At least six people have been killed and several injured when suicide bombers attacked a restaurant in the eastern city of Beni in the Democratic Republic of Congo, government officials have said.
Another 13 people were injured
According to the officials, Police prevented the bomber from entering the building, but he blew himself up at the entrance killing himself and five other people.
The officials blamed Saturday’s attack on the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a militant group said to be linked to the so-called Islamic State (IS).
So far no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
More than 30 people were celebrating Christmas at the In Box restaurant when the bomb went off, two witnesses told AFP news agency.
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Children and local officials were reportedly in the restaurant at the time.
“I was sitting there,” local radio presenter Nicolas Ekila told AFP. “There was a motorbike parked there. Suddenly the motorbike took off, then there was a deafening noise.”
After the explosion the military officer responsible for the state of emergency in the country’s east told residents to return home for their own safety.
There have been frequent clashes in Beni between the army and Islamists in recent weeks.
In November, Congolese and Ugandan forces began a joint operation against the ADF in an attempt to end a series of brutal attacks.
Authorities in Uganda say the group is behind a series of recent attacks in the country, including in the capital Kampala.