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, two district officials and a civil society leader said Saturday.
Local civil society leader Justin Kavalami blamed members of the Allied Democratic Forces (FDA) for the attack. The FDA, allegedly responsible for another attack on a village that killed at least 16 people earlier this week, hails from neighboring Uganda.
Now based in eastern Congo, the group has pledged allegiance to Islamic State and mounts frequent attacks, further destabilizing a region where many militant groups are active.
Gunmen used guns and machetes to attack residents of villages in Beni territory in North Kivu province overnight on Friday, local official Fabien Kakule told Reuters.
District official Leon Kakule Siviwe put the death toll at 38 and said the recent increase in violence was due to attackers taking advantage of a low presence of security forces.
They came to “massacre the population when there were no soldiers there,” he told Reuters.
The FDA could not be reached for comment.
Source: CNN Brasil
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