Another attack in DRC leaves 50 dead

Islamic militants continue a wave of brutality. It’s barely been a month since a brutal attack took the lives of nearly 50 Christians in the village of Komanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

But a new series of attacks in mid-August has left another 50 people dead.

The attackers were once again the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a band of Islamic militants who have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group. 

The violence began on August 9 when a vehicle transporting passengers and goods from Butembo to Bunia—both cities in North Kivu Province, a hotspot for ADF activity in the DRC—was ambushed and burned. Then, during the night of August 14, the ADF killed 3 people in another town, followed by 32 more people in another village. On August 16, the ADF killed four more people, burning several houses and looting the population.

  Open Doors local field contacts also verified that more people were killed in another community, Oicha.

“It was at about 7 p.m. in the Mbimbi neighbourhood,” says a church leader in Oicha. “They massacred many people here in Oicha … many houses burned. We continue to ask for your assistance in prayer.”
 

Break the silence—and start the healing 

“It is unacceptable that these attacks on civilians continue with impunity,” says Jo Newhouse, spokesperson for Open Doors’ work in sub-Saharan Africa. “Open Doors strongly condemns these ongoing acts of violence against civilians and calls upon civil societies, governments and international organizations to prioritize civilian protection in eastern DRC where armed groups such as the ADF are operating.”

  Newhouse also echoes the call for urgent prayer. “We call on the international Christian community to remain in prayer for Christians and vulnerable communities in eastern DRC,” she says. “Pray for an end to violence and that the government at all levels will diligently, impartially and transparently address the violence and its effects. Pray for the church … as she seeks to bring physical and spiritual assistance to the families affected.”

In a statement issued on August 18, the UN Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) also condemned the attacks.

Thousands of persons fleeing ADF attacks in the Lubero territory have sought refuge in Njiapanda and Mangurujipa; most of those displaced live under dire humanitarian conditions.

Open Doors local contacts are working to determine how many Christians are among those killed. While it’s not only Christians who are targeted in these attacks, they are a preferred target for the ADF, as Christians won’t comply with the ADF’s strict and radical interpretation of Islam.

If you’d like to help Open Doors speak out on behalf of persecuted Christians in DRC and sub-Saharan Africa who face unspeakable violence while the world ignores it, you can sign a petition. Click here to add your name and break the silence—and start the healing. 

But of course, the thing we must do first is to pray, as the church leader in Oichi asks.