Militants linked to the Islamic State group carried out an attack in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo that left several dead, reportedly including five people in a church, local sources said Wednesday.

The rebel raid took place late Tuesday in Baeti, near the town of Oicha in the territory of Beni.

"Eight bodies of civilians killed by ADF have been taken to the morgue" at Oicha hospital, the town's mayor Nicolas Kikuku told AFP.

He said five Christians were among them and were killed "in full worship" in Baeti.

It is located in North-Kivu province near the border with Ituri province, both of which were placed under a so-called state of siege in 2021.

The measure replaces civilian administrators with members of the police and military in order to fight armed groups.

Darius Syahira, a local civil society official, confirmed the attack and said there were "bodies" at the morgue but did not give a precise figure.

The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), historically a Ugandan Muslim majority rebel coalition, established itself in eastern DRC in 1995.

The group is one of the deadliest militias in the strife-torn area. It pledged allegiance to the Islamic State organisation in 2019.

In December, the ADF was accused of two attacks in western Uganda in which 13 villagers were killed.

In DRC, after weeks of calm, attacks blamed on the group resumed towards the end of January in Beni territory where five civilians were killed.