Goma, Congo (AP) – Islamic state-backed rebels attack Catholic churches in the eastern part of the country Congo He killed at least 34 people on Sunday, local civil society leaders said.
Dieudonne Duranthabo, civil society coordinator for Comanda in Ituri province, told The Associated Press that the attackers attacked a church in Comanda town around 1am.
“The victim’s bodies are still on the scene of the tragedy and volunteers are preparing ways to bury them in the mass graves we prepare in the Catholic Church complex,” Duranzabo said.
Video footage from the scene shared online appeared to show burning structures and bodies on the church floor. Those who could identify some of the victims cried out whining while others were in shock.
At least five other people were killed in previous attacks on nearby Macheonggani village.
“They took some people into the bushes. We don’t know where they are or how many of them,” Ituri’s civil society leader, Ross Decana, told the Associated Press.
Both attacks are believed to have been carried out by members of the Allied Democrat Forces (ADF) armed with guns and machetes.
Congolese military spokesman from Jules Ngonggo Ituriconfirmed at least 10 deaths in the attack on the Commanda Church. However, UNBacked Radio Okapi reported 43 deaths, citing security sources. The attackers reportedly came from a base about 12 kilometers (7 miles) from Commanda and fled before security forces arrived.
Duranzabo condemned the violence for what he said. “A town with all security officials.” He called for immediate military intervention, warning that “the enemy is still close to our town.”
Eastern Congo has suffered fatal attacks in recent years by armed groups including the ADF and Rwanda-backed rebels. The ADF, tied to the Islamic state, operates in the Uganda-Congo border areas and often targets civilians. group He killed dozens of people Earlier this month, a UN spokesman Bloodbath.
The ADF was formed by different small groups in Uganda in the late 1990s following alleged complaints with President Yoweri Museveni.
Following a military attack by the Ugandan army in 2002, the group moved its activities to nearby Congo, where it was responsible for the killing of thousands of civilians thereafter. In 2019, he pledged his loyalty to the Islamic State.
The Congolese Army (FARDC) has long struggled to contain the group, particularly amid a new conflict, including the M23 rebellion movement backed by neighbouring Rwanda.
___
Adetauyo reported from Lagos, Nigeria, and Sale Mwanamilongo contributed to this report.
