The death toll from an attack in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) by militants and Islamist rebels has risen to at least 41, the government confirmed on Monday. The assault, which occurred on Friday, saw armed men using guns and machetes attacking residents of the villages of Masala, Keme, and Mahini in the eastern North Kivu province.

Red Cross volunteers and young people from Masala have been searching for bodies since the incident. Maurice Kambale Mulehera, a resident of Masala, expressed the community’s grief and horror: “We learned that our fleeing family members were killed along the way. Here we have two bodies, a girl and a boy. Look how they were killed.”

While the North Kivu region has recently faced violence from M23 rebels, the Congolese army attributed the latest attacks to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). The ADF, present in the DRC for three decades and aligned with the Islamic State group, has regularly carried out assaults in the provinces of North Kivu and Ituri against the army and civilians.

The village of Masala remains in shock after the deadly rampage, which left people dead and homes destroyed. Local civil society members reported that more than 80 people have been killed in multiple assaults in the area since last Tuesday, and they are calling for increased protection from the government.

The eastern DRC has been plagued by violence from over 100 armed groups for nearly 30 years, all vying for power, land, and valuable mineral resources. The ongoing conflict has displaced more than seven million people, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the region.