DR Congo: Islamists kill 52 civilians with machetes

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Islamist rebels have killed at least 52 civilians in the Beni and Lubero areas. The perpetrators were armed with machetes and axes.

The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), linked to the Islamic State, carried out the attacks in retaliation for defeats suffered by the country's armed forces, according to military sources.

According to the local chief of the Bapere area of Lubero, Makaire Sivikunula, the rebels gathered residents, tied them up, and slaughtered them. The military commander of Lubero, Alain Kiwewe, reported that about 30 civilians were killed in the village of Melia, including women and children.

A spokesman for the UN mission in the DR Congo (MONUSCO) confirmed that the death toll is at least 52, including eight women and two children.

The ADF is one of several armed groups operating in the eastern DR Congo.