More than 40 people, including nine children, were massacred during a night vigil at a church in Komanda, north-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in one of the deadliest attacks this year by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an affiliate of the Islamic State group. The United Nations peacekeeping mission, Monusco, confirmed that at least 43 victims, 19 women, 15 men, and nine children were killed, while several others were seriously injured. Shops and businesses near the church were looted and set ablaze in the coordinated assault.
The ADF, originally a Ugandan Islamist rebel group from the 1990s, has since entrenched itself in eastern DRC and pledged allegiance to ISIS as part of its Central African Province branch, which also operates in Mozambique. BBC Monitoring reports that nearly 90% of ISIS-linked operations now occur in Africa, underscoring the continent’s growing role in the global jihadist landscape.
Monusco deputy chief Vivian van de Perre condemned the killings as “appalling violations of human rights and international humanitarian law,” stressing that targeting civilians, especially in places of worship, represents a new low in the ongoing violence.
The Congolese military described the massacre as an act of revenge designed to spread terror and divert attention from ongoing joint operations with Ugandan forces aimed at dismantling ADF strongholds. Lt. Jules Ngongo, army spokesman in Ituri province, vowed to pursue the militants “to their last stronghold” while urging residents to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity.
Despite the 2021 deployment of Ugandan troops into DRC to combat the ADF, attacks in the mineral-rich Ituri province remain frequent, highlighting the persistent instability in the region. The latest massacre follows a series of coordinated assaults earlier in July that left at least 47 dead, prompting renewed calls for stronger international action to protect civilians in eastern DRC.
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