At least 21 people were killed in the early hours of Sunday when Islamic State-affiliated Allied Democratic Force (ADF) rebels launched a brutal attack on the premises of a Catholic church in Komanda, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The assault, which began around 1 a.m., left several houses and shops in flames, with victims shot inside and outside the church, and at least three bodies found charred in the debris, according to local civil society leader Dieudonne Duranthabo.
The attack is the latest in a string of massacres carried out by the ADF, a Ugandan-born militant group that pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in 2019. Earlier this month, the group killed dozens in nearby Ituri province, prompting the United Nations to describe the incident as a “bloodbath.”
While local civil society reports put the death toll at more than 21, the Congolese army confirmed 10 casualties. “There was an incursion by armed men with machetes into a church not far from Komanda, where about 10 people were killed and several shops set ablaze,” said Lt. Jules Ngongo, spokesperson for the Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC) in Ituri.
The ADF has long terrorized the border regions between Uganda and the DRC, targeting civilian populations in a campaign of violence aimed at establishing an Islamist state. Formed in the late 1990s, the group relocated to the DRC after Ugandan military offensives in 2002 and has since been responsible for thousands of civilian deaths.
“This is a tragedy and a failure of security. Such a massacre happening under the noses of security forces is unacceptable,” said Duranthabo, urging immediate military intervention as residents began fleeing Komanda towards Bunia.
The attack underscores the worsening security crisis in eastern Congo, where the FARDC is already battling the Rwanda-backed M23 rebellion alongside ongoing ADF violence. The situation has created one of the world’s most complex humanitarian emergencies, displacing hundreds of thousands and raising fears of regional instability.
With the ADF’s continued allegiance to the Islamic State and its proven ability to carry out mass killings, the latest attack highlights the urgent need for coordinated regional and international efforts to curb the group’s influence and protect civilians in eastern DRC.
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