Early on Sunday, July 27, 2025, attackers linked to the Islamic State’s Central Africa Province struck a Catholic church in Komanda, a town in Ituri province in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
The assault occurred during a night vigil around 1:00 a.m., when worshippers were inside the church.
At least 34 people were killed, according to local civil society officials, while independent sources report up to 43 fatalities.
The attackers, believed to be Allied Democratic Forces militants armed with guns and machetes, also torched nearby homes, shops, and a local bank.
Witnesses say they abducted an unknown number of people and looted property before fleeing toward a forested area approximately 12 km from Komanda.
Local first responders discovered victims both inside and outside the church, including charred bodies, while up to 15 people were wounded.
Many remain missing. In Machongani village near Komanda, another five civilians died in a related attack earlier that night.
The ADF first emerged in Uganda during the 1990s and shifted operations to eastern Congo around 2002.
It formally pledged allegiance to Islamic State in 2019 and has carried out repeated assaults on civilians since then.
The Congolese army confirmed at least 10 deaths, though local media and humanitarian sources suggest the toll is much higher.
A civil society coordinator in Komanda reported volunteers preparing a mass grave at the church compound for the victims.
Komanda sits in a mineral‑rich region that has long seen violence from different armed groups.
Over recent years, joint operations by Congolese and Ugandan forces—known as Operation Shujaa—have aimed to contain ADF attacks, but violence remains unchecked in many areas.