70 christians were killed inside a Protestant church near Lubero,North Kivu by the Islamist Allied Democratic Forces (ADF)

Written by: HAKIZIMANA Maurice

On 12 February 2025, Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) militants entered the village of Mayba in Lubero Territory, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo and abducted at least 70 Christian civilians. The captives were subsequently taken to a Protestant church in Kasanga, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, they were beheaded using a machete. Their bodies were discovered on 14 February as confirmed by the international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) and Fides Catholic news agency.

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According to a local source contacted last week, whom ACN decided not to identify for fear of reprisals, the attack was carried out by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an Islamic State affiliated group originating from Uganda that has been operating in both Uganda and the DRC for over a decade.  

The victims, who included women, children, and elderly people, were reportedly taken hostage by the Islamist group before being brutally killed. Some had been bound, while others were beheaded, suggesting a massacre intended to instill fear and exert control over the local population.

The massacre comes at a critical moment for eastern DRC , given the worsening of the humanitarian situation in the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu, where the M23 rebels continue their lightning offensive against the Congolese armed forces and their allies.

Fear and uncertainty amid M23 ongoing offensive in DRC

Besides the concern over the activities of the ADF, therefore, ACN’s local source also expressed fear that over the next few days the Rwanda-backed group will take over Butembo, North Kivu’s second largest city, as it did with Goma, the provincial capital, and Bukavu, capital of South Kivu, over a week ago.

“There is a lot of psychological suffering in Butembo, because the war is literally at our door, “ the source said. “We have seen how other regions were overrun by chaos, and now it seems it is our turn.”

The ongoing conflict has created an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty, the source explained,  adding that the presence of internal collaborators aiding these terrorist groups only exacerbates the insecurity

Displaced Congolese people prepare to leave camp as M23 rebels order evacuations near Goma

Rwanda is linked to ADF’s Killings

Rwanda is linked to the massacre of 70 Christians in a Congolese church, killed with machetes and hammers, says UK Minister of State for Africa, Ray Collins. The UK is doing everything possible to hold those responsible to account.

https://x.com/xtr_africa/status/1895141104871145644/video/1

UN Security Council  calls on Rwanda to stop supporting  M23 

Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council on Friday, 21 February, called on Rwanda’s military to stop supporting the M23 rebel group -the most prominent of more than 100 armed groups  operating in  eastern Congo – and immediately withdraw all troops from Congolese territory “without preconditions.”

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