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Islamic State-Linked Rebels Massacre Dozens at Komanda Church in Eastern Congo

Survivors are pressing for swift military action to shore up failing security after militants killed worshippers in Komanda.

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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

  • Allied Democratic Forces fighters stormed the Blessed Anuarite parish at about 1 a.m., firing guns and wielding machetes before setting homes and shops ablaze.
  • Death toll estimates vary from at least 21 confirmed by local civil society to 43 according to MONUSCO, with nine children among those killed and searches still under way.
  • Residents have fled toward Bunia, and community leaders warn that ADF fighters remain in nearby areas without sufficient security forces.
  • The UN peacekeeping mission and the Congolese army both condemned the raid as a grave massacre and urged immediate counterinsurgency measures.
  • Originally formed in Uganda and pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in 2019, the ADF continues to launch high-casualty attacks despite joint Congolese-Ugandan military operations.