Kasanga massacre

The Kasanga massacre occurred on 12 February 2025, when Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) militants entered the village of Mayba in Lubero Territory, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo and abducted at least 70 Christian civilians. The captives were subsequently taken to a Protestant church in Kasanga, North Kivu, where they were beheaded via machetes. Their bodies were discovered on 14 February 2025.

Kasanga massacre
Part of Kivu conflict and the Allied Democratic Forces insurgency
Location	Kasanga, Lubero Territory, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Date	12 February 2025
Target	Christians
Deaths	70
Perpetrator	ISIL IS-CAP ADF-Baluku

The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) considers the reports of the massacre as "unverified", while Vatican News described the reports as "confirmed".

Background

Main articles: Allied Democratic Forces and Allied Democratic Forces insurgency

The ADF are a Ugandan Islamist group who began an insurgency in 1996. It spread to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and intensified during the 2010s. Their attacks in North Kivu include a massacre in Beni in 2016.^[1] During the late 2010s, the group began to affiliate with the Islamic State.^[2] In 2020, Musa Baluku proclaimed that the ADF had ceased to exist and was succeeded by the Islamic State – Central Africa Province.^[3] In North Kivu, during January 2023, the ADF carried out massacres in Kasindi,^[4][5] Makugwe^[6] and Kirindera.^[7]

In March 2023, nine people were killed and several others went missing following the armed attack carried out by ADF terrorists in the Nguli village in the Lubero territory, North Kivu.^[8][9][10] In the same month, the rebels took civilians hostage in the village of Katiri in Isale Kasongwere Groupement, in the Beni Territory, North Kivu.^[11][12] The insurgents also erected a stronghold in the Virunga National Park between the villages of Kavasewa and Karuruma.^[13]

Attack

Abductions

At 4:00 am on 12 February 2025, armed members of the ADF entered the village of Mayba, in Lubero Territory, North Kivu, where they ordered residents to come out of their homes. They immediately took at least 20 civilians captive and left before returning at around 6:00 pm. Upon returning the ADF militants surrounded the village and rounded up an additional 50 civilians.^[14][15]

Killings

Once all 70 people were abducted, they were taken to a Protestant CECA 20 church in Kasanga, a neighbouring village near Lubero in Lubero Territory, North Kivu, where they were tied up and executed by machetes.^[16][17][18] The bodies were eventually discovered on 14 February 2025 still in the church.^[19]

Public reaction

The attack was widely reported in both local and international media, with organizations such as Open Doors UK, a Christian evangelistic organization, claiming to be "100% confident" in the accuracy of the reports.^[20][21] However, MONUSCO, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the DRC, released a statement on 24 February 2025 stating that the reports "remain unverified." The International Committee of the Red Cross declined to confirm or deny the claims.^[21] In its statement, MONUSCO acknowledged that a civil society source had reported discovering over 70 bodies, including those of women, children, and elderly individuals, inside a church building in Maiba village. The victims were allegedly bound and executed with bladed weapons by unidentified assailants. It stressed, however, that "these reports remain unverified".^[21] Open Doors UK and other Christian advocacy organizations condemned the attack, citing it as an example of religious persecution in the region.^[20]

Vatican News reported on 24 February 2025 that Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), an aid organization of the Catholic Church, and the Agenzia Fides news agency had confirmed the massacre.^[22]