Suspected Islamist militants killed at least 14 people in an attack on a village in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday night, a local official, a civil society leader and a survivor said on Friday.

The assailants are believed to be rebels from the Allied Democratic Forces, or ADF, a Ugandan armed group based in eastern Congo that has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group and frequently raids villages, sometimes with machetes and hatchets.

The militants attacked the village of Makodu at night when locals were sleeping in their homes.

Nobody was expecting it, civil society leader Marcel Nzanzu and survivor Dieudonné Kakule told Reuters.

The mayor of Oicha, a town located in eastern North Kivu province, told Reuters that ADF rebels killed civilians with knives and firearms before fleeing.

For the time being, calm has returned to the area, even if the residents are afraid, said Mayor Nicolas Kikuku, adding that some bodies have arrived at Oicha's morgue. (VOA)

Nzanzu said that after the attack some residents headed for areas considered to be safe.

At least 14 people were killed by suspected Islamist militants in the North Kivu village of Makodu on Nov. 23, 2023, witnesses say.