<p>Forty-three people were killed in an attack by Islamic State-linked militants in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday, the army said in a statement.</p>.<p>The attack took place from around 7 p.m. local time (1700 GMT) in Bafwakoa village, located in Mambasa territory, Ituri province, near the town of Niania, officials earlier told Reuters.</p>.<p>The Congolese military blamed the attack on the Allied Democratic Forces, a Ugandan armed group active in eastern Congo that is recognised by Islamic State as an affiliate. 44 houses were set on fire, the statement said.</p>.Islamic Diplomacy | Türkiye’s pivot, Pakistan’s mediation leave India on sidelines .<p>Some victims were killed with machetes and others burned in their homes, and two people were abducted, said Christian Alimasi, a local customary official in Mambasa territory.</p><p>ADF attacks on civilians have intensified in recent months in parts of Ituri and neighbouring North Kivu province, despite joint Congolese-Ugandan military operations against the group launched in 2021.</p><p>Data from Insecurity Insight, a research organisation that analyses verified violent incidents affecting civilians, shows the ADF accounted for about a quarter of reported violence against civilians in eastern Congo between 2020 and 2025. </p>
<p>Forty-three people were killed in an attack by Islamic State-linked militants in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday, the army said in a statement.</p>.<p>The attack took place from around 7 p.m. local time (1700 GMT) in Bafwakoa village, located in Mambasa territory, Ituri province, near the town of Niania, officials earlier told Reuters.</p>.<p>The Congolese military blamed the attack on the Allied Democratic Forces, a Ugandan armed group active in eastern Congo that is recognised by Islamic State as an affiliate. 44 houses were set on fire, the statement said.</p>.Islamic Diplomacy | Türkiye’s pivot, Pakistan’s mediation leave India on sidelines .<p>Some victims were killed with machetes and others burned in their homes, and two people were abducted, said Christian Alimasi, a local customary official in Mambasa territory.</p><p>ADF attacks on civilians have intensified in recent months in parts of Ituri and neighbouring North Kivu province, despite joint Congolese-Ugandan military operations against the group launched in 2021.</p><p>Data from Insecurity Insight, a research organisation that analyses verified violent incidents affecting civilians, shows the ADF accounted for about a quarter of reported violence against civilians in eastern Congo between 2020 and 2025. </p>