At least 89 more Christians have been slaughtered by Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP) in north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in the past month.
Most of the killings took place in the province of Ituri. The worst day of violence, Sunday 2 February, saw 28 deaths in attacks on three villages near Ndalya.
North Kivu Province was also affected. In one armed assault on 29 January, nine were killed and around 30 houses burned down in Lubero District.
Islamic State Central Africa Province is responsible for the deaths of at least 237 Christians since Christmas 2024
The killings were reported by Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL, Daesh) social media channels, tracked by the Terrorism Research and Analysis Consortium.
Including these most recent attacks, at least 237 Christians have been killed by ISCAP (also known as the Allied Democratic Forces) since Christmas 2024. Almost 6,000 believers have died at the hands of ISCAP since the group pledged allegiance to IS in 2017.
The increase in ISCAP activity comes as north-eastern DRC is thrown into turmoil by conflict between the M23 armed rebel group and the DRC military.
The M23 seized control of Goma, the capital of North Kivu, on 27 January. The rebels then captured Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu Province, on 17 February.
At least 50 people were killed, women assaulted, and houses burned by yet another armed group, CODECO, in the Djaiba region of Ituri on 10 February.
Three Christian humanitarian workers from Swiss Church Aid were killed in North Kivu on 7 February. The identity of the attackers is unknown.
Ask the Lord to protect His people who are being targeted by ISCAP and caught in the middle of other armed conflicts. Pray that He will provide for the urgent humanitarian needs of the displaced, through Barnabas Aid and other aid agencies. Ask for an end to the violence that has blighted north-eastern DRC for so long.
