Over the past two weeks, members of the Islamic Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) have killed more than 20 Christians, causing immense suffering in the Lubero territory, North Kivu province of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
On 13 November, an attack in a community left three Christians dead, according to Pastor Katembo Kitaheruka of the CBCA church in Vunyinga.
In the largely Christian community of Byambwe, the ADF killed at least 20 Christians in the night of 14 November. Pastor Kambale Maliro shares that the attackers killed 18 people, mostly patients at the Catholic Church health centre, and two others were burned alive in their homes.
Other sources speak of a total of 28 deaths during this attack, including 16 women and 12 men. The ADF also set fire to the health centre before retreating.
“When they arrived at the Catholic Church health centre, they took the sick and those caring for them out of their beds and killed them with machetes. In the maternity ward, the children were left without their mothers. It is truly sad. Pray for us. They left the health centre, killing all the Christian patients and taking the nurses who were on duty with them,” shares Reverend Maliro.
TV5monde, citing Colonel Alain Kiwewa, administrator of Lubero reports, “Women who were breastfeeding their children were brutally murdered and found with their throats slit in their hospital beds”.
During the incident, the attackers also set fire to homes, looted property, and kidnapped an unknown number of people.
During a recent visit to the area, Rev. Maliro painted a miserable picture to Open Doors’ partners. “The road was quiet and very scary. There were no motorbikes, and the people I wanted to travel with were moving on foot to seek refuge in the city of Butembo… The service on Sunday, 16 November 2025, did not see half of its usual congregation. A church of at least 450 Christians, but this Sunday we had communion with 150 Christians.”
The cleric asks for prayers for the church in the face of this relentless attack on the community. “Repeated attacks against Christians are affecting their faith and disrupting school activities. We ask our brothers and sisters to pray for the safety and strengthening of Christians in the face of the ADF enemy,” he shares.
The local civil society declared three days of no activity to protest insecurity in the Baswagha chiefdom in Lubero territory.
Unyielding Attacks: A Timeline
On average, at least 12 ADF attacks per month against Christians have been reported during the months of August, September, and October.
Some include:
The over 80 killed in two attacks on 8 and 9 September 2025, in Fotodu and Ntoyo, several other ADF attacks have been reported in different communities within the North Kivu and Ituri provinces.
On 10 September, the ADF killed 2 Christians who were returning from their farms in Musuki, Beni territory.
On 14 September, they looted a health centre belonging to a Christian close to Mbau, set fire to the maternity ward and two vehicles, and carted away pharmaceutical products.
Two others died, and three children sustained injuries during an incursion on Idohu on the night of 17 to September.
On 26 September, the ADF killed 8 Christians around Pwendi, Beni territory. The victims were Christians of the CBCA, CECA20, EERA, and Catholic churches. They were traders who were on route to the Mamove market when they were ambushed and killed. The attackers also looted a vehicle and burnt four motorbikes.
On 29 October 2025, the ADF killed another 8 Christians in Gwado, approximately 8 kilometres from Manguredjipa town. This situation has created widespread panic in the area, as the destruction of Christian property and the mass movement of Christians to other areas, has left profound fear engraved on the faces of those remaining in the area.
“This situation in Manguredjipa saddens our hearts. School children and students have stayed home, and schools are closed… We are counting on divine intervention,” Reverend Pastor Mbula Samaki of the Baptist community in Manguredjipa told Open Doors’ partners.
Please pray:
- Pray for comfort for Christians who lost loved ones in these attacks.
- Pray for the safety of Christians threatened by insecurity in general and the ADF specifically.
- Pray for resilience for Christians living in the eastern part of the DRC.
- Pray that God will change the hearts of extremists for His glory.
Stay updated with the latest prayer requests from the persecuted church.