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Allied Democratic Forces Kill at Least 49 in Eastern Congo Church Raid

UN peacekeepers called for stronger protection measures after citing nine child victims

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FILE - M23 rebels stand with their weapons in Kibumba, in the eastern of Democratic Republic of Congo, Dec. 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa, File)
FILE - People displaced by the fighting with M23 rebels make their way to the center of Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa, File)
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Overview

  • Official sources and civil society disagree on the death toll, spanning from 10 confirmed by the army to 43 reported by MONUSCO and 49 estimated by local leaders
  • Volunteer teams have yet to bury victims, with bodies still lying at the church site as residents prepare a mass grave
  • Attackers torched nearby homes and shops during the predawn assault, forcing scores of villagers to flee toward Bunia
  • Local coordinators demanded immediate military reinforcements in Komanda, warning that ADF fighters remain active around the town
  • MONUSCO condemned the massacre as a breach of international humanitarian law and urged Congolese authorities to conduct a full investigation