In Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), no fewer than 80 Christians are among people that have been brutally killed in recent violent attacks by the Islamic State (ISIS).
Christian Post quoted military and local sources as saying that the victims were killed in violent attacks lasting multiple days on the people.
One of the attacks, the newspaper said, occurred on June 7 when Islamic State-affiliated Allied Democratic Forces launched a coordinated assault on several villages in Beni territory of the Christian-majority province.
ISIS, on Friday June 14, claimed responsibility for the attack in which over 40 people were killed in Mayikengo village in Lubero territory.
Other reports had indicated that about 150 people had been killed since the beginning of June by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).
ADF is originally a rebel group from Ugandan and has expanded its operations in eastern Congo.
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Open Doors, an American-based Christian watchdog organisation, confirmed in a statement that Christians were among those killed.
It said though ADF attacks are not new, the latest violence is comparatively deadlier and more aggressive in targeting Christians than the previous ones.
Open Doors CEO, Ryan Brown, said, “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.
“The impact is that many families are without means to feed their families, and the unprepared displacement has put pressure on the livelihood of Christian families now on the move to unknown destinations.”
Earlier in the year, Open Doors had ranked DRC in its World Watch List as the 41st most dangerous countries of the world to practice Christianity.
It also said the country’s eastern region faces a huge threat from Islamic militants, organised crime and local armed forces.
“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,” the organisation’s spokesperson for sub-Saharan Africa, Jo Newhouse said.
The United States Department of State said there are several armed groups and 100 criminal gangs and militias operate in DRC’s eastern region.