Tragedy struck the northeastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo as a Catholic health facility became the latest target of violent attacks, leaving approximately 20 civilians dead. The incident has intensified calls from missionaries regarding the international community’s inaction in addressing the growing unrest in the region.
On the night of November 14, the small village of Byambwe in North Kivu’s Diocese of Butembo-Beni witnessed a brutal assault. This attack was carried out by armed men associated with the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a group aligned with the Islamic State for over ten years.
The perpetrators invaded a medical center managed by the Little Sisters of the Presentation, where patients were killed in their sleep. The rampage did not stop there, as the attackers set the facility, including its maternity ward, on fire.
Surrounding homes were also torched as the attackers moved through the village and eventually retreated into nearby forests.
Father Giovanni Piumatti, an Italian fidei donum missionary with over fifty years of service in the area, described the event as typical of the ADF’s violent tactics in an interview with Vatican News.
“Fifteen people were killed in the clinic and another five in the surrounding area,” he recounted. “They set fire to the entire facility and twenty-seven nearby homes. Before destroying everything, they looted all the medical supplies—I believe that was their main objective. Panic spread everywhere.”
He further noted that the attackers seem better equipped than the national army, which was unable to capture them despite pursuing them.
Fr Piumatti remarked on the brutality of the killings, noting that civilians were executed in a gruesome manner. “Here they killed mothers as they were breastfeeding their babies,” he stated.
He emphasized the frequency and severity of these attacks, occurring nearly every week, often without media coverage.
Authorities suspect the same militant group was behind a deadly attack on a Christian congregation in Komanda, Ituri Province, earlier this year on July 27—a massacre condemned by Pope Leo XIV during his July 30 General Audience.
The Pope expressed his condolences, saying, “While I entrust the victims to God’s loving mercy, I pray for the wounded and for Christians around the world who continue to suffer violence and persecution,” urging decisive action from both regional leaders and international partners.
The health facility, a critical source of medical care in an area with limited healthcare resources, was a lifeline for many families. The Sisters of the Presentation provided maternal care, general medical services, and basic surgeries to isolated communities.
According to Fr Piumatti, the ADF, with many fighters originating from Uganda, has long terrorized North Kivu, committing atrocities and forcibly recruiting young people.
He described how attacks are often carried out under the influence of drugs, with children pressed into continuing the violence initiated by adults.
Many residents have fled following this latest assault, and the sisters are now providing aid to survivors on the streets, although several newborns are feared to have been abducted.
This incident exacerbates the humanitarian crisis in a region already destabilized by armed groups and protracted conflict.
Fr Piumatti criticized the “shameful silence” of global powers, highlighting the region’s rich mineral deposits and the role of commercial interests in perpetuating the violence. He stated, “Kivu is rich in mineral deposits — a land full of precious resources that has always been contested. That is why these Islamist groups receive backing. The ADF are the most ferocious, but they are not the only ones supplied with weapons and money to keep trade flowing. These conflicts serve commercial interests — and the world’s silence is profoundly troubling.”
Despite a recent US-brokered agreement between Congo and Rwanda, conflicts with the M23 insurgency continue to rage across the eastern regions, while the national government battles a rising tide of Islamist-driven violence.
This article was originally written by www.christiantoday.com
