Two recent United Nations reports about the Democratic Republic of Congo capture the tinderbox nature of life there. “Doha agreement brings DR Congo government and M23 rebels a step closer to peace,” the UN wrote on July 20. Eight days later, a UN report turned grim: “UN condemns deadly attack on worshippers in DR Congo.”
The attack on Roman Catholic worshipers, waged on the night of July 26 by Allied Democratic Forces based in Uganda, killed more than 40 men, women, and children who had gathered for a prayer vigil. They were killed with machetes, UN staff said. The attack occurred in the town of Komanda, Ituri province, beginning at 1 a.m.
“These targeted attacks against defenseless civilians, particularly in places of worship, are not only appalling but also in violation of all human rights standards and international humanitarian law,” said Vivian van de Perre, deputy chief of the UN’s Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Pope Leo XIV addressed the horror during his first weekly audience since his summer break. “I pray for the wounded and for all Christians around the world who continue to suffer violence and persecution,” he said. “I pray for the wounded and for all Christians around the world who continue to suffer violence and persecution.”
In a telegram expressing his condolences, the pope wrote: “May the blood of these martyrs become a seed of peace, reconciliation, fraternity, and love for the Congolese people.”
The Congo has been in a protracted conflict with Rwanda since 1996, when nearly 2 million Hutu refugees entered the nation. “A small subset of those Rwandans who entered DRC were Hutu extremists who began organizing militias within the Congo. Pressure intensified as Tutsi militias organized against the Hutu groups and as foreign powers began taking sides,” the Council on Foreign Relations reports.
The conflict is further complicated by the Congo’s rich supply of rare earth minerals, which has attracted the presence of Chinese companies. “Chinese companies connected to Beijing now control the majority of foreign-owned cobalt, uranium, and copper mines in DRC, and the Congolese army has been repeatedly deployed to mining sites in eastern DRC to protect Chinese assets,” the council reported further.
Anglican Communion News Service quoted one ordained person in the Congo asking Christians for their prayers: “We need only to trust God, and he can provide the right peace to us. Please, brothers and sisters, we still need your prayers.”
Martha Jarvis, the Anglican Communion’s Permanent Representative at the United Nations, added her concern for the people of the Congo: “We pray with sisters and brothers in DRC as they mourn these recent deaths and seek peace once again. It is deeply challenging work, and we pray God strengthens them. We also seek ways to ensure that recent peace negotiations involving the U.S., DRC, Rwanda, and Qatar bring tangible benefits for them and for local communities, in a country on which we all depend for the minerals that power our phones, computers and the clean energy transition.”
Douglas LeBlanc is an Associate Editor and writes about Christianity and culture. He and his wife, Monica, attend St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Henrico, Virginia.
