A report from Open Doors UK, a Christian aid organization, has revealed the brutal beheading of 70 Christians in a church in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The attack was carried out by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a group with ties to the Islamic State – Central Africa Province (ISCAP), also known as ISIS-DRC.

The attack occurred in Mayba, within the territory of Lubero, where ADF militants took 20 Christians hostage. When community members attempted to negotiate their release, the ADF surrounded the area and captured an additional 50 Christians. These 70 individuals were then taken to a Protestant church in Kasanga, where they were tragically beheaded.

The ADF is an Islamist group of Ugandan origin. It is also known as Madina at Tauheed Wau Mujahedeen (City of Monotheism and Jihadists). The group has been wreaking havoc in the DRC for years. The US government designated ISIS-DRC as a foreign terrorist organization in 2021. ISIS refers to the DRC as its “Central Africa Province.”

Since 2013, the ADF has been responsible for “large-scale violence against civilians and asymmetric attacks” against both Congolese army forces and UN peacekeepers, often in retaliation for military operations against them.

This recent massacre is not an isolated incident. Multiple reports from Christian organizations indicate a sharp rise in violence against Christians in the region. Within the last month alone, at least 89 Christians have been killed by ISCAP in northeastern DRC, primarily in the Ituri province.

Many Christians also have been internally displaced. Looting, arson, school closures, and the abandonment of entire Christian villages have become a grim reality.

The violence in the DRC is part of a broader trend of escalating persecution of Christians and Muslims across Africa. As highlighted by Charles Jacobs and Uzay Bulut in an article in Jewish News Syndicate, at least 10 African nations are grappling with violent Islamist movements conducting brutal attacks. These countries include Nigeria, the DRC, the Central African Republic, Sudan, Somalia, Cameroon, Mozambique, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali.

Nigeria, in particular, is described as the “eye of the storm” for Christian persecution. The escalating violence there receives little to no media attention. I cover the persecution of Nigerian Christians in detailed in Chapter 5 of my new book, Beyond Dialogue – Building Bonds Between Christians and Muslims.

The silence and lack of awareness surrounding the persecution of Christians in Africa enables it to go unchecked. The silence and lack of awareness also makes it more difficult to mobilize international aid in support of groups that are in badly need of it.