BENI, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) – Suspected Islamist militants killed at least 14 people in an attack on a village in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday night, a local official, a civil society leader and a survivor said on Friday.
The assailants are believed to be rebels from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a Ugandan armed group based in east Congo that has pledged allegiance to Islamic State and frequently raids villages, sometimes with machetes and hatchets.
The mayor of Oicha, which is in North Kivu province, told Reuters that ADF rebels killed civilians with knives and firearms before fleeing.
“For the time being, calm has returned to the area, even if the residents are afraid,” said mayor Nicolas Kikuku.
Nobody was expecting the attack, which happened at night, said civil society leader Marcel Nzanzu and survivor Dieudonné Kakule.
(Reporting by Erikas Mwisi Kambale; Writing by Anait Miridzhanian; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
