A congolese bishop has made a fresh plea for the country’s leaders to stop the armed conflict following the massacre of around 150 people – including at least 80 Christians – by an Islamist rebel group earlier this month. Denouncing the “serious and ongoing violations of human dignity” on Tuesday (18th June), Bishop Melchisedec Sikuli Paluku of Butembo-Beni called on authorities to “put an end to the plight of the Congolese people”.
The terrorist group known as Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) – which is affiliated with Daesh (ISIS) – carried out the killings in villages in North Kivu Province in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) between 4th and 8th June. Media outlets reported that an on-line post by Daesh indicated that one of the attacks specifically targeted Christians. In his statement, a copy of which was sent to Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Bishop Paluku condemned the atrocities committed “against the peaceful population [which has been] left defenceless”. According to the bishop the extremists “raped girls and women; kidnapped people of whom there is no trace today, and killed many others”.
He added that ADF militants torched homes, medical facilities, businesses and vehicles, forcing survivors to flee the area. The bishop went on to call on “the authorities of the country to put an end to the Calvary of the Congolese people, in general, and of the population of the Diocese of Butembo-Beni, in particular.”