The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has blamed Islamic State-affiliated rebels for the bombing of a Pentecostal church in Kasindi, in the country’s east.
Ten individuals were slain while attending church on Sunday, according to officials.
At least 39 people were injured. And the Congolese military called it a “terrorist act” on the part of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).
In eastern Congo, the ADF is one of the most notorious active rebel factions.
The Congolese government issued a statement in which it “strongly condemned” the bombing, which was “obviously conducted by ADF terrorists.”
It extended its “deepest sympathies” to the families of those killed in “this abhorrent terrorist atrocity.”
The United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo denounced “the vicious and reprehensible attack” in Kasindi.
Its remarks were confirmed by Congolese military spokesman Antony Mualushayi, who stated. “It is evident that this is a terrorist act committed by ADF terrorists. Who have suffered deaths on multiple battlefields at the hands of the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
Mr. Mualushayi claimed that a “homemade explosive device” was utilized in the attack.
Kasindi is located approximately 8 kilometers (3.1 miles) from Beni, where the ADF is active.
In December, the senior UN envoy in the country informed the Security Council that security is “one of the greatest difficulties” facing the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The ADF, an Islamist militant organization founded in the 1990s, focuses mostly on local problems within Uganda.
Since its reemergence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with a series of attacks on Congolese civilians. And a more global jihadist character, the ADF has increasingly claimed responsibility for attacks in the name of the so-called Islamic State organization.
