DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO: 70 Christians Massacred Inside a Church

26 February 2025

Source: International Christian Concern; Open Doors UK; The Voice of the Martyrs USA

While the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is one of Africa’s largest countries geographically with a Christian-majority population, Islamist terrorists severely persecute Christians along the DRC’s eastern border. One of the principal persecutors are the Islamist Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). In areas controlled by the ADF, Christian villages have been raided, churches destroyed and hundreds of believers brutally killed.

Less than two weeks ago, in the north-eastern village of Kasanga, 70 Christians were found beheaded in a church following their kidnapping from local villages. Suspected members of the ADF reportedly detained many Christian villagers before tying them up in a local protestant church and decapitating them with machetes.

Responding to ADF attacks in January that left 15 dead, pastors in North Kivu province told sources that the violence is often being targeted towards Christians and has decimated churches.

“We are no longer talking about simple violence,” one pastor said. “We are losing fellow innocent Christians time and again. Our churches are now remaining empty … the people of the Lord are suffering, and it’s just not bearable to watch.”

Sources report that due to ongoing violent attacks in the area, many schools, churches and medical clinics remain closed. Additionally, many Christians are fleeing the area following this latest massacre.

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    Pray for them

    Pray for the many families impacted by the sudden and horrific loss of their loved ones in this recent attack. Ask the Lord to comfort them and protect their hearts from hardening against the attackers. Pray that, in God’s strength, they would be able to forgive their enemies.

    Ask the Lord to be at work in the government, authorities and rulers of the DRC to bring about justice and peace in their nation. May God use them to fulfil His plans for this nation.

    Pray for the believers in the DRC. Ask the Lord to sustain them spiritually and physically as they face persecution and displacement. Pray that they would hold fast to their salvation in Christ.

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