At least 38 people were killed and 15 others wounded in an attack on a church in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The assault, believed to have been carried out by suspected members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) armed with guns and machetes, occurred at the church in Komanda city, Ituri province, early on Sunday.
The ADF, a rebel group with links to ISIL (ISIS), operates in the border region between Uganda and the DRC and has frequently targeted civilian populations.
Several homes and shops were also set on fire, and many people remain unaccounted for following the assault, which took place while Catholic Christians were attending a prayer vigil at the church, run by the Caritas charity.
“The rebels specifically targeted Christians who were spending the night at the Catholic church,” said Christophe Munyanderu, a human rights activist who was at the scene in Komanda. “Sadly, these individuals were killed with machetes or bullets.”
Radio Okapi in the DRC reported the death toll at 43, attributing the attack to the ADF. "More than 20 victims were killed with bladed weapons during a prayer vigil at the church," the station said. "Other bodies were discovered in nearby burned homes."
"This morning, we learned that armed men with machetes entered a church near Komanda," said Jules Ngongo, a spokesperson for the DRC army.
A civil society leader told The Associated Press that people were shot both inside and outside the church, and at least three charred bodies were found.
"The search [for bodies] is still ongoing," said Dieudonne Duranthabo, a civil society coordinator in Komanda, speaking to AP.
“We are truly disappointed because it’s unimaginable that such an incident could happen in a town where all the security officials are present," Duranthabo added, noting that some people had fled the area and relocated to Bunia town.
"We demand military intervention immediately, as we are told the enemy is still close to our town."
The United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the DRC has condemned the recent upsurge in violence in Ituri. Earlier this month, the ADF killed dozens in the province in what a UN spokesperson called a “bloodbath.”
The ADF originated as a collection of small groups in Uganda in the late 1990s, driven by alleged discontent with President Yoweri Museveni. After facing military pressure from Ugandan forces, the group relocated to the DRC in 2002, where it has been responsible for the deaths of thousands of civilians. In 2019, the ADF pledged allegiance to ISIL.
The ADF's leadership claims it is fighting to establish a hardline government in the East African nation.
The DRC army has long struggled against the rebel group and is now facing a complicated web of attacks, especially following renewed hostilities with the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels.