At least 64 people have been killed in a brutal attack on a Catholic parish in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. A violent onslaught by members of the Islamist rebel group Allied Democratic Forces struck the parish of Saint Joseph of Manguredjipa in the village of Ntoyo, North Kivu province, in the dead of night.
The victims had gathered for a mourning ceremony, unsuspecting and vulnerable, when machetes, firearms, and hammers were unleashed. Some attackers then set homes ablaze. Local officials say the assault was clearly premeditated. Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has condemned the atrocity and expressed deep solidarity with the bereaved. The charity emphasizes that such acts of violence are not isolated but part of a devastating pattern in eastern DRC, where Islamist militants aligned with IS-CAP (Islamic State’s Central Africa Province) operate with alarming impunity.
Bishop Melchisédech Sikuli Paluku of Butembo-Beni offered a message of spiritual comfort to the afflicted. He prayed that God, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, would console the bereaved and guide the faithful beyond these days of suffering toward enduring peace. Local authorities have begun burying the dead and instituting new security measures, although the scale of militia operations in the region remains severe.
Further details of the attack can be found here via The Catholic Herald.