More than 40 people were killed on Sunday in an attack carried out by the “allied democratic forces” on a church in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which ended a period of calm that lasted for months, according to the United Nations Mission and the Congolese army.
Residents of the French Press Agency on the phone from Ponia, the capital of Itori province, said that the “allied democratic forces” that pledged allegiance to ISIS in 2019, attacked a Catholic church in the town of Kumanda in which believers gathered to pray. The attack resulted in the death of 43 people, including nine children, according to the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in the country.
“These attacks targeting defenseless civilians, especially in places of worship, are not only disgusting, but also contradict all human rights standards and international humanitarian law,” said Vivian Van de Perry.
The Congolese army denounced the “massacre”, adding that “about forty civilians were surprised and killed by the settings, and a number of others were seriously wounded.” He considered that the “allied democratic forces” decided to “take revenge on the unarmed peaceful population to spread terror.” Local sources had previously reported 35 people in the attack.
“Last night, at about nine o’clock (19:00 GMT), we have heard gunfire near the local church,” said Diodon Katanbu, who is notables of the Umoga neighborhood where the church is located. For his part, the coordinator of the Organization of the “Human Rights Respecting” organization held the non -governmental human rights agreement, “The Democratic Forces of Democratic Forces”, responsible for the attack.
The army spokesman at Iteuri Lieutenant -Guls Ngongo confirmed the attack, noting that “it is believed that the enemy was identified as one of the allied democratic forces.”
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Taiani strongly condemned this attack, noting that “more than 40 people have been killed.” “Places of worship must always be preserved and religious freedoms must be preserved,” he added.
The attack comes after months of calm in the Iteuri area adjacent to Uganda. The last attack carried out by the “Allied Democratic Forces” in February, killing 23 people in the Mambasa area. The town of Kumanda in the Eromo region is a commercial center linking three other provinces, namely Chopco, North Kivu and Manima in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The “Allied Democratic Forces” killed thousands of civilians and carried out looting in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, despite the deployment of forces from the Ugandan army and the Congolese army in the region.
Since 2019, ISIS claimed responsibility for a number of “allied democratic forces” attacks called “the Islamic State-Central Africa.”
Since 2021, a joint military operation began between the Congolese and Ugandan forces to target the elements of the “allied democratic forces” in the Congolese lands, but the bloody attacks did not stop.
