EASTERN CONGO — Fighters with the Allied Democratic Forces, a rebel group affiliated with the Islamic State, killed at least 43 civilians Wednesday night in Bafwakoa village in eastern Congo.

"They set fire to houses in the village," said Samuel Banapia, a civil society member in the area. The ADF maintains a presence in eastern Congo and regularly attacks civilians.

Lt. Jules Ngongo, a military spokesperson, described the group's tactics. "The ADF avoids direct combat with the army and all its partners. That's why they attack the population in a way that sabotages peace efforts and acts of revenge against the population, thus reprisals against our people," Ngongo said.

Congo's army has not been able to contain the ADF while battling several other rebel groups in eastern Congo. The number of ADF fighters in Congo is unclear.

The Allied Democratic Forces originated in the late 1990s in Uganda. The group became affiliated with the Islamic State in 2019. In recent years, ADF attacks near the border with Uganda have increased and have spread toward Goma and Ituri province in eastern Congo.

Earlier in 2025, the ADF killed 66 people and abducted several others in a neighboring area of eastern Congo.

Muslims make up about 10 percent of the Congolese population, and most Muslims in Congo live in the eastern region.