More than 30 Christian worshippers were killed during a prayer vigil in a church in the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a jihadist group linked to the Islamic State, is believed to be responsible for the killings, according to Dieudonne Duranthabo, a civil society coordinator in Komanda, in the Ituri province, who spoke to The Associated Press.
The Context
The DRC has been in a nearly continuous state of war and conflict for more than three decades, but violence has surged recently, with advancement of the March 23 Movement (M23), which has captured strategic locations, including the cities of Goma and Bukavu. ADF is another rebel group involved in the violence. The deadly attack underscored the escalating violence targeting Christian communities in the region.
What To Know
The attack on the Catholic church began at around 1 a.m. on Sunday, while the parish was celebrating its 25th anniversary
Armed members of the ADF stormed the church in Komanda while more than 100 worshippers were gathered for a prayer vigil, according to local residents cited by The New York Times.
The attackers, described as armed with guns and machetes, killed at least 34 people, according to Duranthabo. Other estimates from the U.N. peacekeeping mission and local officials have placed the death toll at up to 43, including nine children.
Video footage from the aftermath showed burning structures and bodies scattered inside the church. Several houses and shops nearby were also set ablaze in the attack.
The church’s priest said some children, mostly between the ages of 12 and 14, were taken hostage by the militants, according to the New York Times.
The ADF has been linked to numerous assaults on civilians in eastern DRC, often targeting Christian congregations.
Originating in Uganda in the 1990s and affiliated with the Islamic State since 2019, the ADF has a reputation for extreme brutality, including beheadings and kidnappings of civilians.
In February, Newsweek reported on how the ADF is believed to have beheaded 70 Christians in a church in the province of North Kivu.
What People Are Saying
Dieudonne Duranthabo, a civil society coordinator in Komanda, described the aftermath to the Associated Press: “The bodies of the victims are still at the scene of the tragedy, and volunteers are preparing how to bury them in a mass grave that we are preparing in a compound of the Catholic church.”
Vivian van de Perre, deputy chief of Monusco, the U.N. peacekeeping mission in the region: “These targeted attacks against defenseless civilians, particularly in places of worship, are not only appalling but also in violation of all human rights standards and international humanitarian law.”
What Happens Next
The massacre has renewed debate over Congo’s security situation and the protection of religious minorities. With the recent drawdown of U.N. peacekeepers and a fragile peace process unfolding with other rebel factions such as M23, security forces are stretched thin across the region.
The United Nations, provincial authorities, and international advocacy groups have called for urgent measures to improve the protection of civilians and places of worship.
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