Kasindi church bombing

Kasindi church bombing
Part of the ADF insurgency
Location	Kasindi, North Kivu, DR Congo
Coordinates	00°02′52″N 29°41′11″E
Date	15 January 2023
Target	Pentecostal church
Attack type	Bombing
Deaths	17
Injured	39
Perpetrator	Islamic State

On 15 January 2023, a bomb exploded during a Sunday service in a Pentecostal church in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The attack occurred in Kasindi in the northeastern province of North Kivu, close to the Ugandan border.[1] The attack killed at least 17 people and left 39 more were injured.[2] The Islamic State – Central Africa Province (IS-CAP) claimed responsibility for the attack.[3][1][4]

Reaction and response

Authorities in the DRC blamed the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a Ugandan Islamist group whose insurgency began in 1996 and spread to the DRC; the group has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. A Kenyan national was arrested at the scene.[5][6]

Pope Francis sent his condolences to the victims of the bombing ahead of his scheduled visit to the DRC in 2023.[7] Peter Mathuki, then-Secretary General of the East African Community (EAC), condemned the " horrific attack on worshippers" in a statement.[8] The government of France issued a condemnation of the attacks, stating it "expresses its full solidarity with the Congolese people at this difficult time".[9]

References

1. "Bomb detonates in DRC church, linked to ADF". New Vision. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
2. "DR Congo government blames rebels for Kasindi church bombing". BBC News. Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
3. "Several killed in DR Congo church bomb attack". Al Jazeera. 15 January 2023. Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
4. "Bomb detonates in DR Congo church, linked to ADF". MSN. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
5. Kabumba, Justin; Maliro, Al-Hadji Kudra (15 January 2023). "Congo's Army Says Church Bomb Kills 10, Extremists Suspected". Independent. Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
6. "Several Killed in DR Congo Church Bomb Attack". Al Jazeera. 15 January 2023. Archived from the original on 23 May 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
7. "Pope, ahead of Congo visit, sends prayers for church bombing". San Diego Union-Tribune. 17 January 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
8. "EAC Secretary General Condemns Church Bomb Attack In North Kivu, Eastern DRC". East African Community. 16 January 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
9. "Democratic Republic of the Congo – France condemns the bomb attack in a church in Kasindi (15 Jan. 2023)". France Diplomacy - Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. 15 January 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2024.