This past Saturday, authorities reported that Islamic State–linked rebels killed 66 people in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Fighters from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) are said to have carried out the massacre in Irumu Territory, a region in eastern Congo bordering Uganda.
The attack occurred while the eastern region of Congo remains tense due to ongoing conflict between the Kinshasa government and M23, another rebel group fighting the central government.
Jean Tobie Okala, spokesperson for the United Nations Mission in Ituri, described the killings as a bloodbath.
In a statement sent to the Associated Press, Okala said around 30 civilians were killed between Thursday and Friday, July 11th, in Walese Vonkutu chiefdom, Irumu Territory, Ituri province.
Based on local civil society reports, the death toll has since risen from 31 to 66 victims.
