30 Congolese Christians murdered
Barnabas Fund, 4 December 2020
At least 30 Christians were killed, and ten young women and girls raped, in a string of attacks on five villages in North Kivu province, Democratic Republic of Congo by the extremist rebel group, The Allied Democratic Forces, between 20 November and 3 December.
Terrified Christians flooded into the streets as the jihadists surrounded churches in each of the five villages armed with guns, machetes, clubs, swords, and axes.
A Christian survivor, who witnessed an attack on his village in the early hours of 22 November, explained that through the vent in the latrine, where he was hiding, he could see the militants murder his wife and three children.
In Mayitike, the worst hit of the villages, a pastor lost all five members of his family in a militia attack. He said that the militants had tried to force villagers to convert to Islam before killing them. “They also tried to force my wife and our four children to convert to Islam, but when they refused to convert, they shot my wife in the head while our four children were cut into pieces with a sword,” said the pastor.
Regional security officers confirmed reports that the jihadists targeted Christians and killed those who refused to convert to Islam.