Catholic Charity Expresses “deep concern” about Violence after Over 60 Massacred at Parish Wake in Eastern DR Congo

Butembo-Beni, 18 September, 2025 / 10:16 PM

The Catholic and Pontifical Foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) International has expressed “deep concern” about escalating violence in the Eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo following an attack at a Parish that left over 60 people dead.

Local sources informed ACN that the September 10 massacre in Ntoyo, in the parish of St. Joseph of Manguredjipa, in the province of North Kivu left at least 64 dead, many of whom were killed while taking part in a wake. 

Denouncing the attack in a statement sent to ACI Africa on Wednesday, September 17, the charity foundation that documents persecution across the world, affirmed its closeness with those affected by the massacre.

“International Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) expresses its deep concern and solidarity with the families of the victims of a brutal attack carried out on September 10 in Ntoyo, in the parish of Saint Joseph of Manguredjipa,” the charity foundation says.

The attackers allegedly belonging to the to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) are said to have used firearms and hammers to kill their victims. 

According to the report by ACN, some homes were also selectively set alight during the attack, “suggesting that this was a premeditated act of terror.” 

The ADF is an Islamist insurgent group originally from Uganda. 

In 2019, the ADF formally aligned itself with the Islamic State’s Central Africa Province (IS-CAP). The group has been responsible for a number of massacres in eastern Congo, which have been characterised by their extreme violence against civilians, especially Christians. 

The September 10 attack follows several recent atrocities which ACN has previously denounced. On July 27, at least 40 people, including many young people, were murdered during a prayer vigil in a church in Komanda, Ituri. 

In February, over 70 corpses were found in a Protestant church in Lubero, many of them had their hands bound and had been decapitated. 

ACN has described the situation in eastern DRC as “dire”, saying, “The violence has intensified all over the region of North and South Kivu, leading to massive displacement of populations and a serious humanitarian crisis.”

“Although many provinces have been under martial law for years, with a heavy presence of Congolese armed forces, Ugandan troops and a UN mission, the attacks continue,” the charity foundation reports. 

The Congolese Bishops’ Conference has denounced the fact that in these regions the population continues to suffer from murders and kidnappings, describing the killings as “odious massacres” carried out against innocent faithful. 

Meanwhile, ACN has reiterated the message sent out by Bishop Melchisédec Sikuli Paluko of Butembo–Beni,  to express solidarity with the affected families, assuring them of spiritual closeness.

In the message published by the charity foundation, Bishop Sikuli says, “To all the families affected by this umpteenth and horrible carnage … and to all the faithful of the parish, we express our spiritual closeness.”

“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,” the Bishop says.

ACN has also reaffirmed its commitment to the Church in the DRC, which it says is one of the countries that receive the largest amount of its aid.

The charity further calls for prayers for the victims of the September 10 atrocity, for their families and for the entire Christian community in DRC. 

It also calls for urgent action by the international community to protect civilians, ensure religious freedom and work for a lasting peace in this region which struggles under the yoke of over 120 militias and violent groups.