Suspected rebels kidnapped 15 people after an attack on the North-Eastern City of Beni in Congo, the Mayor said on Saturday.

The rebels launched the attack on Thursday evening but were pushed back by the army, said Mayor Nyonyi Bwanakawa.

They abducted 15 people as they retreated, he said.

The Allied Democratic Forces, a Ugandan rebel group that has operated in the region since 1995, are believed to be behind the attack and kidnapping.

The group is responsible for the deaths of more than 1,500 people and 800 kidnappings since 2014, according to local civil society organisations.

Beni lies west of the Virunga National Park and the Rwenzori Mountains, close to the Uganda border.