Death toll from 2 attacks by Islamic-State-affiliated rebels in Congo climbs to 89

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KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — The death toll from two attacks on civilians in eastern Congo by an Islamic State-affiliated rebel group has risen to 89, Congolese authorities said.

Officials said late Tuesday that 71 people were killed at a funeral in Nyoto on Monday, and 18 others were killed in Beni in a separate attack on Tuesday. Both attacks took place in the North Kivu region of the country.

The attacks, carried out by the Allied Democratic Force, or ADF, were the latest in a series of mass attacks on civilians in the troubled region.

The region is beset by a set of complex conflicts, including an increase in attacks by the ADF, which operates in the border region between Congo and Uganda.

The ADF pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group in 2019 and has carried out large-scale attacks on civilians in recent weeks. The Congolese and Ugandan militaries have been conducting a joint operation against the group.

The government said in a statement that it has provided support to “the North Kivu Provincial Government in managing the humanitarian consequences of these terrorist acts."

“It remains resolutely committed to continuing military operations and the hunt for terrorists, which have already resulted in the neutralization of several of them, the destruction of several of their bases, and the release of civilian hostages," the statement said.

Onesphore Sematumba, a Congo analyst at Crisis Group International, said the military operation against the ADF has only scattered the group and attacks by smaller units have continued inside communities and forests.

“It has caused what I can call the phenomenon of kicking the anthill. This group has scattered in the area with all the anger possible, and they act in murderous groups,” Sematumba said.