70 Christians beheaded in church: What we know

Seventy decapitated bodies have been discovered in a church in the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to Open Doors, which supports persecuted Christians around the world.

An Islamist group linked to Islamic State called the AFD are feared to have beheaded the victims with machetes.

Newsweek has contacted the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC, via email, for comment.

What To Know

The 70 decapitated bodies were discovered in a Protestant church in the town of Kasanga, in the Lubero Territory in the province of North Kivu toward the end of last week, according to Open Doors.

No group has taken responsibility for the atrocity, but Open Doors, and several other organizations, have accused the AFD of the murders, citing “field sources.” The victims are believed to have been taken hostage a few days before they were killed.

Military administrator Alain Kiwewa for the Lubero Territory said he was investigating the incident, Pan-African news agency Agence de Presse Africaine reported.

“Local sources suspect the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an Islamist group of Ugandan origin affiliated with the Islamic State, as well as local armed groups of being responsible for the massacre. These groups have maintained a climate of terror in the region for several months,” the agency said.

It said the victims, who had been “tied up and decapitated with knives,” had been kidnapped on February 12.

American conservative anti-abortion activity Lila Rose posted on X: “Horrific. 70 Christians were brutally beheaded by an Islamist group inside a church in the Democratic Republic of Congo Where’s the media outrage? Pray for persecuted Christians.”

Social media account “Libs of TikTok” also posted about it with the caption: “Seventy Christians were found beheaded in a church in the Democratic Republic of Congo. They were reportedly hostages of the Islamist group ADF—an ISIS affiliate Why isn’t the MSM (mainstream media) covering this story??”

What People Are Saying

The Hungarian State Secretary for the Aid of Persecuted Christians Tristan Azbej said: “Horrified to learn about the 70 Christian martyrs beheaded by terrorists in a church in Kasanga, DRC. Hungary stands in solidarity with the persecuted Christians BUT we need more the world needs to recognize and act against Christian persecution.”

Open Doors’ legal expert for the work in sub-Saharan Africa John Samuel said: “Open Doors strongly condemns this heinous act of violence against civilians and calls upon civil societies, governments and international organizations to prioritize civilian protection in eastern DRC where armed groups, such as the ADF, are operating.”

An elder of the Evangelical Community in Central Africa said: “We don’t know what to do or how to pray. There have been too many massacres. May God’s will be done.”

The Context

The DRC has been in a nearly continuous state of war and conflict for more than three decades, but violence has surged recently, namely the with advancement of the March 23 Movement (M23), which has captured strategic locations, including the cities of Goma and Bukavu.

ADF is another rebel group involved in the violence, one of the reasons Ugandan forces were recently deployed to eastern Congo to help Congolese troops.