08/07/2021 DRC(International Christian Concern) – Aljazeera news reports that at least 16 people were killed in the DRC on Monday after being held for weeks by militants thought to be members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).
“The hostages were knifed to death along a main highway near Idohu, in the restive Ituri province, local official Dieudonne Malangai said on Tuesday,” reported the news agency.
For years, dozens of armed militias have wreaked havoc in the DRC, a predominately Christian nation. Violence has increased over the course of 2021, with the largest perpetrator of attacks being the ADF militant group, an affiliated of ISIS whose primary aim is to create an Islamic Caliphate in Central Africa. In order to achieve this, they often assault, kidnap and kill Christians, along with any other civilian who refuses to convert to their extremist views.
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.
