Democratic Republic of the Congo
At least 10 people were killed and 39 wounded on Sunday in a bomb attack on a church in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) claimed by Islamic State (IS) militants.
Congolese military spokesman Antony Mualushayi said the “terrorist act” happened in a Pentecostal church in North Kivu province’s Kasindi, a town on the border with Uganda.
The explosion killed at least 10 people and wounded 39, he added, revising up an initial death toll of five.
The spokesman for Uganda’s military operation in the DR Congo, Bilal Katamba, said on Sunday evening that 16 people had been killed in the blast, and 20 wounded.
“The attackers used an IED [improved explosive device] to carry out the attack and we suspect ADF [Allied Democratic Forces] is behind the attack,” he added.
Agence France-Presse was unable to independently confirm the death toll.
The Congolese Ministry of Transport and Channels of Communications wrote on social media that the attack was apparently carried out by the ADF — which the IS group claims as its affiliate in central Africa.
The ADF has been accused of killing thousands of Congolese civilians and carrying out bomb attacks in Uganda. ADF operatives have also planted bombs in towns in North Kivu in the past.
On Sunday evening, the IS group claimed responsibility for the attack and said that “nearly 20” people had been killed, according to the specialized monitoring group SITE Intelligence Group.
Mualushayi said that a Kenyan suspect was arrested after the attack.
Esdras Kambale Mupanya, a deacon at the evangelical church in Kasindi, said that worshipers had gathered for a baptism ceremony before the bomb detonated.
“Several among us died on the spot, others had their feet cut in two,” the 42-year-old said. “God saved me and I came out in good health with my choir members. Today was not the day I should die.”
Fellow survivor Jean-Paul Syauswa said the explosion happened just after a group of people had been baptized, while a blind pastor was commenting on Bible verses.
“The bomb threw me at least 100m away,” he said.
Kiza Kivua, a 50-year-old farmer who lost his brother in the attack, said he was having trouble coming to terms with the loss of a “loved one who went to church to pray.”
He added that he thought the government was neglecting its citizens.
“How can such a situation happen when Kasindi is full of soldiers?” Kivua said.
The Congolese president’s office condemned the bombing, as did the UN peacekeeping mission which described it as a “cowardly and despicable attack.”
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