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December 25, 2021: A bomb exploded in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Christmas Day in front of a restaurant in the eastern city of Beni, where Islamic extremists are active.
Witnesses report this to the Associated Press, explaining that the explosion occurred while several people were drinking beer at the outdoor tables.
At the moment there is no news of any victims.
Mayor Narcisse Muteba, who is a police colonel, has urged people to return home as authorities investigate the incident.
The city of Beni has long been targeted by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), which originate in neighboring Uganda.
But an ISIS-affiliated group claimed responsibility for two blasts in Beni in June, fueling fears that religious extremism has taken hold in this area.
The two explosions in question were: the first kamikaze attack in eastern Congo, in which a Ugandan man blew himself up in front of a bar, an attack later claimed by the Provincia Isis group of central Africa, according to which the bomber was targeting Christians;
and the explosion that took place the same day inside the Catholic parish of Butsili, in which two people were injured.