GOMA: At least 21 people were killed on Sunday in an attack on a Catholic church in eastern Congo by Islamic State-backed rebels, according to a civil society leader.
The military confirmed at least 10 fatalities, while local media reports put the death toll at more than 40.
The attack is believed to have been carried out by members of the Allied Democratic Force (ADF) armed with machetes, who stormed the church premises in Ituri province’s Komanda town at around 1 a.m. Several houses and shops were also burnt.
“More than 21 people were shot dead inside and outside and we have recorded at least three charred bodies and several houses burned. But the search is continuing,” Dieudonne Duranthabo, civil society coordinator in Komanda, told The Associated Press.
Lt. Jules Ngongo, a Congolese army spokesperson in Ituri province, confirmed 10 killed in the attack.
Video footage from the scene shared online appeared to show burning structures and bodies on the floor of the church. Those who were able to identify some of the victims wailed while others stood in shock.
A UN-backed radio station said 43 people were killed, citing security sources. It said the attackers came from a stronghold around 12 kilometers (7 miles) from the center of Komanda and fled before security forces could arrive.
Eastern Congo has suffered deadly attacks in recent years by armed groups, including the ADF and Rwanda-backed rebels. The ADF, which has ties to the Islamic State, operates in the borderland between Uganda and Congo and often targets civilians. The group killed dozens of people in Ituri earlier this month in what a United Nations spokesperson described as a bloodbath.
Duranthabo condemned the attack “in a town where all the security officials are present.” He added: “We demand military intervention as soon as possible, since we are told the enemy is still near our town.”
The ADF was formed by disparate small groups in Uganda in the late 1990s following alleged discontent with President Yoweri Museveni.
In 2002, following military assaults by Ugandan forces, the group moved its activities to neighboring Congo and has since been responsible for the killings of thousands of civilians. In 2019, it pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.
The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC), which has long struggled against the rebel group, has been facing attacks since the renewed hostilities between the Rwanda-backed M23.
At least 21 killed in attack on east Congo church by Islamic State-backed rebels, civil leader says
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At least 21 killed in attack on east Congo church by Islamic State-backed rebels, civil leader says
- Video footage from the scene shared online appeared to show burning structures and bodies on the floor of the church
- The attack is believed to have been carried out by members of the Allied Democratic Force (ADF) armed with machetes, who stormed the church premises in Ituri province’s Komanda town
On UN sidelines, Islamabad denounces Israeli measures to expand control over West Bank
- Reaffirms backing for Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders
- Signals support for multilateral peace initiatives including Gaza peace board
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign minister has held talks with the Palestinian representative to the United Nations in New York and denounced Israel’s latest measures to tighten control over the occupied West Bank, the foreign ministry said on Thursday.
Israel’s cabinet approved measures this month aimed at tightening administrative control over the West Bank, including easing land purchases by settlers and expanding settlement governance in the territory Palestinians seek for a future state.
Palestinians have described the steps as a “de-facto annexation,” while Israel says the changes regulate land administration and infrastructure. The developments come amid heightened international scrutiny of the Gaza war and renewed diplomatic efforts toward a two-state solution.
“The DPM/FM strongly condemned Israel’s recent measures to expand control over the Occupied West Bank and its continued ceasefire violations in Gaza,” Pakistan’s foreign ministry said in a statement after Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met Riyadh Mansour, the Permanent Representative of the State of Palestine to the United Nations, on the sidelines of a United Nations briefing in New York.
The West Bank, captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war, is widely regarded by the international community as occupied territory, and settlement expansion there is considered illegal under international law and a major obstacle to a future Palestinian state.
According to the foreign ministry statement, Pakistan reaffirmed its “unwavering support for the Palestinian people, including their right to self-determination,” and expressed readiness to support diplomatic initiatives, including President Donald Trump’s peace plan, the Board of Peace mechanism and broader international efforts aimed at resolving the conflict.
Mansour thanked Pakistan for what the ministry described as its “steadfast and principled support” for the Palestinian cause at the United Nations and other international forums.
Pakistan has long advocated a two-state solution based on pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state and has recently stepped up diplomatic engagement as international mediation efforts intensify following months of conflict in Gaza.
