Democratic Republic of the Congo: At Least 24 Christians Killed in Suspected Jihadist Attack on Village

Joint MONUSCO-FARDC operation against ADF in Beni, MONUSCO Photos, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 | Jihad Watch

During the night of June 2, militants from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) launched an attack on the village of Mbau, situated approximately 12 miles from Beni City in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), killing at least 24 Christians, according to preliminary reports. Among those killed were a local pastor and his wife.

The assault came only days after another deadly overnight raid on May 30 in the nearby village of Ngadi, located about nine miles away, where 15 people lost their lives.

The latest massacre has heightened fears over the deteriorating security situation in the region, despite the presence of the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC), backed by the Ugandan People's Defence Force (UPDF) and United Nations peacekeepers serving under MONUSCO. For many residents, the repeated attacks have raised serious concerns about how armed militants continue to operate in areas with a significant security presence.

Political analyst and philosopher Edgar Mateso described the situation as alarming.

“It is not normal for the enemy to strike twice in the same area without being intercepted, especially when the region is under the control of the regular army, with support from the UPDF and MONUSCO peacekeepers,” he said.

Mateso argued that the recurring violence exposes major weaknesses in the current security strategy and called for urgent action from authorities in Kinshasa. According to him, the government must fundamentally reassess its approach to combating the ADF in eastern DRC.

He warned that without a comprehensive review of military operations and security governance, the people of North Kivu province will continue to endure a conflict that has persisted for far too long. Bringing an end to the activities of these violent militants, he stressed, “should no longer be treated as a secondary objective but must become one of the country's foremost priorities.”

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)