25 killed in attack by Islamic State-backed group in eastern Congo, rights group says

GOMA, Congo — An attack by an Islamic State-linked militant group in eastern Congo killed at least 25 people early Sunday, a rights group based in Ituri province said.

The dead from the attack by the Allied Democratic Force, or ADF, include 15 men who were burned alive in a house and seven who were shot in the village of Apakulu in the Irumu territory of Ituri province. Three others were killed in Walese Vonkutu administrative area.

“This tragedy occurred around 4 a.m. and claimed the lives of at least 25 people. This incursion by the ADF is a true massacre,” Christophe Munyanderu, president of the Convention for the Respect of Human Rights, said.

There was no immediate statement from the ADF.

The eastern region of Congo has witnessed several attacks in recent months by armed groups, including the ADF and Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group.

The ADF, which operates in the border region between Uganda and Congo, has killed several civilians. The group grew out of an insurgency against Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni’s rule but was pushed into Congo after Ugandan military assaults. Last July, it carried out a series of attacks that killed more than 100 people.

The Ugandan and Congolese armed forces have been conducting joint operations against the group.