6/5/2025 DRC (International Christian Concern) — Members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) detonated a bomb on May 17 in the quiet village of Tenambo, located nearly 20 miles from the city of Beni in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The explosion, which occurred at about 4:10 p.m. in a public market, killed four people and injured many others.
Locals who were in the market during the blast described the scene as horrific.

“People started screaming and running away,” said Esther Muhongasenge, a vendor who survived the attack. “When I looked around, I saw blood on the clothes of some people and the ground, even dead bodies.”

The weary staff at the Oicha General Referral Hospital worked overnight to stabilize the wounded, some of whom remain in critical condition. The number of doctors, nurses, and other staff members at the hospital has dwindled over time as a result of the ongoing violence in the region.

Authorities confirmed that the ADF was behind the attack. The terrorist group, which has been active in the predominantly Christian region of eastern DRC for decades, is allied with the Islamic State group and often abducts and kills Christians and attacks churches. The ADF is increasingly using explosives in its attacks on vulnerable communities.

The bombing represents a danger not only for Beni but for the country as a whole, one senior military official in Beni said.

“We are facing an enemy who is adapting, becoming more dangerous with the new tactics,’’ said the official, who wished to remain anonymous.

Church leaders, who have always stood and supported victims as a source of strength, spoke out and condemned the attack, and called for national and international solidarity.

“This is not just a local tragedy, it is a global emergency,” said Pastor Jean Kalonda of the Oicha Evangelical Mission. “Our people are being slaughtered in silence. Where is the world?”

The DRC’s government responded to the attack with a statement assuring that they would intensify security operations in the region and pursue the terrorists. But for many residents, such promises are mere words.

“We hear the same promises after every attack,” said the father of a boy who died at the scene, “but nothing changes.”

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