The prelates condemn a new wave of massacres, affirm the sanctity of life and urge stronger government action for lasting peace.
Members of the National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO) have denounced the new wave of deadly attacks in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), decrying what they describe as the growing trivialization of human life in the Central African nation.
In a statement shared with ACI Africa on Tuesday, September 16, CENCO members highlight recent attacks and express concern about the “evolution of the security situation, particularly in the eastern part of the country, which continues to suffer enormous loss of human life as a result of various forms of violence.”
“In Ituri Province, on August 16, 2025, on the way to Bule Center in the Djugu Territory, rebels of the Cooperative for the Development of Congo carried out attacks against the civilian population. The toll of this attack was five people killed, four injured, and about 10 houses set on fire,” they recount in their statement dated September 12.
CENCO members add, “While places of worship are protected by the Constitution and laws of the Republic, Saint Kizito Propaedeutic Seminary in Bunia suffered a violent intrusion by armed men during the night of August 19 to 20, 2025.”
“This attack follows the assault on Blessed Anuarite Parish in Komanda, Djugu Territory, where more than 40 Catholic faithful, gathered for prayer on the night of July 26 to 27, were killed by the Allied Democratic Forces,” CENCO members further recount.
The deadliest incident, the Catholic Church leaders say, occurred on September 8 when at least 102 people were killed in Ntoyo village, Lubero Territory.
“Some were killed with hammers, others with bullets. In addition to the loss of human life, the armed group set fire to 16 houses, eight motorcycles, two vehicles, and looted numerous belongings of the local population,” CENCO members lament.
“Human life in the DRC is being trivialized,” bishops say
Against this backdrop, they condemn the perpetrators of the atrocities, stressing that “human life is sacred and must be respected.” They also offer condolences to bereaved families and commend souls of those who lost their lives to God.
CENCO members call “for greater mobilization regarding the security situation prevailing in Ituri, northern North Kivu, and South Kivu.”
They note that the massacres of Congolese people living in these areas “no longer seem to move either the nation or the international community. It thus appears that human life in the DRC is being trivialized.”
CENCO members urge President Felix Tshisekedi-led government to “double its vigilance and efforts to better secure our compatriots living in this part of the country.”
They encourage “all parties — M23/AFC, CRP, Wazalendo, and the government — to renounce the logic of confrontations that have only caused death and destruction of infrastructure, and instead to accelerate the implementation of the social pact proposed by religious denominations to allow Congolese people to reflect on lasting solutions to this security situation with incalculable consequences.”
“Through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Peace, may the Lord bless the Democratic Republic of Congo,” CENCO members implore.
Featured image: Women religious watch on a monitor outside the cathedral as Pope Francis leads a prayer meeting with priests, religious and seminarians Feb. 2, 2023, in Our Lady of the Congo Cathedral in Kinshasa, Congo. (CNS/Paul Haring)
