The persecution of Christians has escalated in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), prompting fears that a jihadist group is gaining strength in the region.
At least 36 people were killed in the North Kivu region in the deadliest attack there since November 2014, according to the UN. The victims were reportedly tied up and hacked to death.
The Islamist Allied Democratic Forces/National Association for the Liberation of Uganda have targeted Christians in the north-east of the DRC for several years after the former’s attempt to overthrow the Ugandan government failed.
The United Nations has urged the Democratic Republic of Congo to investigate the massacre. A statement from the UN’s high commissioner on human rights said the death toll from the group since 2014 had risen to 645. Last week Pope Francis condemned the “shameful silence” over the violence in the region. “Unfortunately,” he said, the people of North Kivu “have no weight on world opinion”. One observer who works for Open Doors International told Christiantoday.com: “Signs of recent attacks are visible everywhere on buildings dotted along the road. Smaller villages have been obliterated and hardly any civilian life is visible. Eighty per cent of the households here are farms, but they cannot access them because is it too dangerous. This means no food and no revenue. They have become vulnerable to starvation.”
A pastor said: “We do not understand why this is happening to us. They attack one place for a while and cause people to run away. Then they strike the places people run to.”
Bishops ask why crackdown seems to miss drug kingpins
Catholic and Protestant bishops in the Philippines have called for a “deeper analysis” of the spate of killings in the country that have been linked to the government’s anti-narcotics campaign.
The Ecumenical Bishops Forum warned that the killings would only “exacerbate” the problem of illegal drugs. They also noted that most of those killed were “small-time and poor people”.
The Philippine National Police estimates that more than 1,700 suspected drug dealers and users have been killed since the government intensified its anti-illegal drugs drive in July.
“While we believe and support President Duterte’s war on drugs, there is a need for deeper analysis as to why the drug problem is thriving and who benefits from this,” the bishops said on Monday.
The church leaders said there was a need for the government “to examine the correctness of its approach in eliminating this menace”.
Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo of Manila urged legislators involved in a Senate investigation into the killings to “stand firm, because the people are looking for answers.”
Archbishop praises parishioners
Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore has thanked a parish for sheltering victims during a fatal flood. The flooding in Ellicott City, Baltimore, killed two people. Archbishop Lori said at a vigil Mass at St Paul: “Many of you volunteered to comfort and assist those most affected by the flooding. Please accept my warmest thanks for your neighbourly kindness, which is also a wonderful example of the Gospel hospitality.”
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