Wack Muslims now terrorize the DRC

 More than 10 Christians were killed on Tuesday, June 21, when an Islamist extremist group ambushed their three vehicles in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The attack occurred near the village of Makisabo, Beni. The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an Islamist extremist group, allegedly blocked the road, shot all the passengers, and set the vehicles on fire.

Activities along the Beni-Kasindi Road have since been halted. International Christian Concern (ICC) spoke to one of the taxi operators along this route, which is the only corridor connecting Uganda and the eastern region of the DRC.

“The 5 p.m. incident led to the death of our fellow drivers and our customers who wanted to reach home and be with their families,” said the taxi operator. “We are saddened that the ADF rebels continue to make our lives difficult here in Congo. There is no single day that they do not kill people. The villages are unsafe. The roads are unsafe. The towns are unsafe. We only live by God’s mercy. Now we cannot work because they have attacked Makisabo. We don’t know how long this will take before the road is opened again.”

This attack comes a day after the East African Community (EAC) heads of state convened in Nairobi, Kenya, led by its chair, President Uhuru Kenyatta, to discuss the security situation in the eastern region of the DRC.  The participants agreed to accelerate regional efforts to “attain sustainable peace and security in Eastern DRC,” deploy more forces to conduct joint operations with the Congolese military, and call for a disarmament “exercise in the provinces of Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu.”

Church leaders have condemned the attack, calling it an atrocity against Christians.

“We know the war situation in Congo is complex, but we cannot ignore the fact that the rebel groups are targeting Christians,” explained a local bishop. “We have evidence that the killers have established ties with [the] Islamic State (ISIS) and survivors have confessed to us that they were asked to recite the shahada if they wanted to survive. We have pastors that have been killed for refusing to deny Christ and get Islamized. We are asking for prayers and support to take care of millions of refugees, widows, and orphans.”

On Friday, June 17, while traversing the war-torn zone of Beni territory, ICC staff witnessed the aftermath of a fresh attack on travelers. They saw that a vehicle had been ambushed and set on fire along the Beni-Butembo Road. All five passengers were also killed.

ICC’s representative reported, “The ADF rebels had laid siege on the same road we were driving through, and we drove past the scene of the attack when the burnt bodies had been collected and the car shell was still smoking. As scary as it was, we sympathized with the residents and prayed for the affected families.”

For interviews, please contact: press@persecution.org.

Muslims revert to mob action in Turkey

  CCTV video footage shows several Muslims attacking an Assyrian Christian family in Turkey’s Mardin village. After the attackers beat the family with sticks, they set their wheat fields on fire. The Yilmaz family members are the only remaining Christians living in the area, and the attack occurred at the end of Sunday service on June 5.  

According to reports, approximately 50 Muslims were involved in the attack. The incident took place on the same day that priests traveled to the village to lead mass and inaugurate the Mor Gevargis Church after restoration work began in 2015. The church had reportedly been closed for 100 years, a timeline which means that the church was impacted by the genocide against Christians in Turkey during the early 20th century.  

The family told Asia News, “They threatened us, saying that they would not allow us to live in the village. But we are not scared. We will continue to stay here.” 

A pastor who attended the reopening ceremony shared with local news, “When we got home, we learned that there was a land dispute with the Yılmaz family; someone from the family came and this issue was brought up again in the conversations at home, and a discussion broke out. We prevented the discussion from escalating, but shortly after the person in question left the house, there was an attack on the house with stones and sticks.”  

Some observers of the incident related that the core of this situation is a property dispute. These types of disputes have a long history in Mardin. The genocide removed most Christians living in the region, which in turn created new challenges related to property maintenance and titled ownership of churches and the surrounding land.  

The State Department noted in its 2020 Religious Freedom Report that “U.S. government officials urged the government to implement reforms aimed at lifting restrictions on religious groups and raised the issue of property restitution and restoration. Embassy staff continued to press for the restitution of church properties expropriated in Diyarbakir and Mardin.” 

In its most recent annual report, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom recommended that Turkey be placed on the Special Watch List for religious freedom violators.  

Jeff King, ICC’s president, said, “The pressures faced by Christians living in eastern Turkey can be quite significant. Today, many families are the only Christians left in their village, whereas the village used to be entirely or significantly Christian before the genocide. As a result, they often come under pressure from their neighbors. Sometimes, this takes the form of a land dispute; sometimes, it takes the form of more direct violence. Regardless, the churches in the area stand as a testimony to the Christian presence which once thrived. And today, it is clear that Christians in eastern Turkey are not thriving.”

For interviews, please contact: press@persecution.org.

Since 1995, ICC has served the global persecuted church through a three-pronged approach of advocacy, awareness, and assistance. ICC exists to bandage the wounds of persecuted Christians and to build the church in the toughest parts of the world.

If you thought that Muslims could not go any lower...

 Gunmen burst into a Catholic Church in Nigeria on Sunday morning and opened fire on congregants and set off explosives, reportedly killing dozens of worshippers as they celebrated Mass on Pentecost Sunday.

The attack occurred on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, in Ondo State, in the southwest part of the country that rarely sees this kind of violence more common in Central Nigeria. 

Disturbing video footage of the scene obtained by International Christian Concern showed bodies lying between pews as worshippers wailed in mourning.

Legislator Adelegbe Timileyin, who represents the Owo area in Nigeria's lower legislative chamber, told local media outlets that at least 50 people had been killed. Local officials, however, had not yet released the total number killed or injured.

Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu posted remarks on twitter, saying, “This vile and satanic attack is a calculated assault on the peace-loving people of Owo Kingdom who have enjoyed relative peace over the years.… I appeal to our people to maintain calm and let the security agencies take charge … the perpetrators will never escape. We are after them. And I can assure you we will get them.”

While radical Fulani militants have terrorized the Middle Belt region of Nigeria over the past two decades, authorities are still investigating the source of Sunday’s attack. 

ICC staff in Nigeria will provide further details as they come in.

For interviews, please contact: press@persecution.org.

Since 1995, ICC has served the global persecuted church through a three-pronged approach of advocacy, awareness, and assistance. ICC exists to bandage the wounds of persecuted Christians and to build the church in the toughest parts of the world.