The death toll in an attack carried out by suspected Islamist militants (ADF) in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday has risen to 41.

Lieutenant-Colonel Mak Hazukay, an army spokesperson in Congo's North Kivu region, claimed the attack was carried out by soldiers of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).

PHOTO | COURTESY DRC residents fleeing 

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The ADF, which is currently located in eastern Congo, has professed allegiance to the Islamic State and conducts frequent assaults, further destabilizing an area where several armed organizations operate.

Local official Fabien Kakule told Reuters that armed men attacked inhabitants of villages in the Beni area overnight on Friday with pistols and machetes.

According to a local civil society activist, a local health institution was set on fire, and nine people were injured in addition to the 41 who had been killed earlier.

PHOTO | COURTESY DRC military patroling 

"Several dozen civilians have been victims of the ADF in eastern DRC in recent days. Terrorist groups are taking advantage of the chaos to expand their hold on an already very unstable region," said EU foreign affairs spokeswoman Nabila Massrali.

"Urgent need to accelerate efforts to find a political solution," she added.

 Former governor of North Kivu Julien Paluku posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Congo's national government needs to do more to combat instability in the east.

"People have the impression, rightly or wrongly, of being abandoned to their sad fate," he said.