The attackers, believed to be fighters from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), stormed the village in Ituri province around 7 p.m. local time.
Armed with rifles and machetes, the militants opened fire indiscriminately and forced their way into homes before Congolese army units intervened.
By Sunday morning, three bodies—including that of a woman—had been recovered in the Walesse Vonkutu chiefdom, where searches were still underway.
Local sources warned the death toll could climb, as several villagers remained missing in the aftermath of the brutal raid. This marks the second ADF attack on Idohu this year, following a March massacre that left ten people dead.
It also comes days after a bloodbath in Komanda, another Ituri town, where 43 civilians—including Catholic catechumens—were slaughtered in their homes.
The ADF, originally formed in Uganda, has expanded its operations into eastern Congo, exploiting the region’s weak governance and fractured militias. Over recent years, the group has intensified its terror campaign, striking rural villages with chilling precision and deliberate cruelty.
Both civilians and security forces have suffered under the ADF’s reign of violence, which often unfolds without warning under the cover of night. Despite military operations and regional crackdowns, the group continues to sow fear across the Ituri and Kivu provinces.
