Eleven dead and 39 injured in a terrorist attack on a church in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
At least eleven people have died, and another 39 have been injured in a bomb attack on a church in Kasindi, in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). According to the Congolese Army, the attack was carried out by “ADF terrorists” – the Allied Democratic Forces – linked to the Islamic State (IS).
Antony Mualushayi, the spokesman for the Congolese Army, said, “We have already managed to arrest one suspect, a Kenyan subject whose age is estimated to be in his thirties.” The attack, carried out in the 8th community of the Pentecostal Churches of the Congo, resulted in the death of eleven people, although this number could rise. Delphin Mupanda, the spokesperson for Beni’s civil society, reported that many of the injured had been taken to local health centers.
The ADF, originally a Ugandan rebel movement, is considered to be the deadliest of the 120 armed movements in eastern DRC. Over the years, the group has been responsible for the massacre of thousands of civilians in DRC and Uganda. The US included them on its list of terrorist organizations in 2021, and that same year, the DRC and Uganda launched a joint military operation against them in North Kivu and Ituri province.
Other armed groups continue to control regions for their religious and ethnic differences, and make money by exploiting the resources of these territories.
lgc (afp/efe)
