34 killed in attack on DR Congo church by Islamic State-backed rebels, civil leader says
Dieudonne Duranthabo, a civil society coordinator in Komanda, said volunteers are preparing to bury the victims in a mass grave
The death toll from an attack on a Catholic Church in DR Congo by Islamic State-backed rebels has risen to 34, according to a civil society leader.
At least five other people were killed in an earlier attack on the nearby village of Machongani, from where a search is continuing.
“They took several people into the bush; we do not know their destination or their number,” Lossa Dhekana, a civil society leader in Ituri, said.
Both attacks are believed to have been carried out by members of the Allied Democratic Force (ADF) armed with guns and machetes.
The military has confirmed at least 10 fatalities, while local media reports put the total death toll at more than 40.
Duranthabo said attackers stormed the church in Komanda town at around 1am. Several houses and shops were also burnt.