At least 21 people were killed on Sunday when suspected Islamic State-backed rebels attacked a Catholic church in eastern Congo’s Komanda, according to a local civil society leader.
Dieudonne Duranthabo, a civil society coordinator in Komanda, told the local media, that the assault was carried out by members of the Allied Democratic Force (ADF) at around 1 am.
“More than 21 people were shot dead inside and outside and we have recorded at least three charred bodies and several houses burned. But the search is continuing,” Duranthabo said.
The attack took place inside the premises of a Catholic church. Several houses and shops nearby were also set ablaze by the attackers, Duranthabo added.
A spokesperson for the Congolese army in Ituri province, where Komanda is located, confirmed at least 10 fatalities.
“What we know this morning is that there was an incursion by armed men with machetes into a church not far from Komanda, where about 10 people were killed and massacred and some shops were set on fire,” Lt. Jules Ngongo, the DRC Army’s spokesperson in Ituri, said.
The ADF, which has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, operates mainly in the border areas between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo and has routinely launched attacks against civilians for more than a decade.
Security forces and local residents continue to search the area for survivors and further casualties.
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