A brutal massacre took place last month in eastern Congo, where at least 70 Christians were beheaded inside a Protestant church by militants affiliated with the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an extremist group linked to ISIS.
Despite the severity of the attack, the incident has received minimal international media attention, raising concerns about the selective coverage of religious persecution.
The attack occurred in the early hours of February 12, when armed militants stormed Christian homes, forcing families out at gunpoint. Over the course of several days, nearly 100 Christians were kidnapped and used to transport stolen goods for the attackers. Those who were too weak to continue were executed along the way.
The captives were eventually taken to a Protestant church, where they were bound, tortured, and executed by beheading. Among the victims were women, children, and the elderly. Their bodies were discovered the following day inside the church, marking one of the deadliest acts of religious violence in recent years.
The Allied Democratic Forces, originally founded in Uganda in the 1990s, has pledged allegiance to ISIS and has been responsible for a series of deadly attacks across the Democratic Republic of Congo. The group, led by former Catholic-turned-Islamist Jamil Mukulu, has carried out massacres targeting Christians and civilians for years. Reports indicate that over 7,000 people have been killed by rebel forces in the region this year alone.
Despite the scale and brutality of the attack, major international news outlets have largely remained silent. This has fueled frustration among religious freedom advocates, who argue that attacks against Christians are frequently underreported compared to violence targeting other groups.
Comparisons have been drawn to the extensive media coverage of past attacks on religious minorities, such as the 2017 Finsbury Park attack in London, where one Muslim man was killed. That incident was widely condemned by world leaders and made global headlines. In contrast, the slaughter of 70 Christians in Congo has received little mainstream media attention.
The massacre in Congo is part of a larger trend of Christian persecution worldwide. According to reports, many of the most dangerous places for Christians coincide with regions where extremist ideologies are prevalent. Religious freedom organizations have repeatedly warned that persecution against Christians is on the rise, with thousands killed each year simply for their faith.
Advocacy groups urge governments and human rights organisations to take stronger action against groups like the ADF, ensuring that atrocities like the recent massacre in Congo do not go unnoticed.
This article was originally published by the Daily Telegraph New Zealand.
