ISIS Terrorists Slaughter Christians in the Congo

For years the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been a region of great instability & violence with a dozen armed groups and over 100 criminal gangs operating in the Eastern region of the DRC alone.  Among those groups is the Allied Democratic Forces, a Jihadists terrorist organization that pledged allegiance to ISIS in 2018.  During the month of June, the group claimed responsibility for attacks that killed over 150 Christian villagers, 38 killed on the 8th of June alone.  The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) recently released images posted by the Allied Democratic Forces on a Telegram account that detailed some of the recent horrific attacks.  

Christian Villagers Slaughtered by the ADF Militants

These Jihadists Militants, armed with guns & machetes, attacked soldiers and civilians alike.  Images revealed dozens of victims, some of whom were shot while others had their hands tied behind their backs & their throats slashed, clearly showing that they were executed in Cold Blood.  These same militants also carried out attacks against Christians in nearby Uganda, one of the most notorious being the Mpondwe School Massacre in which the ADF attacked a the Mpondwe Secondary School.  Forty-two were killed in this attack, 38 of whom were students.  Ugandan authorities revealed that 18 schoolboys were burned alive in their dorm rooms & 20 young school girls were hacked to death.  An additional 6 individuals were kidnapped by the militants.  Despite being a predominantly Christian nation, the ongoing militant attacks led Open Doors to rank the DRC as #41 on the list of nations considered most dangerous to be a Christian.

ADF Burning Villages

Since the end of 2021 both the Congolese & Ugandan armies have conducted joint operations against the ADF, but thus far have failed in their efforts to root out & eliminate the Jihadist militants.  However, the real tragedy is that even if the ADF is eliminated, more Jihadist militants are sure to eventually arise.  Unless the Doctrine of Jihad is rejected by the leaders of the Islamic faith across the world, attacks like this are going to continue all across the globe.  

Sources:

"Islamic State of Central African Province (ISCAP) Releases Photos of Attack on Christian Villagers in the Congo."  MEMRI.  July 02, 2024.  Accessed from 

https://www.memri.org/jttm/warning-%E2%80%93-graphic-islamic-state-central-africa-province-iscap-releases-photos-attack-christian.

"ISIL-Affiliated Rebel Fighters Blamed After 38 Killed in DR Congo Attack."  Al Jazeera.  June 08th, 2024.  Accessed from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/6/8/killed-by-isil-fighters-in-drc-attack.

Kumar, Anugrah.  "ISIS Kills Dozens of Christians in DRC; Churches Close After Latest Attacks."  The Christian Post.  June 16th, 2024.  Accessed from https://www.christianpost.com/news/isis-kills-dozens-of-christians-in-drc-churches-close.html.

Wise, Talia.  "Horrifying: ISIS Kills 80 Christians, Decapitating Victims in the Democratic Republic of the Congo."  CBN News.  June 17th, 2024.  Accessed from https://www2.cbn.com/news/world/horrifying-isis-kills-80-christians-decapitating-victims-democratic-republic-congo.

Yee, Isaac, et al.  "ISIS-Linked Rebel Group Attacks Ugandan School, Killing Dozens.  CNN.  June 18th, 2023.  Accessed from https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2023/06/17/uganda-school-attack-armed-rebels-madowo-sot-cnntmw-vpx.cnn.