ISIS-linked rebels kill 38 in Catholic church attack in eastern DRC’s Komanda region

At least 38 people were killed and 15 others injured on Sunday morning when Islamic State-linked rebels launched a brutal attack on a Catholic church in Komanda, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The assault, which occurred during a night mass, is believed to have been carried out by fighters from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a militant group notorious for repeated atrocities in the region.

According to the US State Department, the ADF—originally a Ugandan rebel group—formed ties with ISIS in late 2018 after earlier attempts to affiliate with Islamist terrorist organisations. In 2016 and 2017, the group published propaganda under the name Madinat Tauheed Wal Mujahedeen, often using ISIS-style branding.

ISIS officially recognised the ADF as an affiliate in 2018 and began claiming attacks linked to the group starting in April 2019, with an assault on a Congolese army base near Kamango. Since then, ADF-led violence in eastern DRC has escalated significantly.

Worshippers caught by surprise

On Sunday, armed with guns and machetes, the rebels stormed the church during the early morning hours, catching worshippers by surprise.

Jean Kato, a local administration official, confirmed the death toll to Reuters and noted that several people remained missing.

"They attacked while the congregation was in prayer. It was sudden and merciless," he said.

Mistaken for robbery

Christophe Munyanderu, a human rights activist who visited the site after the attack, said residents initially mistook the gunfire for a robbery, only realising the severity of the situation as the killings unfolded.

"The rebels mainly attacked Christians who were spending the night in the church," he said, adding that victims were either hacked to death or shot.

The United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission (MONUSCO) has strongly condemned the surge in ADF attacks, calling them part of a troubling pattern of rising violence across the region.

"MONUSCO denounces the repeated and deadly attacks carried out by the ADF, which have claimed the lives of 82 civilians in the provinces of Ituri and North Kivu," the mission said in a July 23 statement.

"The Mission is particularly appalled by the attacks that occurred between 8 and 9 July in Irumu territory. These attacks, reportedly in retaliation for joint FARDC/UPDF operations against the armed group in the region, resulted in the deaths of at least 47 civilians."

Other Topics To Read

• Democratic Republic of Congo
• Islamic State
• DRC
• MONUSCO
• Allied Democratic Forces
• ADF
• eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
• Komanda region
• ISIS-linked rebels kill 38 in Catholic church attack in eastern DRC’s Komanda region
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