On May 13, ADF rebels attacked Christians in Biakato, Mambassa Territory, Ituri province, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), slaughtering 21 people and burning down homes.

“The rebels came during the night and started tying people,” a villager named Kabanga said. “Then they began killing many Christians who were crying to Jesus Christ. I had hidden myself under the bed. After that, I started hearing loud pangas (large knives) on Christian bodies and the cries of many people crying for help.”

The Islamic group, which intends to expand its religion through the killing of innocent Christians, has now become a source of fear in the DRC, especially in the east.

Biakato is fast becoming the site of some of the rebels’ deadliest attacks. This is evident by the successive attacks that have taken place since May 5, extending to nearby communities where many people were brutally killed.

“ADF Islamists have killed a lot of people among us!” a local named Bibuya said. “We just found a few, but others are nowhere to be seen. Sometimes smell has helped us find others who were not found on the day of the attacks. We just go to bed not knowing what the night will bring.”

A local leader in the Biakato village said they condemn all tactics and strategies of the enemies of peace to expand their religion through the killing of innocent people.

“Our people cannot be killed like this, and then we keep quiet,” he said. “Religious leaders, cultural leaders, and political leaders all together, we should be concerned about this, and it should end with immediate effect, because no one would feel happy to bury a brother or sister, especially whose life was taken not by natural causes, but through an inhumane act.”

To read more news stories, visit the ICC Newsroom. For interviews, please email [email protected]. To support ICC’s work around the world, please give to our Where Most Needed Fund.