IS-linked group kills at least 13 in Congo village

Militants affiliated with the Islamic State group attacked a village in Congo near the border with Uganda early Saturday, killing at least 13 people and burning and looting homes, a local civil society group said.

The attack occurred in the village of Banana Ecole, a suburb of the territorial capital of Mambasa.

Marie-Noelle Anotane, head of the New Civil Society of Congo/Mambasa, and Sylvain Andali, a local resident, told The Associated Press that the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) were behind the violence. Both said the militants used known ADF tactics.

"This death toll of 13 civilians is only provisional because most residents aren't responding to calls, and searches are continuing in other surrounding villages," Anotane said.

The attack forced people to choose between staying or risking travel to other parts of the province, where the fastest-spreading Ebola outbreak in history rages.

"I decided to leave Mambasa for Bunia because I fear repeated attacks by the ADF. Many of my neighbours have already died, and I must protect my life and the lives of my family," Andali said.

The ADF, which has roots in Uganda and pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group in 2019, has long operated in the border region. It is one of numerous groups operating in Congo that routinely attack civilians. In July 2025, the group killed 66 people in eastern Congo in what the United Nations called a "bloodbath."

The country also faces attacks from roughly 100 other rebel groups, most prominently the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group, which has seized key cities in the eastern region.