According to the Christian group Open Doors, terrorists from the rebel Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), which has ties to the Islamic State, surrounded a village in Mayba in the territory of Lubero and took 20 people captive. The Islamic terrorists came back later and kidnapped 50 more Christians in the village and took them to a Protestant church in Kasanga, where they were massacred.
Open Doors said families were still waiting to bury their dead relatives as of Tuesday. The organization said 355 Christians in DRC were killed in 2024 for their religion, an increase from 261 in 2023, as factions and rebel groups continue to fight for control of multiple regions in the DRC. According to the United Nations, over 100,000 people have been displaced in the recent fighting.
The Daily Wire noted that the grisly massacre has received almost no coverage in the media.
The Hungarian State Secretary for the Aid of Persecuted Christians Tristan Azbej asked world leaders to “recognize and act against Christian persecution.”
He wrote on X, “Horrified to learn about the 70 Christian martyrs beheaded by terrorists in a church in Kasanga, DRC. Hungary stands in solidarity with the persecuted Christians BUT we need more… the world needs to recognize and act against Christian persecution.”
President of persecution watchdog International Christian Concern Jeff King told The Christian Post, “This recent massacre, where 70 Christians lost their lives, is not an isolated incident but part of a grim tapestry of violence that has claimed over 6 million lives in the DRC over two decades of on-and-off war.”
He added, “The vast majority of the DRC’s residents are Christian, so this is a religious genocide carried out by radical Islamic terrorists (the ADF).”
