At least 34 people were killed when Islamists attacked a church in the province of Ituri, north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in the early hours of Sunday, July 27.
Fighters believed to be from Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP) launched an armed assault against the church building in the village of Komanda at 1am where the congregation were meeting for a late-night service.
The terrorists set fire to the building along with houses and shops in the village.
The church building in Ituri Province where at least 34 worshippers were killed by Islamists. [Image credit: D.R. Congo today]
“The bodies of the victims are still at the scene of the tragedy,” said a local civic leader. “Volunteers are preparing how to bury them in a mass grave.”
This massacre is only the latest to be carried out by ISCAP, who have killed at least 389 Christians in north-eastern DRC since Christmas 2024.
Reports by the Terrorism Research and Analysis Consortium (TRAC) show that the terrorist group had already slaughtered at least 45 Christians across Ituri throughout July.
According to one of ISCAP’s published claims on Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL, Daesh) social media channels, the worst atrocity took place in “the Christian village of Kateria” on July 10 when fighters “captured and slaughtered 17 Christians, praise be to God.”
TRAC monitoring also shows that in early June nine Christians were killed in two ISCAP attacks in the Lubero District in neighboring province of North Kivu.
ISCAP (then known as the Allied Democratic Forces) first pledged bay’a (allegiance) to the central Islamic State in 2017. Since then the terrorist group has killed around 6,000 Christians in North Kivu and Ituri.
How You Can Pray
Ask the Lord to comfort the bereaved following this act of hate-filled violence. Pray that the faith of our brothers and sisters will not fail. Cry out to the Lord to protect His people from Islamic State and the other armed groups that operate in north-eastern DRC.
