Several killed in church bomb attack by ISIS group in DR Congo

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
1 Feb 2024 10:27
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Five people were killed by terrorists during a religious service in Baeti, as per the town's mayor.

Illustrative: Malawian peacekeepers of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) stand inside the Emmanuel Butsili Catholic Church in Beni, June 27, 2021, after a makeshift bomb exploded. (AP)

Militants affiliated with ISIS in Central Africa conducted an assault in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, resulting in multiple casualties. Reportedly, five individuals were killed in a church during the incident, according to local sources.

The attack occurred in Baeti, close to the town of Oicha in the Beni territory.

"Eight bodies of civilians killed by ADF have been taken to the morgue" at Oicha hospital, the town's mayor Nicolas Kikuku said as quoted by AFP.

He mentioned that among the casualties were five Christians who were killed "during a religious service" in Baeti. This area is situated in the North-Kivu province near the border with Ituri province, both of which were placed under a state of siege in 2021.

Darius Syahira, a representative from the local civil society, verified the attack and mentioned that there were casualties at the morgue, although he did not provide a specific number.

This comes shortly after a bomb attack targeted a church in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo killing at least 10 people and wounding 39 others.

At the time, the Congolese Ministry of Communication said the attack was claimed by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a group affiliated with ISIS in central Africa.

Dive deeper

Despite the DRC's crackdown against the group, which began in late November of 2021, with cross-border backing from Ugandan forces, the ADF's attacks have continued.

120 militant groups operate in Eastern DR Congo, however, the ADF is considered one of the most dangerous and deadliest of them.

ADF has been accused of killing thousands of civilians in the Republic, in addition to bomb attacks in neighboring Uganda.

In 2021, in an effort to contain the militant group and stop the attacks, DRC President Felix Tshisekedi declared North Kivu and Ituri under a state of siege, which is similar to a state of emergency. It is worth noting that the state of siege involves replacing civilian administrators with members of the police and military to combat armed groups.

However, so far, the attempt has failed to prevent attacks targeting civilians.