GOMA, Congo — The death toll from an attack on a Catholic church in eastern Congo by Islamic State-backed rebels has risen to 34, according to a civil society leader. “The bodies of the victims are still at the scene of the tragedy, and volunteers are preparing how to bury them in a mass grave that we are preparing in a compound of the Catholic church,” Dieudonne Duranthabo, a civil society coordinator in Komanda, in the Ituri province, told The Associated Press.

At least five other people were killed in an earlier attack on the nearby village of Machongani, from where a search is ongoing.

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“They took several people into the bush; we do not know their destination or their number,” Lossa Dhekana, a civil society leader in Ituri, told the AP

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Both attacks are believed to have been carried out by members of the Allied Democratic Force (ADF) armed with guns and machetes.

The military has confirmed at least 10 fatalities, while local media reports put the total death toll at more than 40.

Duranthabo said attackers stormed the church in Komanda town at around 1 a.m. Several houses and shops were also burnt.

Lt. Jules Ngongo, a Congolese army spokesperson in Ituri province , confirmed 10 killed in the church attack.

Video footage from the scene shared online appeared to show burning structures and bodies on the floor of the church. Those who were able to identify some of the victims wailed while others stood in shock.

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A U.N.-backed radio station said 43 people were killed, citing security sources. It said the attackers came from a stronghold around 12 kilometers (7 miles) from the center of Komanda and fled before security forces could arrive.

Duranthabo condemned the attack “in a town where all the security officials are present.” He added: “We demand military intervention as soon as possible, since we are told the enemy is still near our town.”

Eastern Congo has suffered deadly attacks in recent years by armed groups, including the ADF and Rwanda-backed rebels. The ADF, which has ties to the Islamic State, operates in the borderland between Uganda and Congo and often targets civilians. The group killed dozens of people in Ituri earlier this month in what a United Nations spokesperson described as a bloodbath .

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The ADF was formed by disparate small groups in Uganda in the late 1990s following alleged discontent with President Yoweri Museveni.

In 2002, following military assaults by Ugandan forces, the group moved its activities to neighboring Congo and has since been responsible for the killings of thousands of civilians. In 2019, it pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.

The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC), which has long struggled against the rebel group, has been facing attacks since the renewed hostilities between the Rwanda-backed M23.

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Islamic State-backed rebels killed 38 people on Sunday in an attack on a church in eastern Congo. read more

In yet another brutal assault in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, at least 38 people were killed on Sunday when Islamic State-linked rebels attacked a Catholic church complex in Komanda, torching homes and shops and leaving behind scenes of devastation.

The pre-dawn raid, carried out by members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), unfolded around 1 a.m. and left multiple bodies both inside and outside the church. Local civil society leader Dieudonné Duranthabo reported that three of the victims were found burnt, and warned that the death toll could rise as search efforts continue.

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The ADF, which has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, has repeatedly targeted civilians across the border regions of Uganda and Congo. Just weeks ago, the group was responsible for a massacre in Ituri province, prompting the UN to describe the violence as a “bloodbath.”

Military officials confirmed the Komanda incident. “At least 10 people were killed in a machete attack on a church near the town,” said Lt. Jules Ngongo, army spokesperson for Ituri province. Shops nearby were also set on fire, he added.

The ADF, originally formed in Uganda in the 1990s, moved into Congo in 2002 after facing military pressure at home. Since then, it has launched a prolonged campaign of violence, killing thousands of civilians. The group’s leadership envisions an Islamic state in the region.

Duranthabo criticised the lack of effective security in Komanda despite the presence of government forces. He said some residents were now fleeing toward Bunia, fearing further violence. “We need immediate military support — the enemy is still close,” he said.

As Congo’s army continues its battle against the ADF, it is also contending with fresh clashes involving the M23 rebel group, which Kinshasa accuses of receiving support from Rwanda.

With inputs from agencies

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Kinshasa, Congo AP —

At least 21 people were killed on Sunday in an attack on church premises in eastern Congo by Islamic State-backed rebels, according to a civil society leader.

The attack was carried out by members of the Allied Democratic Force (ADF) around 1 a.m. inside the premises of a Catholic church in eastern Congo’s Komanda. Several houses and shops were also burnt.

“More than 21 people were shot dead inside and outside and we have recorded at least three charred bodies and several houses burned. But the search is continuing,” Dieudonne Duranthabo, a civil society coordinator in Komanda, told The Associated Press.

Earlier this month, the group killed dozens of people in Ituri in what a United Nations spokesperson described as a bloodbath.

A spokesperson for the Congolese army in Ituri province, where Komanda is located, confirmed 10 dead.

“What we know this morning is that there was an incursion by armed men with machetes into a church not far from Komanda, where about 10 people were killed and massacred and some shops were set on fire,” Lt. Jules Ngongo, the DRC Army’s spokesperson in Ituri, said.

The ADF, with ties with the Islamic State, is a rebel group that operates in the borderland between Uganda and Congo, has routinely conducted attacks against civilian populations.

“We are truly disappointed because it is incredible that such a situation could occur in a town where all the security officials are present,” Duranthabo said. “Some citizens have started fleeing the area and are heading towards Bunia.

“We demand military intervention as soon as possible, since we are told the enemy is still near our town.”

The ADF was formed by disparate small groups in Uganda in the late 1990s following alleged discontent with Yoweri Museveni.

In 2002, following military assaults by Ugandan forces, the group moved its activities to neighboring DRC and has since been responsible for the killings of thousands of civilians. In 2019, it pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. The ADF’s leadership conceives of an Islamist government in the East African country.

The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) has long struggled against the rebel group, and it has now been grappling with a complex web of attacks since the renewed hostilities between the Rwanda-backed M23.