A brutal massacre in the North Kivu province of eastern Congo, which left 70 people beheaded by Islamists in a Protestant church on 15 February, has drawn international condemnation.
The victims, mostly women, children, and the elderly, were killed by the Allied Democratic Forces, a militia linked to the Islamic State group.
The attack, described as an egregious violation of human rights, highlights a broader, long-running crisis in the region, with some Catholic sources calling it a “silent genocide” reminiscent of the 1994 Rwandan massacre.
For decades, eastern Congo has been plagued by conflict, fuelled by competition for valuable minerals like cobalt and coltan.
This violence has resulted in the death of over 6 million people since the mid-1990s.
The ADF and other rebel groups continue to terrorize communities, forcing many to flee their homes.
During his visit to Congo and in South Sudan 31 January- 5 February 2023, Pope Francis referred to the Congo violence as an overlooked genocide perpetrated by generations of exploiters, plunderers and power-hungry groups.
“Stop choking Africa: It is not a mine to be stripped or a terrain to be plundered,” he said during the trip.