More than 50 people have been killed in a brutal overnight assault on a funeral ceremony in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in one of the deadliest attacks this year linked to Islamic State-affiliated rebels. Local officials confirmed that the attack, which took place in the village of Ntoyo in North Kivu province, was carried out by fighters from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a militant group that has terrorized communities in both DR Congo and neighboring Uganda for decades.
According to local administrator Macaire Sivikunula, the victims were attending a mourning ceremony when the militants struck, catching them off guard. Most were hacked to death with machetes in a massacre described by survivors as “utter carnage.” Witnesses told local broadcaster Mishapi Voice Radio that some residents were also burned alive inside their homes, leaving the village devastated.
The Congolese army confirmed that troops arrived after the killings had already taken place. Army spokesman Lieutenant Marc Elongo stated that the soldiers intervened but found that the ADF fighters had already carried out the massacre by the time reinforcements arrived.
The Islamic State’s Central African Province (ISCAP), to which the ADF pledged allegiance in 2019, has since claimed responsibility for the attack. While Congolese authorities placed the provisional death toll at 50, IS propaganda claimed that more than 100 people were killed. Independent verification of the numbers remains difficult in a region plagued by instability, insecurity, and limited access to affected areas.
This is not the first time the ADF has unleashed violence on civilians in the DRC. In July, more than 40 people, including nine children, were massacred during a night vigil at a church in Komanda, northeastern Congo. The United Nations and the Congolese military condemned that attack, warning of the ADF’s growing ability to strike vulnerable communities.
Originally formed in Uganda in the 1990s, the ADF accused the Ugandan government of persecuting Muslims before shifting its base of operations into eastern Congo, where weak state presence and vast forests have provided it cover for insurgent activities. Over time, the group has strengthened its ties with the Islamic State network, becoming one of IS’s most active affiliates on the continent.
Research by BBC Monitoring shows that nearly 90% of Islamic State operations worldwide are now carried out by its African affiliates, underscoring how groups like the ADF have expanded IS influence far from the Middle East. The latest massacre in Ntoyo highlights the growing danger posed by Islamist insurgencies in Africa and the urgent need for coordinated regional and international action to protect civilians, restore security, and weaken extremist networks.
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