Christians comprise 95% of the population of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Holy Archdiocese of Kinshasa and Central Africa is under the jurisdiction of the His Beatitude Theodore II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa.
“Islamic Rebels Kill More than 30 Christians in Eastern DRC,” International Christian Concern, August 12, 2024:
8/12/2024 DRC (International Christian Concern) — The remains of more than 30 people were found on July 24 following yet another brutal attack on a Christian community by Islamic extremist Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in Eastern Congo. The bodies, many of which had been decapitated, were discovered in the Batangi-Mbau area of the Beni territory in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Léon Siviwe, chief of Beni-Mbau, said the attack was part of a week marked by escalating violence. The victims were primarily from several villages within the Babila-Bakaiku locality, including Kotanarespe, Nakota, Musangwa, and Akwekwe. “These are our brothers, sisters, daughters, and sons who, in the end, have lost their lives because of the ADF, who kill while speaking the Arabic language,” one survivor recalled. “I remember the day when my neighbor was taken and, in the end, he was found dead.” Another resident described the emotional toll the attack had on families. “The recent killings have shattered our community,” he said. “We are left with empty chairs at our tables and memories that haunt us at night. Mourning is a constant presence in our lives, and the trauma we experience is something that will be passed down to our children. They should be playing and laughing, but instead, they carry the weight of fear and loss….
