#BreakingNews 40 Worshippers Killed at a Catholic Church on Sunday in Congo, Africa, by Group Linked to ISIS - Please Pray!
Vatican News released that at least forty people are believed to have been killed in the attack Sunday, July 27, carried out by militia members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), linked to ISIS, composed of former Ugandan rebels. Worshippers who had gathered to pray were killed with machetes and firearms, according to local sources told AFP. The ADF has been responsible for several civilian massacres over the years, killing thousands.
The Catholic Bishops of France released a statement on X:
The #CEF expresses its emotion and deep sadness following the deadly attack that occurred in the Democratic Republic of #Congo.
BBC reported that Dieudonne Duranthabo, a civil society coordinator in Komanda, told the Associated Press that more bodies could be found after the latest attack.
"More than 21 people were shot dead inside and outside [the church] and we have recorded at least three charred bodies and several houses burned. But the search is continuing."
Father Aime Lokana Dhego, a local priest, told the AFP news agency: "We have at least 31 dead members of the Eucharistic Crusade movement, with six seriously injured. Some young people were kidnapped, we have no news of them."A brutal attack on a church in eastern Congo was carried out by rebels backed by the Islamic State. Around 1:00 a.m., members of the ADF stormed the building in Komanda, killing about forty people.
A UN-supported radio station reported 43 victims, citing security sources. It said the attackers came from a stronghold about 12 kilometers from the center of Komanda and fled before security forces arrived. Several homes and shops were also burned. While the search for the dead and wounded in the attack continues, Lieutenant Jules Ngongo, spokesman for the Democratic Republic of Congo Army in Ituri, told AP that men armed with machetes and firearms had entered the area. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, in a post on X, condemned the brutal attack: "Places of worship must always be preserved and religious freedom protected. Italy stands with the families of the victims and the Congolese people."
The ADF operates in the border area between Uganda and Congo and has regularly carried out attacks against civilians, killing thousands of people. Two weeks ago, they killed 66 people in the Irumu area. Leader Jamil Mukulu, a Christian convert to Islam, fled to Kenya; Yusuf Kabanda arrived and joined a secular Ugandan rebel group, the Uganda National Liberation Army (NALU). Their common enemy is Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni. After the loss of their ally NALU in 2000, the group radicalized and became increasingly aggressive against local populations. Among others, one occurred early last year in Baeti, also in the eastern part of the country, where at least eight people were killed, five of them while praying. The perpetrators were, once again, ADF rebels affiliated with ISIS. On that occasion, over thirty people were taken hostage by the attackers who broke into several surrounding villages.
Sources: https://www.vaticannews.va/it/chiesa/news/2025-07/congo-massacro-chiesa-komanda.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3ezjg34lw4o
La #CEF exprime son émotion et sa profonde tristesse après l’attaque meurtrière survenue en République démocratique du #Congo. pic.twitter.com/BtTxiiD7Ky
— Église catholique en France (@Eglisecatho) July 27, 2025
BBC reported that Dieudonne Duranthabo, a civil society coordinator in Komanda, told the Associated Press that more bodies could be found after the latest attack.
"More than 21 people were shot dead inside and outside [the church] and we have recorded at least three charred bodies and several houses burned. But the search is continuing."
Father Aime Lokana Dhego, a local priest, told the AFP news agency: "We have at least 31 dead members of the Eucharistic Crusade movement, with six seriously injured. Some young people were kidnapped, we have no news of them."A brutal attack on a church in eastern Congo was carried out by rebels backed by the Islamic State. Around 1:00 a.m., members of the ADF stormed the building in Komanda, killing about forty people.
A UN-supported radio station reported 43 victims, citing security sources. It said the attackers came from a stronghold about 12 kilometers from the center of Komanda and fled before security forces arrived. Several homes and shops were also burned. While the search for the dead and wounded in the attack continues, Lieutenant Jules Ngongo, spokesman for the Democratic Republic of Congo Army in Ituri, told AP that men armed with machetes and firearms had entered the area. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, in a post on X, condemned the brutal attack: "Places of worship must always be preserved and religious freedom protected. Italy stands with the families of the victims and the Congolese people."
The ADF operates in the border area between Uganda and Congo and has regularly carried out attacks against civilians, killing thousands of people. Two weeks ago, they killed 66 people in the Irumu area. Leader Jamil Mukulu, a Christian convert to Islam, fled to Kenya; Yusuf Kabanda arrived and joined a secular Ugandan rebel group, the Uganda National Liberation Army (NALU). Their common enemy is Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni. After the loss of their ally NALU in 2000, the group radicalized and became increasingly aggressive against local populations. Among others, one occurred early last year in Baeti, also in the eastern part of the country, where at least eight people were killed, five of them while praying. The perpetrators were, once again, ADF rebels affiliated with ISIS. On that occasion, over thirty people were taken hostage by the attackers who broke into several surrounding villages.
Sources: https://www.vaticannews.va/it/chiesa/news/2025-07/congo-massacro-chiesa-komanda.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3ezjg34lw4o
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