Posted on 01.17.2023 at 1:21 p.m. by APA News
The East African Community (EAC) Secretariat on Tuesday condemned a bomb attack on a church in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday night that left several worshipers dead. The attack, blamed on ADF rebels linked to Islamic State, killed 17 people and injured 39. Worshipers at a Pentecostal church in Kasindi,
North Kivu Province.
The Congolese army described the attack as a terrorist act.
In a statement, EAC General Secretary Peter Mathuki condemned, “in the strongest terms, the horrific attack on worshipers in a church
in the city of Kasindi.”
Mathuki called the attack a “cowardly and heinous crime” and expressed his condolences to the families of the victims, the Congolese people.
and the government
He also wished a “speedy recovery of the injured.”
“The EAC is committed to restoring peace in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and provides its full support in finding a sustainable solution to the protracted security situation,” the statement said.
“EAC continues to call on all parties to establish an immediate ceasefire, respect international law and guarantee the safety of civilians, in order to allow for a peaceful solution to the ongoing conflict.”
The Secretary General reiterated the call by regional leaders to all armed groups in eastern DR Congo to lay down their arms.
The eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo is home to more than 120 local and foreign armed groups accused of various human rights abuses.
The ADF, originally from Uganda, is one of three foreign militias asked to disarm and be repatriated by the Luanda mini
summit in November 2022.
