Source: www.persecution.org
Date: April 28, 2023
DRC (International Christian Concern) – The Church in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) continues to bear the brunt of terrorism from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), one of the many armed groups operating across the region that has vowed to kill more Christians to please Allah.
In ten days, North Kivu province has seen over 80 people killed and hundreds abducted by the ADF extremist group that claims alliance with the Islamic State. For decades, the ADF has killed, maimed, abducted, and displaced millions of people in North Kivu despite the presence of peacekeepers and local and regional troops in the troubled region.
In a statement, the Vicar of Babwisi Parish, where dozens of Christians have been killed, said, “April has turned out to be a month of bloodshed ironical of the expectation of having peace after celebrating the death and the resurrection of Christ Jesus. From the 7th to the 18th, the killings of Christians were numerous in the following entities: Mavete, Musandaba, Katere, and Mamungelesi, all in the West Oicha.“
The vicar went on to break down the figures, “On Friday, April 7, and Saturday, April 8, 2023, 26 people were killed by the ADF rebels in Mavete and Musandaba villages, Beni territory. Among them were members of Babwisi parish which is Beni diocese, where eight men were killed leaving widows and children.”
“On Tuesday 18th April 2023, 45 people were killed by these same ADF rebels this time in Katere and Mamungelesi in one night of unfathomable horror, where men, women, and children were slaughtered like chicken. During this attack, we lost one of our evangelists together with his wife. His name is Emmanuel Kambale. The parish is devastated. In addition, over 30 people were abducted and their whereabouts are unknown.”
He added, “Two days after the Katere and Mamungelesi attack, nine bodies were discovered several kilometers away from Katere, and it was established that they were victims of the Tuesday abductions by the ADF. This brought the total of the Christians killed in Katere and Mamungelesi to 54.”
Eighty people were killed and several abducted within these ten days of April, with others believed to have been thrown into Samboko River still missing, according to a survivor of the Katere attack.
These April attacks have forced thousands of people to flee their villages and flood the nearest safer towns of Oicha, Mbau, and Beni as refugees. The parish leader asked people of goodwill to come along and help the many widows and orphans living as refugees in Oicha.
HOW TO PRAY: Pray for healing for all those who were injured in these attacks. Pray for peace and comfort for those grieving. Pray for the immediate return of those who have been abducted.