The SITE group, which specialises in monitoring radical Islamist groups, said yesterday the Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP) had claimed responsibility for the attack in the Tshopo province.

“The IS stated that fighters shot at a militia post in a village in Tshopo, killing three personnel, then turned their guns on Christians inside the village,” the group said in a statement.

The statement added that the group had also set fire to more than 50 houses.

SITE also said in its statement that the ISCAP has “not previously carried out operations” in the Tshopo area.

The Islamic State group portrays the ADF – Allied Democratic Forces – as its central African branch.

The ADF pledged allegiance in 2019 to IS which has claimed responsibility for a number of ADF attacks and describes the ADF as its regional affiliate.

The group, originally made up of mainly Muslim Ugandan rebels, has established a presence over the past three decades in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, killing thousands of civilians.

Since the end of 2021, the Congolese and Ugandan armies have been conducting joint operations against the ADF in North Kivu and the neighbouring province of Ituri, but have so far failed to stop the deadly attacks on civilians.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is embroiled in several conflicts, particularly in the east where dozens of armed groups from both the DRC and neighbouring countries have been operating for 30 years.