A violent attack on a Catholic parish by members of the Islamic rebel group Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) has left 64 people dead in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The attack earlier this month has led to calls for international attention, with one Catholic Bishop in the region describing it as “horrible carnage.”
Members of the ADF, an armed group affiliated with Daesh (ISIS), attacked the parish of Saint Joseph of Manguredjipa in the village of Ntoyo, North Kivu province, in the middle of the night, where the victims had gathered for a wake. Machetes, firearms, and hammers were used, with many of the unsuspecting victims shot or bludgeoned to death, the Catholic Herald reports.
The ADF Islamist insurgent group, which is originally from Uganda, has claimed responsibility for a number of massacres in eastern Congo. The ADF emerged in the 1990s, accusing the Ugandan government of persecuting Muslims. It is now based across the border in the DR Congo and carries out attacks in both countries, with its massacres characterised by extreme violence against civilians, especially Christians. The attack is the latest in a string of attacks linked to the ADF, raising fears that its insurgency is growing in strength.
More than 40 people, including nine children, were killed in an attack carried out by the ADF in the north-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in July, the UN and the military confirmed at the time. The majority of them were young Christian worshippers, who had been taking part in a night vigil at a church in the town of Komanda. Meanwhile, in February, more than 70 bodies were discovered at a Protestant church in Lubero. According to ACN, many of the deceased had their hands bound and had been decapitated.
BBC Monitoring has said that its research shows that nearly 90% of IS operations are now carried out by affiliates in Africa.
Local officials, according to reports, believe that the latest assault was clearly premeditated. Aid to the Church in Need, in a statement last week, said that some homes were also set alight during the night-time attack. The organisation said that local authorities have begun the process of burying the dead and implementing new security measures.
The Islamic State’s Central African Province, to which the group is affiliated, confirmed the attack, claiming that more than 100 people had been killed. A similar death toll was provided by a local privately owned broadcaster, Mishapi Voice Radio, which quoted witnesses as saying there was “utter carnage” in the village, and that some people had also been burnt to death in their homes.
‘UMPTEENTH AND HORRIBLE CARNAGE’
Bishop Melchisedec Sikuli Paluku, the Catholic Bishop of Butembo-Beni Diocese in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), said in a statement to ACN: “To all the families affected by this umpteenth and horrible carnage… and to all the faithful of the parish, we express our spiritual closeness.
“May God, the Master of Life, strengthen us through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, consoler of the afflicted, and lead us beyond the desert of present-day suffering to lasting peace.”
Aid to the Church in need has asked people to pray for the victims of this month’s atrocity, for their families and for the entire Christian community. The charity says that urgent action is needed from the international community to protect civilians, ensure religious freedom and work for a lasting peace in the DRC’s eastern provinces, including Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu and Tanganyika, where more than 120 militias operate.