At least 38 people were killed and 15 wounded on Sunday when Islamic State‑linked Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) fighters stormed a Catholic church during an overnight mass in Komanda, city officials said.
Jean Kato, a Komanda municipal official, told Reuters the assailants, armed with guns and machetes, burst into the church in the early hours, opening fire on congregants who had gathered for a late‑night service. Several worshippers remain missing.
“The rebels mainly attacked Christians who were spending the night in the Catholic church,” said Christophe Munyanderu, a local human rights activist who witnessed the aftermath. “Unfortunately, these people were killed with machetes or bullets.”
The United Nations’ Stabilisation Mission in the DR Congo (MONUSCO) condemned the massacre and warned of a resurgence of ADF violence in North Kivu province, where thousands have been displaced by recurrent rebel assaults.