Rebels kill 21 people  ( 21 people) 

Kinshasa: Islamic State-backed rebels have attacked a church in eastern Congo. At least 21 people      ( 21 people)    have been killed in this attack on Sunday. A civil organization leader has given information about this. This attack was carried out by members of the Allied Democratic Force (ADF) at around 1 am in a Catholic church complex in Komanda, eastern Congo. Many houses and shops have also been burnt in the attack.

Search operation continues

Dieudonne Duranthabo, a civil organization coordinator in Komanda, said, “More than 21 people were shot and we have found at least three burnt bodies. Many houses have also been reported to be burnt. The search operation is ongoing. A Congolese army spokesman in Ituri province, where Komanda is based, confirmed the death of 10 people.

Attacks have happened before too

“This morning we learned that armed men with machetes intruded into a church a short distance from Komanda, where several people were killed and some shops were set on fire,” said Lieutenant Jules Ngongo, a spokesman for the DRC army in Ituri. Earlier this month, the group also killed dozens of people in Ituri, in what a UN spokesman described as a bloody conflict.

Learn about Islamic State-backed rebels
The Islamic State-linked ADF is an insurgent group active in the border region between Uganda and Congo, which has repeatedly carried out attacks on the civilian population. The ADF was formed by separate small groups in the late 1990s after discontent with Yoweri Museveni in Uganda. In 2002, following military attacks by Ugandan forces, the group moved its operations to the neighbouring DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo) and has since been responsible for the killing of thousands of civilians. In 2019, it pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. The ADF’s leadership envisions an Islamic government in the East African country.