The “19 people were killed by the rebels who plague the territory of Beni, the ADF,” said Kakule Kalunga, a local chief told the AFP news agency, adding that the victims were killed by “bladed weapons and fire”, and that houses were also set ablaze.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of State designated ADF as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and categorized them as ISIS-DRC. The group has the primary aim of creating an Islamic Caliphate in Central Africa. While a large majority (85-90%) of DRC’s population is Christian, violence rooted in Islamic extremism continues to worsen, putting the country at number 40 on the 2021 Open Doors World Watch List for Christian persecution.

“These predominantly Christian communities are attacked by an Islamic extremist group with a clear Islamic expansionist agenda,” Open Doors spokesperson Illia Djadi stated in reference to the rebel group.

Source: Persecution.org