A deadly attack rocked the town of Komanda in Ituri province, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), on Sunday, leaving dozens dead after suspected Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels stormed a Catholic church during an overnight prayer vigil. The assault, reportedly carried out with machetes and firearms, also saw several homes and shops burned, and many individuals remain unaccounted for.

Local civil society leaders have blamed the ADF, a militant group with ties to the Islamic State, for the massacre. Dieudonne Duranthabo, a community coordinator, expressed outrage that such an atrocity could take place despite the presence of security forces in the town. He has called for an urgent military response, warning that the perpetrators may still be operating nearby.

The ADF, originally formed in Uganda in the 1990s amid opposition to President Yoweri Museveni, relocated its operations to eastern DRC in 2002 following military pressure. Since then, the group has been responsible for thousands of civilian deaths and continues to destabilize the region.

This latest attack follows a string of brutal incidents attributed to the ADF, including a massacre earlier this month described by the United Nations as a “bloodbath.” The UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) has strongly condemned the resurgence of violence in Ituri.

As the Congolese army grapples with persistent threats from ADF militants and ongoing clashes with the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group, the security situation in the eastern DRC remains deeply fragile and complex.