Night of Horror: Churchgoers Killed in Congo

At least 38 individuals lost their lives and 15 others sustained injuries following a brutal assault on a Catholic church in Komanda, a town in the eastern Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The attack, which took place early Sunday morning, local media says, has been attributed to suspected fighters from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an armed rebel group notorious for its violent campaigns in the region.

Eyewitnesses and local officials reported that the attackers, stormed the church.

This was while worshippers were attending an overnight prayer vigil organized by Caritas, a Catholic humanitarian organization.

They were reportedly armed with machetes and firearms.

According to Christophe Munyanderu, a local human rights activist, the victims were primarily Christian congregants who had gathered for spiritual reflection.

“The attackers specifically targeted Christians spending the night in the church,” Munyanderu noted.

“Many were either hacked to death or shot.”

The devastation extended beyond the church walls, as several homes and shops in the vicinity were set ablaze.

A number of residents remain unaccounted for, raising concerns about further casualties.

Radio Okapi, a Congolese broadcaster, placed the death toll at 43 and confirmed that over 20 of the victims had been killed with bladed weapons during the service.

Additional bodies were discovered in the charred remains of surrounding homes.

Jules Ngongo, a spokesperson for the DRC army, confirmed that armed assailants launched the attack near Komanda, using machetes and firearms.

He described the incident as a well-coordinated incursion by militants.

Dieudonne Duranthabo, a civil society leader in Komanda, told the Associated Press that both churchgoers and civilians outside the church were gunned down.

Among the remains recovered were at least three burned bodies, although searches for other victims were still ongoing.

“This is a tragic and deeply disturbing event,” Duranthabo expressed.

“What’s even more shocking is that such an attack occurred in a town where security forces are supposed to be active and present.”

He added that fear has gripped the community, leading many residents to flee to the nearby town of Bunia in search of safety.

Duranthabo urged the national military to intervene urgently, warning that the perpetrators were still believed to be near the area.

The United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) has strongly condemned the surge in violence across Ituri province.

Earlier in the month, the ADF was also blamed for the killing of dozens in what UN officials referred to as a “bloodbath.”

These continued attacks have heightened fears of further instability in a region already overwhelmed by armed conflict.

The Allied Democratic Forces emerged in the late 1990s in Uganda, created from several small insurgent factions dissatisfied with President Yoweri Museveni’s administration.

In 2002, after a series of military offensives by Ugandan troops, the ADF shifted its operations across the border into the DRC.

Since then, the group has carried out countless attacks, leaving thousands of civilians dead over the years.

In 2019, the ADF declared its allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

This further escalated its violent tactics and seeking to establish a hardline Islamist regime in East Africa.

The group has become one of the deadliest non-state actors in the region, often targeting innocent civilians to spread fear and exert control.

The Congolese military has long struggled to contain the ADF’s operations, with limited success.

The security situation has been further complicated by renewed clashes with the M23 rebels, a separate group allegedly backed by neighboring Rwanda.

This has created a multi-front challenge for the DRC’s already overstretched armed forces.

As violence continues to spread across eastern DRC, communities remain on edge, mourning their losses and calling for more effective protection.

The recent attack in Komanda serves as yet another grim reminder of the humanitarian crisis that continues to unfold in the region.

It is one that demands urgent international attention and lasting solutions.

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