DRC: 70 Christians beheaded in a church by Islamic terrorists
Last week, 70 Christian men and women were kidnapped from a village in the DRC by an Islamist terror group. Their decapitated bodies were later found in a nearby Protestant church.
Introduction
More than 380 million Christians worldwide face persecution and discrimination for their faith. On Open Doors’ World Watch List of the 50 countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution, the Democratic Republic of Congo (“DRC”) ranks 35th. DRC has risen six places on the World Watch List due to an increase in violence, Open Doors says.
Even though 90% of people in the DRC are Christian, believers are increasingly vulnerable to persecution. With the growth of multiple Islamic extremist and rebel groups perpetrating violence, coupled with an ineffective, complicit, and/or corrupt government, Christians in the DRC are suffering from unprecedented persecution.
Open Doors notes that the severe persecution and violence is mainly from Islamist militants known as the Allied Democratic Forces (“ADF”), especially in the eastern region of the country. Allied with the Islamic State group, the ADF abducts and kills Christians, and attacks churches, leading to widespread terror, insecurity and displacement.
International Christian Concern notes that the ADF are one of many extremist Islamic groups targeting Christians while seeking to establish Islamic law throughout the region.
The March 23 Movement (“M23”) rebel group, reportedly supported by Rwanda and which has recently invaded the DRC, also targets Christian civilians, making the situation even worse.
The DRC has no specific laws to protect Christian women and girls, making them vulnerable to domestic violence and forced marriages. Christian women are also at risk of abduction, rape, trafficking and sexual slavery, especially by the ADF.
Christian men are at risk of being maimed, abducted, forced to join militia groups and killed. Men and boys can also face sexual violence. To escape, Christian men may be forced to pay large ransoms, driving their families deeper into poverty. Christian men also face workplace discrimination and may be denied jobs.
Highlighting an Open Doors article which we have reproduced below, Elsa said:
I have been reading about this kind of thing for years: Christians murdered for being Christian in a variety of countries, by adherents of the Islamic religion. Never the other way around. The Sudan comes most to mind. Also Nigeria.
I have also noted that those who are utterly outraged at what has been happening to the Muslim inhabitants of Gaza almost never mention any of this violence by Muslims.
70 Christians Beheaded By Muslim Terrorists, Truth Summit, 20 February 2025
She’s right.
70 Christians found beheaded in church in DRC
By Open Doors, 18 February 2025
Christians in DRC have again been left reeling after a heinous act of violence that has left 70 believers dead. Please pray for our brothers and sisters in the country as they face escalating persecution.
Seventy Christians have been found beheaded in a church in the Democratic Republic of Congo (“DRC”), in what’s the latest devastating attack on believers in the northeast of the country.
According to field sources, at around 4 am last Thursday (13 February) suspected militants from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) – a group with ties to the so-called Islamic State (“IS”) – approached homes in Mayba in the territory of Lubero, saying: “Get out, get out and don’t make any noise.” Twenty Christian men and women came out and were captured.
Shaken by this incident, people from the local community in Mayba later gathered to work out how to release those held captive. However, ADF militants surrounded the village and captured a further 50 believers.
All 70 of those kidnapped were taken to a Protestant church in Kasanga where they were tragically killed.
Muhindo Musunzi, director of the Kombo primary school (which belongs to the CECA20 church), says that before this incident, churches, schools and health centres had all shut their doors because of the chaotic security situation. “We had to move all activities towards Vunying,” he said.
Field sources report that, until yesterday (Tuesday 18 February), some families had not been able to bury their dead because of insecurity in the area. Many Christians have now fled the area for their safety.
“We don’t know what to do or how to pray; we’ve had enough of massacres,” says an elder of the CECA20 church. “May God’s will alone be done.”
Read: Why has persecution increased in DRC?
Rise In Violence And Internal Displacement
This latest awful incident is a continuation of the escalating threat posed by ADF militants in the country’s northeast region. In 2014, the group intensified attacks in Beni territory in North Kivu province, and since then attacks have spread to the territories of Irumu and Mambasa in Ituri province, and now it’s affecting Lubero. In the last month alone, the group have killed more than 200 people in Baswagha chiefdom, according to a local news website.
This explains why DRC rose six places to number 35 in the latest World Watch List. Last year, 355 were killed for their faith, compared with 261 the previous year, whilst an estimated 10,000 were internally displaced, which is ten times more than in 2023. Houses have been looted and burnt, schools relocated, churches and health facilities closed, and several Christian villages have been abandoned altogether. The recent activities of the M23 rebel group, reportedly supported by Rwanda, has added to the vulnerability of Christians.
A Call To Remain In Prayer
“Open Doors strongly condemns this heinous act of violence against civilians and calls upon civil societies, governments and international organisations to prioritise civilian protection in eastern DRC where armed groups, such as the ADF, are operating,” says John Samuel, Open Doors’ legal expert for the work in sub-Saharan Africa.
“The violence takes place in a context of impunity, where almost no one is held accountable,” he continues. “This massacre is a clear indicator of widespread human rights violations against civilians and vulnerable communities, often targeting Christians, perpetrated by ADF – a [so-called Islamic State] affiliate.”
“We further call on the international Christian community to remain in prayer for Christians and vulnerable communities in eastern DRC,” adds John Samuel. “Pray for an end to violence and that government at all levels will diligently, impartially and transparently address the violence and its effects. Pray for the church in Lumbero as she seeks to bring physical and spiritual assistance to the families affected.”
Further reading: Islamist terror in Congo: ISIS-linked militants beheaded over 70 Christians, Organiser, 20 February 2025
Featured image: Islamic State Central Africa Province is responsible for the deaths of at least 237 Christians since Christmas 2024 (different incidences and terrorist group to what is described in Open Doors’ article above). Source: Barnabas Aid, 17 February 2025
