Dozens of people were killed in an attack by an ISIS affiliate in the Democratic Republic of Northeast Congo, local officials said.
They said about 20 dead were held at a church in Comanda town when they were attacked by Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) fighters.
Nearby shops and businesses were plundered and caught fire.
The ADF appeared in Uganda in the 1990s, accusing the government of persecuting Muslims there, but is now based on the borders of the Congo Doctor, where it regularly attacks civilians of all religions as well as Uganda.
It has since become part of the Islamic State Central Africa province, which also includes a group in Mozambique.
According to research monitored by the BBC, branches in Africa now perform nearly 90% of IS operations.
More bodies can be found after the latest attack, Comanda’s civil society coordinator Dieudonne Duranthabo told the Associated Press.
“More than 21 people were shot and killed inside and outside [the church] We have recorded at least three burnt bodies and burned several houses. But the search continues. ”
“We have at least 31 dead in the Eucharist Crusader movement and six were injured. Some young people were kidnapped and we have no news,” local pastor Father Aime Lokana Dhego told AFP.
He added that seven other bodies were found elsewhere in town.
The United Nations-sponsored OKAPI radio website set the number of deaths to 43.
A military spokesman said he could confirm 10 deaths.
In 2021, the Congolese PhD invited Ugandan troops to enter the country to help solve the ADF. However, the attack continues.
Komanda, in the mineral-rich Ituri Province of Dr. Congo, has been fought by various armed groups for many years.
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