At least 39 people were killed and several others wounded on Sunday when armed assailants believed to be members of the Islamic State-affiliated Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) launched a brutal attack on a Catholic church in Komanda, a town in Ituri province in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The massacre occurred during an overnight prayer vigil hosted by the Caritas charity, attended by dozens of worshippers. According to local civil society leaders, the attackers stormed the building armed with machetes and assault rifles, indiscriminately targeting those inside.
Eyewitnesses described scenes of horror as worshippers were slaughtered and the church desecrated. Several surrounding homes and shops were also set ablaze, and many residents remain missing. Authorities and volunteers continue to search the area for survivors and bodies. Dieudonné Duranthabo, a prominent civil society coordinator in Komanda, expressed shock that such a deadly attack could happen in a town where military and security forces are stationed. He urged the government to launch an immediate and robust military response, warning that “the enemy is still near our town.”
The ADF, originally formed in Uganda in the 1990s, has entrenched itself in the DRC’s dense border regions and is responsible for thousands of civilian deaths. The group pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) in 2019, rebranding itself as part of the IS Central Africa Province (ISCAP). Since then, it has ramped up its brutality and reach. This latest atrocity comes just weeks after a similar mass killing in Ituri that the United Nations described as a “bloodbath.” The UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) has condemned the escalating violence and called for coordinated regional and international efforts to protect civilians and neutralize armed groups.
The DRC’s military continues to face enormous challenges in countering both the ADF and the M23 rebel group, which has resumed operations in North Kivu with alleged support from Rwanda. The security crisis in eastern Congo has displaced over 6.5 million people, making it one of the largest internal displacement situations in the world. President Félix Tshisekedi has vowed to prioritize security in the region, but local communities remain fearful and skeptical, citing years of unfulfilled promises and failed offensives.
