(Reuters) -Suspected Islamic State-backed rebels killed 19 civilians in an overnight attack in eastern Congo, two local officials said on Monday, deepening insecurity in the mineral-rich region.
The attack, believed to have been carried out by the Allied Democratic Forces group, occurred in the village of Mukondo in North Kivu province, Alain Kiwewa, the military administrator for Lubero territory where Mukondo is located, told Reuters, adding that the death toll could rise.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility by the ADF, which is also known as Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP) and has claimed responsibility for a spate of attacks in recent months, including one in September on a funeral that killed more than 60 civilians. Reuters could not immediately reach ADF for comment.
The assailants in Mukondo wore uniforms resembling those of the Congolese army, which allowed them to enter the village without arousing suspicion. They then attacked people using guns, knives and clubs, said a local pastor who declined to give his name for security reasons.
A civil society leader based in the area, Espoir Kambale, also put the number of dead at 19 and said eight other people were wounded and 26 houses burned.
“We are asking ourselves how the rebels could come and attack us when we believed the village was well secured,” said Kambale. “The population is in a state of panic. Some residents fled into the bush and have not returned.”
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.
Its recent attacks have exacerbated security fears in eastern Congo, where Rwandan-backed M23 rebels staged a major advance this year, prompting U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration to try to broker peace.
(Reporting by Congo newsroom; Writing by Ayen Deng Bior; Editing by Robbie Corey-Boulet and Lisa Shumaker)
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