LagosDuring a vigil in eastern Ituri province on Sunday, insurgents opened fire on worshippers, killing around 40 people, including numerous women and children.
Five more people were slain in a nearby town, and at least 38 people were confirmed dead in the church. Nine infants, fifteen women, and 19 adults were among the victims.
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According to the Congolese army, the attacks on Komanda town in the conflict-torn area were carried out by the rebel group, which has been supported by the and has primarily targeted villages in eastern Congo and over the border in Uganda.
Tensions in neighboring Uganda gave rise to the ADF.
originates in the 1990s. After a long-standing dictator was overthrown, a number of disgruntled organizations viewed Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni’s new administration as anti-Muslim.
Since then, the organization has developed into a powerful force, but it was forced from Uganda’s borders and now operates in the Congo-Uganda borderlands, frequently attacking civilians in isolated settlements.
ADF leaders have worked to create an Islamic caliphate in Uganda after pledging loyalty to the Islamic State in 2019.
Conflicts in eastern Congo are complicated by rebels.
has been plagued for decades, beginning in 1994, by lengthy hostilities.
The United Nations claims that over a hundred armed groups have been active in the wars. The most well-known armed organization is M23, which is supported by Rwanda. In January, it began a wave of attacks that resulted in a significant escalation that saw it seize two important cities in the area.
Despite the rebels’ efforts, observers say the joint military operation by the Ugandan and Congolese troops has not done much to attack the ADF.
Onesphore Sematumba, the International Crisis Group’s Congo expert, stated that these coordinated efforts have only been successful in scattering the ADF and have not done much to shield civilians from their furious retaliation.
The overburdened Congolese army, which is preoccupied with M23 and other rebel groups’ gains in the mineral-rich area, has complicated challenges as a result.
Without drawing too much notice, the ADF is essentially exploiting the Congolese army’s and international diplomacy’s emphasis on the M23 further south, according to Sematumba.
At midnight, the attack targeted worshippers.
The assault on the church In a slew of deadly ADF attacks on civilians, including one earlier this month, Sunday was the most recent.
Civil society leaders and survivors were at a vigil at a Catholic church in Komanda when the incident occurred on July 11 at around one in the morning. It came after an attack in the adjoining town of Machongani a few hours earlier that destroyed homes and killed five people. Prior to the arrival of security forces, the terrorists reportedly retreated from a stronghold located approximately 12 kilometers (7 miles) from Komanda.
Attack is anticipated to make matters worse.
The nation in Central Africa, which is now enmeshed in multiple crises, has been rocked by the attack on Sunday.
The military characterized it as a massive killing carried out in retaliation for recent security operations against the ADF, while the Congolese government denounced it as “horrible.” In an effort to defend its citizens, M23, however, utilized the attack to accuse the government of being blatantly incompetent.
The church killings would worsen the already grave humanitarian situation in the area, according to MONUSCO, the United Nations peacekeeping force stationed there.
