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Al Arabiya
4 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Islamic state-backed rebels attack a catholic church in eastern congo, killing at least 34
GOMA, Congo—ISIS-backed terrorists attacked a Catholic church in eastern Congo on Sunday, killing at least 34 people, according to a local civil society leader. Dieudonne Duranthabo, a civil society coordinator in Komanda in the Ituri province, told The Associated Press that the attackers stormed the church in Komanda town at around 1 a.m. Several houses and shops were also burned. 'The bodies of the victims are still at the scene of the tragedy, and volunteers are preparing how to bury them in a mass grave that we are preparing in a compound of the Catholic church,' Duranthabo said. Video footage from the scene shared online appeared to show burning structures and bodies on the floor of the church. Those who were able to identify some of the victims wailed, while others stood in shock. At least five other people were killed in an earlier attack on the nearby village of Machongani. 'They took several people into the bush; we do not know their destination or their number,' Lossa Dhekana, a civil society leader in Ituri, told the AP. Both attacks are believed to have been carried out by members of the Allied Democratic Force (ADF) armed with guns and machetes. Lt. Jules Ngongo, a spokesperson for the Congolese army in Ituri, confirmed at least 10 fatalities in the Komanda church attack. However, UN-backed Radio Okapi reported 43 deaths, citing security sources. The attackers reportedly came from a stronghold about 12 kilometers (7 miles) from Komanda and fled before security forces arrived. Duranthabo condemned the violence in what he said was a town where all the security officials are present. He called for immediate military intervention, warning that 'the enemy is still near our town.' Eastern Congo has suffered deadly attacks in recent years by armed groups, including the ADF and Rwanda-backed terrorists. The ADF, which has ties to ISIS, operates in the borderland between Uganda and Congo and often targets civilians. The group killed dozens of people in Ituri earlier this month in what a United Nations spokesperson described as a bloodbath. The ADF was formed by disparate small groups in Uganda in the late 1990s following alleged discontent with President Yoweri Museveni. In 2002, following military assaults by Ugandan forces, the group moved its activities to neighboring Congo and has since been responsible for the killings of thousands of civilians. In 2019, it pledged allegiance to ISIS. The Congolese army (FARDC) has long struggled to contain the group, especially amid renewed conflict involving the M23 terrorist movement backed by neighboring Rwanda.


Arab News
8 hours ago
- Arab News
At least 21 killed in attack on east Congo church by Islamic State-backed rebels, civil leader says
GOMA: At least 21 people were killed on Sunday in an attack on a Catholic church in eastern Congo by Islamic State-backed rebels, according to a civil society leader. The military confirmed at least 10 fatalities, while local media reports put the death toll at more than 40. The attack is believed to have been carried out by members of the Allied Democratic Force (ADF) armed with machetes, who stormed the church premises in Ituri province's Komanda town at around 1 a.m. Several houses and shops were also burnt. 'More than 21 people were shot dead inside and outside and we have recorded at least three charred bodies and several houses burned. But the search is continuing,' Dieudonne Duranthabo, civil society coordinator in Komanda, told The Associated Press. Lt. Jules Ngongo, a Congolese army spokesperson in Ituri province, confirmed 10 killed in the attack. Video footage from the scene shared online appeared to show burning structures and bodies on the floor of the church. Those who were able to identify some of the victims wailed while others stood in shock. A UN-backed radio station said 43 people were killed, citing security sources. It said the attackers came from a stronghold around 12 kilometers (7 miles) from the center of Komanda and fled before security forces could arrive. Eastern Congo has suffered deadly attacks in recent years by armed groups, including the ADF and Rwanda-backed rebels. The ADF, which has ties to the Islamic State, operates in the borderland between Uganda and Congo and often targets civilians. The group killed dozens of people in Ituri earlier this month in what a United Nations spokesperson described as a bloodbath. Duranthabo condemned the attack 'in a town where all the security officials are present.' He added: 'We demand military intervention as soon as possible, since we are told the enemy is still near our town.' The ADF was formed by disparate small groups in Uganda in the late 1990s following alleged discontent with President Yoweri Museveni. In 2002, following military assaults by Ugandan forces, the group moved its activities to neighboring Congo and has since been responsible for the killings of thousands of civilians. In 2019, it pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC), which has long struggled against the rebel group, has been facing attacks since the renewed hostilities between the Rwanda-backed M23.


Arab News
a day ago
- Arab News
Italy's Meloni: Recognizing Palestinian state before it is established may be ‘counterproductive'
MILAN: Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Saturday that recognizing the State of Palestine before it is established could be counterproductive. 'I am very much in favor of the State of Palestine but I am not in favor of recognizing it prior to establishing it,' Meloni told Italian daily La Repubblica. 'If something that doesn't exist is recognized on paper, the problem could appear to be solved when it isn't,' Meloni added. France's decision to recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly in September drew condemnation from Israel and the United States, amid the war in Gaza between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas. On Friday, Italy's foreign minister said recognition of a Palestinian state must occur simultaneously with recognition of Israel by the new Palestinian entity. A German government spokesperson said on Friday that Berlin was not planning to recognize a Palestinian state in the short term and said its priority now is to make 'long-overdue progress' toward a two-state solution.