Atleast 40 killed in a suspected rebel attack in Congo.

Suspected Allied Democratic Forces militants have killed at least 40 people in two attacks in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, local officials said Thursday.

The ADF, which the Islamic State group claims is its Central African ally, is one of the poorly armed militias in eastern Congo, accused of killing thousands of civilians.

The group’s fighters attacked the nearby villages of Mukondi and Mausa, in the Beni region of North Kivu province, between Wednesday evening and Thursday dawn, officials said.

Kalunga Meso, the area manager said, “I’m really sorry, ‘They gathered people and killed them.

He told the AFP news agency that 38 people were killed in Mukondi and eight in Mausa, stressing that the number was temporary.

Mumbere Arsene, a member of civil society, said 37 people were killed in Mukondi and eight in Mausa.

“All the dead were killed with knives,” he said.

The death toll could not be confirmed.

The ADF is one of the most violent armed groups in eastern Congo and has been blamed for a series of bombings and killings of civilians.

Thousands of people were killed at his hands, mostly in the Beni region, according to investigators.

The joint operation of Congolese and Ugandan forces to target fighters in eastern DRC has been ongoing since the end of 2021, but the attacks continue.

Last week, the United States offered a reward of up to $5 million for information on ADF leader Seka Musa Baluku.