KIGALI, Rwanda

At least 19 civilians were killed by suspected Ugandan rebels from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in the Beni region of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), an official said Saturday.

“Five bodies of civilians were found on Friday while 14 were discovered on Saturday morning, bringing the total number of victims to 19 after a rebel attack on the village of Kasanzi, in North Kivu's Beni territory,” local official Kakule Kalunga told reporters.

He said that the victims were killed by machetes and firearms and “13 houses were set ablaze.”

Kalunga said the bodies were discovered after a search for missing people in a nearby forest.

The ADF, said to be linked to the Daesh/ISIS terror group, have stepped up attacks in the DR Congo’s North Kivu and Ituri provinces since the start of 2021, particularly targeting civilians.