The lives of at least 72 Christians have been added to the growing death toll of Islamist terrorism in north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
These latest killings mean that more than 200 of our brothers and sisters have been massacred in Ituri Province since mid-July.
In the worst incident on 28 August, fighters from Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP) slaughtered 29 believers in the villages of Mabakoa and Biam, near Biakto.
Islamists in north-eastern D. R. Congo renew their pledge of allegiance to Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL, Daesh)
The terrorists also burned down 40 houses as hundreds of villagers fled for safety.
The following day ISCAP fighters captured and beheaded nine Christians in the village of Amani, and killed a further two outside the village.
More than 1,370 Christians dead
ISCAP (also known by its former name of ADF) has slaughtered more than 1,370 Christians in north-eastern DRC since December 2024.
Almost all of these killings have taken place in Ituri and the neighbouring province of North Kivu.
Security experts have noted an increase in ISCAP activity in these and other north-eastern provinces.
ISCAP “is intensifying attacks against civilians, expanding its geographic reach and exposing the limits of a military strategy that has failed to weaken it,” wrote Nirvaly Mooloo, a researcher from the Pretoria-based Institute for Security Studies.
Ituri is also the epicentre of what is now the deadliest outbreak of Ebola in the DRC’s history.
On 6 September it was reported that the number of Ebola deaths in DRC had risen to 3,175, of which 2,398 were recorded in Ituri.
How you can pray
Intercede for our brothers and sisters in Ituri and across north-eastern D. R. Congo as they face both violent persecution and a worsening epidemic of disease, on top of long-term poverty and instability. Pray that the Lord will bring peace and healing to this troubled region.
