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DRC: Islamic State Affiliates Murder 80 Christians in Spate of Attacks, “These Attacks Continue Unabated”

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – Islamic State-affiliated terrorists slaughtered 150 people, including 80 Christians, in the Democratic Republic of Congo this month, the Christian Post (CP) reports.

According to the Open Doors international Christian advocacy organization, at least 80 Christians were among those murdered by terrorists with the Islamic State-affiliated Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) during coordinated attacks on several villages in the Beni territory of Christian-majority North Kivu province this month, CP said.

Originating in Western Uganda before spreading into neighboring DRC, the ADF is an Islamist rebel terror group intent on helping to establish a Shia Islamic caliphate in Africa. The group has long terrorized Congolese civilians, including Christians.

“Christians are forced to flee, and some churches in the affected villages have closed as a result of the latest attacks. These unabated attacks come at a time when Christian farmers were preparing for harvest,” Open Doors US CEO Ryan Brown said in a statement to the Christian Post.

In a separate statement, Jo Newhouse, Open Doors’ field spokesperson for Sub-Saharan Africa, said: “The rate at which Christian communities continue to be attacked in eastern DRC by the ADF is horrifying. These attacks continue unabated, displacing thousands of people from their homes, farmlands, and livelihoods. We call on the international community to do everything in its power to ensure the government of DRC faithfully and transparently protects all affected communities and that the displaced receive the support they need in these circumstances.”

Extremely vulnerable to Islamic terrorism, Christian-majority DRC ranks 41 on the Open Doors World Watch List 2024 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.