Komanda, Ituri Province – At least 38 people were killed and 15 others injured in a brutal attack on a Catholic church in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on Sunday.

The assault, which took place in Komanda city during an overnight prayer vigil, was reportedly carried out by suspected members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a rebel group with ties to the Islamic State (ISIL/ISIS).

Armed with machetes and guns, the attackers targeted worshippers gathered at the church, which is operated by Caritas, a Catholic charity organization.

According to human rights activist Christophe Munyanderu, the assailants "mainly attacked Christians who were spending the night in the Catholic church... Unfortunately, these people were killed with machetes or bullets."

In addition to the massacre at the church, several homes and shops in the area were set ablaze, and many residents remain unaccounted for.

DRC's Radio Okapi reported that the death toll had risen to 43, noting that over 20 victims were killed with bladed weapons, while others were found in burned structures nearby.

“What we know this morning is that there was an incursion by armed men with machetes into a church not far from Komanda,” said Jules Ngongo, a spokesperson for the Congolese army.

Dieudonné Duranthabo, a civil society coordinator in Komanda, described the scene as horrific, stating that bodies were found both inside and outside the church, including three charred remains.

“But the search for bodies is continuing,” he told the Associated Press.

Duranthabo also expressed deep frustration over the security situation:

“We are truly disappointed because it is incredible that such a situation could occur in a town where all the security officials are present,” he said, urging immediate military reinforcement.

“We demand military intervention as soon as possible, since we are told the enemy is still near our town.”

The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) has condemned the resurgence of violence in Ituri Province.

Earlier this month, the ADF was also blamed for another massacre in the region, which a UN spokesperson described as a “bloodbath.”

The ADF, originally a Ugandan rebel group, has operated in the border regions between Uganda and the DRC for years and is notorious for targeting civilians in its campaign of terror.