Officials have indicated that at least 20 people were killed in a suspected Islamist militants attacks on two villages in eastern Congo over the weekend.

It is understood that fighters believed to be from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) killed residents and burned down houses in Kandoyi and Bandiboli villages in Ituri province late on Friday and early on Saturday.

Congolese army spokesperson in Ituri, Jules Ngongo also confirmed the deaths of the victims and noted that the police will be in pursuit of the assailants responsible for the heinous attack.

One resident also condemned the killing as an act savagery that has claimed the lives of innocent people.

The resident also noted that is hard to come to grips with losing both parents to senseless violence.

“It’s too hard for me – when I saw the bodies, their throats had been cut,” said Alice Kyanga, whose parents were among those killed at their homes on Saturday.

So far, the ADF group is responsible for 1,050 violent deaths in 2021, up from 599 in 2020.  As such, Uganda has sent at least 1,700 troops to help its neighbor in its fight against suppressing the ADF’s ploy evoke senseless violence.