At least 21 killed in suspected ADF attack in eastern DR Congo

At least 21 people were killed in an attack by suspected Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's Ituri province, authorities said Sunday.

The attack, which took place in the village of Biakato in the Mambasa territory, also left several people missing, according to the assistant administrator of the territory, Col. Maxime Tshishimbi.

The death toll rose from 15 last week to 21 after more bodies were recovered Sunday following a search, Tshishimbi told reporters in Ituri.

Tshishimbi said the Congolese army had launched a hunt for the attackers in their hideouts, urging the population to collaborate with the military.

The rebels also burnt property including motorcycles and houses before abducting several civilians who were returning home from their gardens, he added.

The rebel group, which has been active in eastern Congo for several years, is affiliated with the ISIS (Daesh) militant organization.

Eastern Congo has been facing insecurity caused by several armed groups for nearly three decades, with thousands of people living in camps in the two most conflict-affected provinces of North Kivu and Ituri.

Last week, Amnesty International said in a report that civilians in eastern Congo are suffering from a surge in human rights abuses that amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by ADF rebels.

It said the crimes are committed across large areas in eastern Congo while international and domestic attention is centered on M23 rebels, another group at the center of the conflict in the east.

"Civilians in the eastern DRC have suffered extensive brutality at the hands of ADF fighters. They have been killed, abducted and tortured in a dehumanizing campaign of abuse," said Agnes Callamard, Amnesty International's secretary general.

Since 2021, Ugandan and Congolese forces have been conducting joint operations against the ADF rebels.