By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

KINSHASA (Worthy News) – “Islamist terrorists” have killed 18 Christians in north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in separate attacks, well-informed aid workers say.

Details of the October 3 attacks emerged Tuesday with Christian charity Barnabas Aid saying fighters from Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP, also known as Allied Democratic Forces) beheaded 15 people.

The attack in the village of Anditongo in Mambasa Territory, an administrative area in the DRC’s Ituri Province, was reportedly announced by the group on social media.“Caliphate soldiers captured 15 Christians … and killed them by slaughter, and praise be to Allah”, they said.

“Three others were killed, and houses burned down in the village of Ofaye Otto Maber [in] Irumu Territory [in Ituri Province] on the same day,” well-informed Barnabas Aid told Worthy News.

ISCAP, which seeks to establish an Islamic caliphate, has been linked to the reported deaths of over 100 Christians in recent months.

“At least ten died at the hands of Islamists in Ituri and the neighboring province of North Kivu in the closing days of September. This followed the deaths of more than 90 in north-eastern DRC throughout July and August,” Barnabas Aid added.

ISCAP has killed more than 5,500 Christians in north-eastern DRC since 2017, according to Christian rights investigators. Although some 93 percent of the Central African nation’s 115 million people reportedly claim to be “Christian,” devout Christians in the eastern part of the DRC face risks. “The region is home to more than 100 armed groups, some of whom specifically target followers of Jesus. This leaves Christians and churches in this part of the country vulnerable to attacks, including murder, abduction, and sexual violence,” explained Christian advocacy group Open Doors.

CHURCH LEADERS TARGETED

“Church leaders who speak out against the violence put a target on their backs, making it difficult to raise their voices against the atrocities. The violence has led to a massive displacement crisis in the DRC, and many believers are among the displaced,” the group added.

In areas dominated by other faiths, “converts from both Islam and indigenous religions can be pressured to participate in non-Christian religious activities and ceremonies,” Open Doors said.

These attacks added to the challenges that religious minorities face in the area.

Christian women living in areas controlled by ISCAP and other Islamist groups can face violent persecution for their faith, Christians said.

Women and girls in their “captivity have even been used as human shields during violent confrontations with government forces,” Open Doors added.

Christians displaced by these clashes often face deep poverty. Despite a wealth of fertile soil, hydroelectric power potential, and mineral resources, the (DRC) struggles with many socioeconomic problems, according to an assessment by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

Those problems “include high infant and maternal mortality rates, malnutrition, poor vaccination coverage, lack of access to improved water sources and sanitation, and frequent and early fertility.”

ONGOING ARMED CONFLICTS

The ongoing armed conflicts, “mismanagement of resources,” and “a lack of investment have resulted in food insecurity,” the CIA noticed.

“Almost 25 percent of children under the age of 5 were malnourished as of 2018,” the agency added.

It is also a legacy of previous armed conflicts in a nation at the center of what some observers called “Africa’s world war,” with widespread civilian suffering.

The war claimed up to six million lives, either as a direct result of fighting or because of disease and malnutrition.

Since the late 2000s, there has been continuing fighting in the east where a United Nations force is struggling to keep the peace, Christians and other sources say.

Despite these difficulties, President Félix Tshisekedi won a second term in the December 2023 elections, which we condemned as a “sham” by several opposition candidates.

Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.

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