At least 19 villagers were brutally murdered in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on Sunday by attackers affiliated with ISIS.
Members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) reportedly tied up their victims before killing them using machetes and other weapons, Aljazeera reports.
Some villagers who tried to escape by crossing the Lamia River into Uganda are feared to have drowned, while many are still missing.
The ADF, originating in Uganda in the 1990s, has been responsible for a series of atrocities in both Uganda and the DRC, resulting in thousands of deaths over the past decade.
This recent attack in the Watalinga chiefdom of Beni territory follows previous incidents, including the killing of 42 people in a high school in western Uganda in June.
The DRC army, in response to the latest attack, reported killing at least six of the assailants on Sunday. However, details of the operation were not disclosed, and the civilian death toll remains provisional at 11, according to army spokesperson Antony Mualushayi.
Congo continues to grapple with one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, with nearly 7 million people displaced due to increased rebel fighting in Kinshasa.
In addition, Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, faces an electricity crisis as power lines were recently cut due to escalating conflict, leaving hospitals and water systems without power.
The M23, a Tutsi-led armed group, has been involved in intensified fighting in eastern Congo, particularly in provinces such as Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, and Tanganyika. The group is accused of being supported by Rwanda, a claim Rwanda vehemently denies.
This conflict has led to the deaths of thousands of civilians, the internal displacement of millions, and the flight of hundreds of thousands to neighboring Uganda.
Congo is set to hold presidential elections next month, but there are concerns that the escalating violence in the east could impact the polls, in which President Tshisekedi is seeking another term.
