Born as Zaire (renamed in 1997), possessing vast mineral riches and nearly unanimously Christian, the DRC has followed a familiar African pattern: Western colonisation followed by independence, civil war, fragmentation and dictatorship. The current situation, as summed up by Freedom House: “political corruption, weak rule of law, and violence”. For the past two decades, a Uganda-born rebel movement has taken root in eastern DRC, obtaining the support of jihadist organisations. A 2017 United Nations report concluded that the increasingly Islamist rebel movement has been responsible for “widespread violations of human rights and international humanitarian law”.
Two pastors among seven killed by Islamist militants in eastern DRC
Two Congolese pastors were among the seven Christians killed in attacks by an Islamist militant group in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo earlier this month. Six Christians, including Rev. Kausa Kaule Yosua and his daughter, 27-year-old Masika, were killed in the 10 and 11 November attacks by members of the […]
27 church members among dead after Islamist assault in DRC
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, dozens are feared killed as armed men believed to be Islamist militants from the ADF group stormed the eastern town of Beni, in the volatile province of North Kivu, on Saturday. According to local sources, the assailants, in great number, attacked the city […]
DR Congo: Ten killed, nuns kidnapped as presumed Islamist militants strike again in east
At least ten people have died in an attack near the town of Mbangkoro in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s volatile region of North Kivu, on Sunday (20 May). It was nearly 6pm when armed men in uniform started firing at inhabitants. They burned a car, killing some inside; others […]
DRC: Two people killed every day in North Kivu
Civil society organisations in eastern DRC have reiterated their call to President Joseph Kabila to stop the ongoing killings, which have claimed more than 2,500 lives in three years. Until late 2017, the North Kivu region had enjoyed a period of relative calm before violence resumed with the killing of […]
Killings continue in eastern DRC
Fresh violence in the volatile region of North Kivu, in eastern DRC, claimed at least five lives over the weekend. According to local sources, the victims were killed as armed men believed to be militants of Muslim Defense International attacked a convoy of trucks on Friday night (20 April) near […]
DR Congo: Priest shot dead amid militia chaos
Gunmen have killed another Catholic priest in DRC’s eastern province of North Kivu. Fr. Etienne Sengiyumva, 38, was killed on 8 April. “An assailant entered the house where he was having dinner, aimed his gun at the priest and killed him,” said Fr Emmanuel Kapitual, a curate in the parish […]
5 killed in Islamist attack in DRC
A fresh attack – on 9 February – in the volatile province of North Kivu, in eastern DRC, has claimed five lives and left several people injured. An undetermined number of others are also missing. According to French news site RFI, the attack took place at about 7pm, and targeted […]
DRC: Catholic priest briefly detained amidst political unrest
A Catholic priest kidnapped by armed men in the volatile region of North Kivu, in eastern DRC, has been released. Fr. Robert Masinda from the parish of Bingo, in Beni, was kidnapped on Monday 22 January, along with five others, though four were soon released. According to Mgr. Laurent Sondirya, […]
Dozens killed as Islamist violence erupts again in eastern DRC
After a period of relative calm, violence has resumed in eastern DRC. Various attacks by armed groups, including the radical Islamic group Muslim Defense International (MDI), formerly known as the Allied Democratic Forces, have claimed dozens lives among civilians in September and October. In one recent attack on 26 October, […]
Two UN peacekeepers among dozens killed by Islamist militants in eastern DRC
Dozens of people have lost their lives in recent days in separate attacks attributed to the radical Islamic group Muslim Defense International (MDI), formerly known as the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), in the volatile region of North Kivu in eastern DRC. According to local sources, 11 people were killed when a convoy […]