The jihadist group Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for Sunday’s attack on a church in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that killed more than a dozen people.

“Islamic State fighters were able to plant and detonate an explosive inside a Christian church in the city of Kasindi,” the organization said in the last hours in a statement sent through the Telegram messaging channel.

The source added that the attack targeted a “large crowd of Christians who were performing Sunday rituals, killing at least 20 Christians and injuring dozens, as well as destroying the church.”

#Africa
An explosion targeting a church in the #Congo
The explosion occurred in the village of #Rwenzori, North Kivu, in the city of #Beni
Dozens of dead and wounded as a result of the bombing.
20 dead and wounded, with an initial outcome of the bombing
5 dead
15 wounded pic.twitter.com/wEHfK5HCXc

— Aynur Shami (@Abyedawi) January 15, 2023

The Islamic State stressed that this attack is further proof of “the failures of recent military campaigns by DRC forces and their allies to provide security for Christians”.

The incident occurred in Kasindi-Luvirihya, a town located between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, 85 kilometers from the city of Beni, in the province of North Kivu, while a religious service was taking place. The authorities have counted more than a dozen dead.

Since 1998, eastern DRC has been plunged into a conflict fueled by rebel militias and the army, despite the presence of the UN peacekeeping mission.

-Thailand News (TN)