Islamic State terrorists have claimed the killing of at least 130 Christians in three weeks of violence across Ituri Province, north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
In the most recent and deadliest incident on Sunday 9 August, fighters from Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP) killed 32 Christians and captured 24 in a coordinated assault on three neighbouring villages in Mambasa Territory.
In what Islamic State (IS – also known as ISIS, ISIL, Daesh) propaganda described as “a bloody attack”, the terrorists also burned down more than 60 homes and shops.
Islamic State Central Africa Province has killed more than 1,300 Christians in north-eastern D. R. Congo since December 2024 [Image credit: Middle East Media Research Institute]
In another major incident on 31 July, ISCAP fighters killed 17 Christians and captured two others from the village on Monguiko.
This followed the slaughter of 35 Christians in separate attacks on 20 and 24 July, including the beheading of at least 25.
Among several other attacks, on 6 August the terrorists targeted a group of people on a river boat near the town Biondo, killing “five Christian combatants” with machine guns and sinking the boat.
IS propaganda uses the term “combatants” to describe Christians and Jews who have not either converted to Islam or paid jizya tax as a sign of their subservience to Islamic rule.
More than 1,300 Christians massacred
ISCAP (also known by its former name of ADF) has slaughtered at least 1,300 Christians in north-eastern DRC since December 2024.
Almost all of these killings have taken place in Ituri and the neighbouring province of North Kivi. Thirty-five Christians were killed in three major ISCAP attacks in Ituri in late July.
Ituri is also the epicentre of the current Ebola virus outbreak, with almost 4,000 cases and more than 1,800 deaths recorded since the outbreak was declared on 15 May.
Ebola cases have been recorded at five of Ituri’s 69 displacement camps.
There are around 4.4 million internally displaced people (IDPs) in north-eastern DRC. The displacement crisis is largely driven by persistent violence carried out by ISCAP, the M23 rebel movement, and other armed groups.
How you can pray
Ask the Lord to bring an end to the Islamist violence that has taken the lives of so many of His people in Ituri and across north-eastern D. R. Congo. Pray that the traumatised survivors will be comforted in their distress and strengthened in their faith. Pray also for a solution to other armed conflicts in the region that have taken the lives of so many, and for effective action to curb the spread of Ebola.
