At least 16 civilians, including gold miners, were killed in an attack on a village in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, local authorities said, blaming suspected Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) fighters.

Among those killed were several gold miners, according to Janvier Kinyongi, a local official, who warned that the death toll could rise as reports of additional attacks from nearby areas continued to emerge.

Preliminary findings indicate that the assault was carried out by suspected members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an armed group that has long operated in eastern DR Congo and has been linked to repeated attacks on civilians despite ongoing military operations in the region.

The latest violence follows a series of deadly incidents in Ituri province, where insecurity persists despite joint operations by Congolese and Ugandan forces targeting armed groups. (ILKHA)