At least 38 killed in church attack in eastern DR Congo
The attack, carried out by suspected members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) wielding guns and machetes, took place at the church in Ituri province's Komanda city early on Sunday.
The ADF, with ties to ISIL (ISIS), is a rebel group that operates in the borderland between Uganda and the DRC, and has routinely conducted attacks against civilian populations.
Several houses and shops were also burned down, and many people remain missing after the attack, which happened while Catholic Christians were attending a prayer vigil at the church, run by the Caritas charity.
'The rebels mainly attacked Christians who were spending the night in the Catholic church,' said Christophe Munyanderu, a human rights activist present at the scene in Komanda. 'Unfortunately, these people were killed with machetes or bullets.'
DRC's Radio Okapi reported the death toll as 43, blaming it on the ADF. 'More than 20 victims were killed with bladed weapons during a prayer vigil in a church,' the radio said. 'Other bodies were found in burned houses nearby.'
'What we know this morning is that there was an incursion by armed men with machetes into a church not far from Komanda,' DRC army spokesperson Jules Ngongo said.
A civil society leader told The Associated Press news agency that people were shot dead inside and outside the church, adding that they found at least three charred bodies.
'But the search [for bodies] is continuing,' Dieudonne Duranthabo, a civil society coordinator in Komanda, told AP.
'We are truly disappointed because it is incredible that such a situation could occur in a town where all the security officials are present,' Duranthabo said, adding that some people fled the area and moved to Bunia town.
'We demand military intervention as soon as possible, since we are told the enemy is still near our town.'
The United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the DRC has condemned a recent resurgence in violence in Ituri. Earlier this month, ADF killed dozens of people in the province in what a UN spokesperson described as a 'bloodbath'.
The ADF was formed by disparate small groups in Uganda in the late 1990s following alleged discontent with President Yoweri Museveni.
In 2002, following military assaults by Ugandan forces, the group moved its activities to neighbouring DRC and has since been responsible for the killings of thousands of civilians. In 2019, it pledged allegiance to ISIL.
The ADF's leadership says it is fighting to form a hardliner government in the East African country.
The DRC army has long struggled against the rebel group, and it is now grappling with a complex web of attacks since renewed hostilities with the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Jazeera
3 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
The Take: Gaza's starvation crisis. When will it end?
A choice between starvation or being shot at. That's the decision many Palestinians in Gaza have been forced to make. More than 900 people have been killed at the GHF's aid distribution sites. Why is this happening, and what is being done to make it stop? In this episode: Diana Buttu (@dianabuttu) – Human Rights Lawyer and Analyst Episode credits: This episode was produced by Tracie Hunte, Sarí el-Khalili, and Diana Ferrero with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Melanie Marich, Tamara Khandaker, and our guest host, Manuel Rapalo. It was edited by Kylene Kiang. The Take production team is Marcos Bartolomé, Sonia Bhagat, Spencer Cline, Sarí el-Khalili, Diana Ferrero, Tracie Hunte, Tamara Khandaker, Kylene Kiang, Phillip Lanos, Chloe K. Li, Melanie Marich, Haleema Shah, Khaled Soltan, Amy Walters, and Noor Wazwaz. Our editorial interns are Marya Khan, and Kisaa Zehra. Our guest host is Manuel Rapalo. Our engagement producers are Adam Abou-Gad and Vienna Maglio. Aya Elmileik is lead of audience engagement. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take's executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube
Qatar Tribune
9 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
At least 43 killed in attack on church in DR Congo
DPA Kinshasa The Islamist militia Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) killed at least 43 people in an attack on a Catholic church in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the police said on Sunday. The rebels reportedly stabbed 20 worshippers during a prayer session in the village of Komanda in the north-eastern province of Ituri, police officer Alfonse Leku told DPA. Subsequently, the rebels set fire to surrounding houses and shops, during which at least 23 more people were killed, Leku said. Eastern Congo is considered one of the most dangerous regions in the world. Across the country, which is about the size of Western Europe, around 130 different armed groups are said to be active. Many of the armed groups are focused on controlling valuable natural resources such as coltan, cobalt, gold and diamonds. The ADF, originally from neighbouring Uganda and considered an offshoot of the terrorist militia Islamic State, has been active in Congo for almost 30 years.
Al Jazeera
19 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
At least 38 killed in church attack in eastern DR Congo
At least 38 people have been killed and 15 others injured in an attack on a church in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The attack, carried out by suspected members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) wielding guns and machetes, took place at the church in Ituri province's Komanda city early on Sunday. The ADF, with ties to ISIL (ISIS), is a rebel group that operates in the borderland between Uganda and the DRC, and has routinely conducted attacks against civilian populations. Several houses and shops were also burned down, and many people remain missing after the attack, which happened while Catholic Christians were attending a prayer vigil at the church, run by the Caritas charity. 'The rebels mainly attacked Christians who were spending the night in the Catholic church,' said Christophe Munyanderu, a human rights activist present at the scene in Komanda. 'Unfortunately, these people were killed with machetes or bullets.' DRC's Radio Okapi reported the death toll as 43, blaming it on the ADF. 'More than 20 victims were killed with bladed weapons during a prayer vigil in a church,' the radio said. 'Other bodies were found in burned houses nearby.' 'What we know this morning is that there was an incursion by armed men with machetes into a church not far from Komanda,' DRC army spokesperson Jules Ngongo said. A civil society leader told The Associated Press news agency that people were shot dead inside and outside the church, adding that they found at least three charred bodies. 'But the search [for bodies] is continuing,' Dieudonne Duranthabo, a civil society coordinator in Komanda, told AP. 'We are truly disappointed because it is incredible that such a situation could occur in a town where all the security officials are present,' Duranthabo said, adding that some people fled the area and moved to Bunia town. 'We demand military intervention as soon as possible, since we are told the enemy is still near our town.' The United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the DRC has condemned a recent resurgence in violence in Ituri. Earlier this month, ADF killed dozens of people in the province in what a UN spokesperson described as a 'bloodbath'. The ADF was formed by disparate small groups in Uganda in the late 1990s following alleged discontent with President Yoweri Museveni. In 2002, following military assaults by Ugandan forces, the group moved its activities to neighbouring DRC and has since been responsible for the killings of thousands of civilians. In 2019, it pledged allegiance to ISIL. The ADF's leadership says it is fighting to form a hardliner government in the East African country. The DRC army has long struggled against the rebel group, and it is now grappling with a complex web of attacks since renewed hostilities with the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels.
