JUST IN!! ADF Rebels Raid Church – Slaughter Over 20 People Like Goats – Ugandans Left In Fear

Around 20 people are believed killed in a terrorist attack at a hospital run by religious sisters in the North Kivu village of Byambwe, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with missionaries denouncing the “shameful silence” of the international community.
By Cecilia Seppia

A terrorist attack on civilians took place on Friday night in the North Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, killing around 20 people, many of them sick and confined to hospital beds.

Despite a recent US-mediated agreement between DRC and Rwanda, fighting with the M23 rebel group continues unabated in the eastern provinces, while the central government also faces the growing threat of Islamist terrorism.

At around 10:00 PM local time on Friday, militants from the ADF (Allied Democratic Forces)—aligned with the so-called Islamic State since 2009—entered the town of Byambwe, in the Diocese of Butembo-Beni.

They attacked a diocesan health center run by the Sisters of the Presentation, massacred patients, and then set the entire facility ablaze, killing several women in the maternity ward. Assailants then rampaged through the village before fleeing into the nearby forest.

The attack was confirmed to Vatican News by Fr. Giovanni Piumatti, an Italian priest who has served for over fifty years as a fidei donum missionary in the Congolese Diocese of Butembo-Beni. Although now back in Italy, he continues to follow events closely and remains deeply concerned for the country he long called home.

Systematic massacres

“This is a typical ADF attack,” Fr. Piumatti explained. “Fifteen people were killed in the clinic and another five in the surrounding area. 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. The army pursued them, but despite its efforts, the terrorists escaped. They seem to be better armed and equipped than the regular forces.”

“What is most tragic—beyond the sheer number of innocent victims—is the way they kill,” said Fr. Piumatti. “They slit civilians’ throats, decapitate them—it’s horrific. Here they killed mothers as they were breastfeeding their babies. These massacres are beyond imagination, and they happen almost every week. Many go unreported.”

The perpetrators of the Byambwe attack are believed to be the same group that, on July 27, stormed a Christian church in Komanda (Ituri Province) during a religious service, armed with machetes and rifles, killing dozens of Christians gathered in prayer.

Pope Leo XIV forcefully condemned that assault during the General Audience of July 30, 2025.

“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,” said the Pope. “I urge those with responsibilities at both local and international levels to work together to prevent such tragedies.”