Seventy Christians were found beheaded inside a Protestant church in the North Kivu Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to reports stating that the victims had been kidnapped by suspected Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) terrorists.
The attack occurred in the village of Mayba last Thursday around 4 a.m., where the armed group ordered residents to quietly evacuate their homes, which led to the abduction of at least 20 Christian men and women.
Following the kidnappings, concerned local residents convened to plan a rescue, but the ADF terror group surrounded the village and managed to capture 50 more believers. Those abducted were subsequently taken to a Protestant church in Kasanga, where they were later found beheaded, according to the ministry Open Doors.
The International Christian Concern (ICC), a U.S.-based persecution watchdog, labeled the incident “a brutal massacre,” noting that the ADF held the hostages for several days before executing them.
ICC President Jeff King commented on the horrific nature of the incident, saying, “This recent massacre, where 70 Christians lost their lives, is not an isolated incident but part of a grim tapestry of violence that has claimed over 6 million lives in the DRC over two decades of on-and-off war. The vast majority of the DRC’s residents are Christian, so this is a religious genocide carried out by radical Islamic terrorists (the ADF).”
He emphasized the need for action beyond prayer, advocating for “an all-African military force to intervene in this failed state, to restore order and save countless more people from becoming victims of this endless cycle of bloodshed.”
Open Doors also reported comments from a local primary school director at the Kombo school, who indicated that churches and health centers in the area had suspended operations due to pervasive violence and had to relocate all activities. Many Christians have fled the Lubero region in search of safety.
The ADF, which has ties to the Islamic State terror group, has increased its attacks in northeastern Congo over recent years. The group escalated its assaults in the Beni territory of North Kivu province in 2014 and later expanded into the Irumu and Mambasa regions of Ituri province. A local news outlet reported that more than 200 individuals were killed in the Baswagha chiefdom last month.
The DRC has moved up six spots on the World Watch List, now ranking 35th in the latest assessment. Recorded deaths related to faith rose from 261 to 355 last year, and thousands of individuals have been internally displaced due to the ongoing violence.
