The death toll in an attack in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Friday by militants and Islamist rebels has risen to at least 41, the government said on Monday.

Red Cross volunteers and young people from the village of Masala in the eastern North Kivu province have been searching for bodies since the incident.

Locals said armed men using guns and machetes attacked residents of the villages of Masala, Keme, and Mahini.

“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,” said Masala resident, Maurice Kambale Mulehera.

While the North Kivu region has been plagued by violence from M23 rebels in recent months, the army said the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) were behind these latest attacks.

The group has been present in DRC for three decades and regularly carry out assaults in the provinces of North Kivu and Ituri against the Congolese army and villagers.

It has pledged allegiance to Islamic State.

People in Masala were still in shock after the ADF militants went on their deadly rampage through the village, killing people and destroying homes.

Local civil society members said more than 80 people have been killed in multiple assaults in the area since last Tuesday.

They called for more protection from the government.

The eastern part of the DRC has been plagued by violence from over a 100 groups for nearly 30 years, as they fight for power, land, and valuable mineral resources.

More than seven million people have been displaced by the ongoing fighting.