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Islamic extremists attacked a funeral at a Catholic parish in the Democratic Republic of the Congo earlier this month, killing at least 64 people.
At least 64 people, some who were attending funeral services at a Catholic church in Ntoyo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, were killed in an attack by Islamic extremists on September 8, said the charity Aid to the Church in Need.
The attack was attributed to the group Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), which is affiliated with ISIS. Ntoyo is located in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, in the North Kivu province.
At approximately 9 p.m. on September 8, ADF militants attacked the funeral with machetes, killing dozens. The attack continued into the morning hours of September 9.
"The victims were caught off guard at a mourning ceremony," Macaire Sivikunula, a local administrator, told Reuters.
Following the machete attacks, ADF militants set houses and cars on fire in the village, adding to the death toll. The fact that only certain homes were set ablaze suggests that the attack was premeditated, said Aid to the Church in Need.
Bishop Melchisédech Sikuli Paluko of Butembo-Beni condemned the attack in a message provided to Aid to the Church in Need.
“To all the families affected by this umpteenth and horrible carnage … and to all the faithful of the parish, we express our spiritual closeness," he said.
Bishop Paluko added, “May God, the Master of Life, strengthen us through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, consoler of the afflicted, and lead us beyond the desert of present-day suffering to lasting peace.”
In late July, ADF militants killed at least 40 people, including nine children, in Komanda, Ituri, Democratic Republic of the Congo. That massacre was a similar nighttime attack on a church service, said the United Nations.
Earlier in July, ADF militants killed an additional 82 people in a pair of attacks in the Ituri and North Kivu provinces.
“These targeted attacks against defenceless civilians, particularly in places of worship, are not only appalling, but also in violation of all human rights standards and international humanitarian law,” said Vivian van de Perre, Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Protection and Operations and Acting Head of MONUSCO, following the late July attack.
The ADF was founded in Uganda in 1995 by Jamil Mukulu, an Islamic fundamentalist convert from Catholicism.
Mukulu has been awaiting trial in Uganda for crimes against humanity since 2015, and has been sentenced to death in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
At least 64 people, some who were attending funeral services at a Catholic church in Ntoyo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, were killed in an attack by Islamic extremists on September 8, said the charity Aid to the Church in Need.
The attack was attributed to the group Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), which is affiliated with ISIS. Ntoyo is located in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, in the North Kivu province.
At approximately 9 p.m. on September 8, ADF militants attacked the funeral with machetes, killing dozens. The attack continued into the morning hours of September 9.
"The victims were caught off guard at a mourning ceremony," Macaire Sivikunula, a local administrator, told Reuters.
Following the machete attacks, ADF militants set houses and cars on fire in the village, adding to the death toll. The fact that only certain homes were set ablaze suggests that the attack was premeditated, said Aid to the Church in Need.
Bishop Melchisédech Sikuli Paluko of Butembo-Beni condemned the attack in a message provided to Aid to the Church in Need.
“To all the families affected by this umpteenth and horrible carnage … and to all the faithful of the parish, we express our spiritual closeness," he said.
Bishop Paluko added, “May God, the Master of Life, strengthen us through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, consoler of the afflicted, and lead us beyond the desert of present-day suffering to lasting peace.”
Ntoyo is the latest attack by ADF
The ADF has been particularly active throughout the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda in recent months, noted Aid to the Church in Need.In late July, ADF militants killed at least 40 people, including nine children, in Komanda, Ituri, Democratic Republic of the Congo. That massacre was a similar nighttime attack on a church service, said the United Nations.
Earlier in July, ADF militants killed an additional 82 people in a pair of attacks in the Ituri and North Kivu provinces.
“These targeted attacks against defenceless civilians, particularly in places of worship, are not only appalling, but also in violation of all human rights standards and international humanitarian law,” said Vivian van de Perre, Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Protection and Operations and Acting Head of MONUSCO, following the late July attack.
The ADF was founded in Uganda in 1995 by Jamil Mukulu, an Islamic fundamentalist convert from Catholicism.
Mukulu has been awaiting trial in Uganda for crimes against humanity since 2015, and has been sentenced to death in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
