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At least 43 people, including nine children, were killed on Sunday in a brutal attack by Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, breaking several months of relative calm in the volatile Ituri province.
The massacre occurred in the town of Komanda, where the rebels stormed a Catholic church during a prayer service, according to eyewitnesses who spoke to AFP from Bunia, the provincial capital.
The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the country, MONUSCO, confirmed the death toll and condemned the attack in the strongest terms.
“These targeted attacks on defenceless civilians, especially in places of worship, are not only revolting but also contrary to all norms of human rights and international humanitarian law,” said Vivian van de Perre, deputy head of the UN mission.
The Congolese army described the assault as a “large-scale massacre,” stating that around 40 people were “surprised and killed with machetes,” with many others seriously wounded.
Officials said the ADF likely carried out the atrocity in retaliation, aiming to terrorise local communities.
Earlier local reports had placed the number of fatalities at 35, but that figure has since risen following further investigation by the UN and Congolese authorities.
Lieutenant Jules Ngongo, army spokesperson in Ituri, confirmed the attack to AFP but did not offer an updated death toll. He noted that the perpetrators were believed to be members of the ADF.
Sunday’s bloodshed marks the worst violence in the region since February, when 23 people were killed in an attack in Mambasa territory. The town of Komanda, where the latest massacre occurred, is a key commercial hub linking Ituri with three other provinces: Tshopo, North Kivu, and Maniema.
The ADF, originally a Ugandan rebel group composed mainly of Muslims, pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in 2019. Since then, it has intensified its operations across eastern DRC, carrying out mass killings, looting villages, and displacing thousands.
Despite a joint military operation launched in 2021 by Uganda and the DRC—known as “Operation Shujaa”—the group remains active and elusive in the dense border regions.
The Congolese army has vowed to pursue the rebels and urged residents to remain vigilant, asking them to report any suspicious individuals or activities to the authorities.
The latest attack has sparked renewed calls for stronger international support to protect civilians in the conflict-ridden region, where armed groups continue to operate with impunity.
