Militants linked to the Islamic State group attacked a village in eastern Congo near the Ugandan border early Saturday, killing at least 13 people and setting fire to and looting homes, local civil society officials said.
The attack took place in Banana École, a suburb of Mambasa, the capital of the territory of the same name.
Marie-Noelle Anotane, head of the New Civil Society of Congo/Mambasa, and local resident Sylvain Andali said the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) carried out the attack. They said the attackers used tactics commonly associated with the ADF.
Anotane said the reported death toll of 13 remained provisional as many residents had yet to be contacted and searches were continuing in nearby villages.
The violence has left residents facing difficult choices over whether to remain in the area or flee to other parts of Ituri province, where a rapidly spreading Ebola outbreak is also raising concern.
“I decided to leave Mambasa for Bunia because I fear repeated attacks by the ADF,” Andali said, adding that several of his neighbours had already been killed.
The ADF originated in Uganda and pledged allegiance to Islamic State in 2019. The group has operated for years along the Uganda-Congo border and has repeatedly targeted civilians. In July 2025, the ADF killed 66 people in eastern Congo in an attack the United Nations described as a “bloodbath”.
Congo is also struggling with violence involving around 100 armed groups.
Among the most prominent is the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group, which has captured several strategically important cities in the country’s east.
The continuing conflict has displaced large numbers of civilians and deepened the humanitarian crisis across the region.
