Church elder, worship leader killed by Islamic extremists in the DRC
Suspected fighters from the Allied Democratic Forces, an Islamic terror group active in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, killed over a dozen people, including a church elder and worship leader, during attacks on the Christian commune of Mangina. Other residents were wounded, homes were set on fire and one person was reported missing.
The assailants carried knives and firearms and moved through Mangina intending to kill residents and destroy their homes, the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern (ICC) quoted Mangina Mayor Nicolas Kambale as saying.
Several houses were set ablaze during the assault.
The raid took place between July 14 and 16, a period in which ADF fighters struck Mangina twice within days of each other, ICC reported last week.
The group returned to the commune a second time shortly after the first assault, killing 10 more people before the Armed Forces of the DRC, or FARDC, drove the fighters back.
The two raids formed part of three separate attacks the ADF carried out in the area over a few days, leaving more than 20 people dead in total.
Turkish news agency Anadolu reported that ADF fighters killed 10 civilians in Mangina, which is in North Kivu province’s Beni territory in eastern DRC. Kambale was quoted as saying that the gunmen hit several villages at the same time, using the cover of night to move between targets.
Kambale told reporters in Beni that the toll remained provisional, with searches continuing for several people still missing.
Kakule Vunyatsi, who leads a civil society group in the district, said residents first heard gunfire shortly after 6 p.m. local time on July 15, as the assault began.
Vunyatsi called for troops to track the gunmen down and clear their hiding places to restore order in the area.
Local media said the attack pushed the overall death toll from ADF violence in the area to 14 over two days, and hundreds of residents fled their homes as a result.
A separate attack blamed on the group on July 14 reportedly killed four civilians and wounded six others.
The ADF has operated in eastern Congo for years and is affiliated with the Islamic State. Ugandan and Congolese forces have carried out joint military operations against ADF fighters since 2021 to curb the group’s attacks on communities in the region.
Amnesty International stated in a May report that the ADF continues to attack security forces but has primarily targeted civilians in recent years. Amnesty said the militants have seized food, medicine and other supplies from residents and have retaliated against communities for military operations carried out against the group.
Victims in the region have accused ADF of trying to erase Christianity from eastern DRC through its campaign of violence. The terror group singles out Christian residents for killings, kidnappings and the burning of churches and homes.
Open Doors, a group that tracks the persecution of Christians worldwide, places Congo 29th on its list of countries where Christians face the most danger.
