The death toll in an attack on a Catholic church in eastern Congo, carried out by rebels linked to the Islamic State, has risen to 34, according to a civil society leader.
The bodies of the victims are still at the site of the tragic events, and volunteers are working to prepare a mass grave that is been prepared in the compound of the Catholic church, according to Dieudonne Duranthabo, a community leader in Komanda, located in Ituri province.
Recently, another attack occurred in the nearby village of Machongani, resulting in the deaths of at least five more people, and rescue operations are currently ongoing. Lossa Dhekana, another community leader in Ituri, stated, “They took several people into the wilderness; we don’t know what happened to them or how many were taken.”
Both incidents are thought to have been executed by a violent group called the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), who employed guns and machetes in their assaults. The military has confirmed that at least 10 individuals have lost their lives, but local news outlets indicate that the real death toll might exceed 40.
Duranthabo also noted that the assailants stormed the church in Komanda town at around 1 a.m., causing significant damage to numerous homes and shops along the way. Lt. Jules Ngongo, a spokesperson for the Congolese army, verified that 10 people were killed in the church attack.
Videos shared online show burning buildings and bodies scattered inside the church. Individuals who identified some of the victims were observed mourning, while others appeared stunned by the incident.
A radio station linked to the U.N. has reported that 43 people have died, based on information from security sources about a recent attack. The attackers are said to have come from a base about 12 kilometers (7 miles) away from the center of Komanda and left the area before security forces could arrive.
Duranthabo condemned the attack, highlighting that security personnel were present in the area, and urgently called for military help, worrying about how close the attackers were to the town.
In recent years, the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has seen many deadly attacks from different armed groups, especially the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) and groups backed by Rwanda. The ADF, which has connections to the Islamic State, operates in the border areas between Uganda and Congo, often targeting civilians. Earlier this month, the group was blamed for a massacre in Ituri, according to a United Nations representative.
The ADF was first created in Uganda in the late 1990s by several groups unhappy with President Yoweri Museveni. After military actions by Uganda’s forces in 2002, the group moved its activities to the DRC, where it has been responsible for thousands of civilian deaths. In 2019, it officially joined forces with the Islamic State.
The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) have always had a tough time fighting against the ADF, especially with the return of conflict involving the Rwanda-supported M23 rebel group.
