Rebels blamed for killing 25 with machetes in Congo

BENI, Congo – Authorities in northeastern Congo say Ugandan rebels have hacked more than two dozen people to death in a Christmas massacre.

Bernard Amisi Kalonda, administrator for the Beni area, blames rebels belonging to the group known as the Allied Democratic Forces, or ADF. He says they attacked several villages on Christmas Eve, killing at least 25 people with machetes.

Officials say Congolese and U.N. forces are hunting down the assailants.

The ADF rebel movement has been active since the 1990s but intensified its attacks inside Congo several years ago. Human rights groups say hundreds have been killed since 2014.

While the group’s members are mainly Muslim, experts say there are no proven links between the ADF rebels and other extremist organizations in Africa.