Fifty people hacked to death with machetes as they mourned dead at funeral

Dozens of mourners were butchered with machetes at a funeral gathering in Congo when Allied Democratic Forces rebels stormed the ceremony - in one of the deadliest strikes yet by the Islamic State-linked militia.

Local official Macaire Sivikunula said: "I can confirm a provisional death toll of 50. The victims were caught off guard at a mourning ceremony in the village of Ntoyo at around 9pm, and most of them were killed with machetes. The search is continuing." Military administrator Colonel Alain Kiwewa later told Reuters the number stood at around 60 and warned it could climb higher as more bodies are recovered.

The ADF, a Ugandan-born insurgent force that pledged allegiance to ISIS in 2019, has repeatedly targeted civilians in North Kivu with machetes and guns.

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Last month alone, they massacred over 50 people in a series of raids. In July, they slaughtered 43, including children, at a Catholic youth retreat in Komanda. In that attack, multiple houses and shops were also burned down while Catholic Christians were attending a prayer vigil at the church, run by the Caritas charity.

"The rebels mainly attacked Christians who were spending the night in the Catholic church," said human rights activist Christophe Munyanderu. "Unfortunately, these people were killed with machetes or bullets."

DRC's Radio Okapi said a total of 43 had been killed and blamed the ADF. "More than 20 victims were killed with bladed weapons during a prayer vigil in a church," the radio said. "Other bodies were found in burned houses nearby."

"What we know this morning is that there was an incursion by armed men with machetes into a church not far from Komanda," DRC army spokesperson Jules Ngongo said.

Pope Leo expressed "deep sorrow", while the UN condemned the ADF for grave breaches of international law. But despite joint Congo-Uganda military operations, the rebels continue to strike. The violence is also fuelling a humanitarian crisis with thousands displaced, communities shattered, and peace talks stalled.

Islamic State influence has continued spreading across Africa, and has been spurred on by poverty, unrest, and weak governance.