The primary attacks in the DRC are being carried out by M23 Fighters and Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a Ugandan rebel group that has terrorized the local population in North Kivu and Ituri for over a decade. In 2019, the ADF announced its affiliation with the Islamic State.
M23 fighters are responsible for much of the eastern DRC hostilities. M23 is supported by intelligence, weapons, and soldiers provided by Rwanda. Unlike the ADF, M23 does not attack based on religion, but rather their primary pursuit has been territorial expansion. There is some thought that they now want to integrate with the army and participate in Congolese government. In early 2025, Congolese security forces and M23 militants fought violently, culminating in M23’s capture of Goma, the regional hub of the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The UN Security Council cites numerous reports, investigations, and testimonies from eyewitnesses that M23 has been responsible for carrying out mass killings of civilians, as well as raping women and children throughout various regions of the DRC. M23’s atrocities against civilians in the DRC, as well as its forced recruitment campaign, have contributed to instability and conflict within the region, and in some cases violated international law.
Insecurity is at alarming levels in the DRC. Credit: UN/OHCHR
Reuters reported in late February that Judith Suminwa, the prime minister of the DRC, told the Human Rights Council in Geneva that 7,000 people have died in her country in the first two months of 2025 and approximately 3,000 of the deaths occurred in Goma. Further, about 450,000 people have no shelter because militants destroyed 90 displacement camps in the DRC. They are stranded on roads throughout the region. The dire humanitarian situation has worsened since the displacement. The Council on Foreign Relations notes that the displacement crisis in the DRC is second only to Sudan’s. “It is impossible to describe the screams and cries of millions of victims of this conflict,” Suminwa said.
The risk of mass atrocities is high in a region where predation by rebels, militias, and government forces is common. The UN has warned of surging child recruitment, abductions, killings, and sexual violence.
The Human Rights Council has just adopted a resolution in which it established a fact-finding mission on the serious human rights violations and abuses and violations of international humanitarian law committed in the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The Council further established an independent commission of inquiry to continue the work undertaken by the fact-finding mission.
There is an extreme climate of insecurity and the situation continues to deteriorate in Bukavu, Sake’, Minova, and Goma. Chaos and the incessant gunfire have severely impacted the roads and people’s ability to move. This lack of mobility prevents even emergency responders from intervening in time. Ambulances face difficulty moving around, but they continue to pick up lifeless bodies on the roads whenever they can.
Barnabas Aid recently shared insight from The Terrorism Research and Analysis Consortium (TRAC): “The Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP, also known as the Allied Democratic Forces) repeated assaults on Christian civilians exploit the absence of a consistent security presence in the region.
“ISCAP’s tactic of successive attacks on the same village exacerbates the psychological toll on residents. By revisiting recently targeted areas, the group ensures an ongoing state of fear and insecurity among survivors. This strategy often results in higher casualties as panicked civilians struggle to navigate the aftermath of consecutive assaults.”
Approximately 96% of the population of the DRC (roughly 111 million people), identify as Christian with minority beliefs including Islam and indigenous beliefs. The DRC is a secular state and freedom of religion is enshrined in the nation’s constitution. Although religious freedom is generally respected, Freedom House ranks the DRC 17 out of 100 on their annual freedom scale. Pastors hesitate to make statements that could be construed as hostile to the government. And the government surveils the electronic communications of private individuals. Citizens who speak out against the government are often arrested.
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) notes that the U.S. government engages with the DRC through several mechanisms, including diplomatic relations, development, humanitarian assistance, and UN peacekeeping missions. This engagement includes programmatic funding for humanitarian, development, public health, and peacebuilding initiatives, as well as military support and training. While the U.S. government provides significant resources to the DRC, armed actors have politicized religion and conducted violence based on religion or violence against religious leaders and infrastructure. These trends are a threat to freedom of religion or belief in the DRC and Central Africa.
Congolese woman praising God after receiving BWAid resources. Credit: Baptistworld.org
The DRC has the second largest Baptist membership in Africa, with more than 2.1 million members in 15 BWA member organizations. Going back to 1998 when the war first broke out in the DRC, the Baptist Convention has lost or has been compelled to close schools, health centers, and congregations. Tens of thousands have been killed and places of worship and homes destroyed. During times of crisis in the DRC, displaced pastors and communities have received spiritual support, funds for food and supplies, medicine, and medical supplies from BWAid, the relief and development arm of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA).
As a strategic global partner with the BWA, 21Wilberforce is helping the BWA address its long-standing commitment to religious freedom for all persons. Leaders of the Baptist Church of Kinshasha tell 21Wilberforce there is a persistent threat of explosive violence in Goma and outlying areas. There has been an upsurge in criminal acts, including home invasions, killings, rapes, and assaults, has been observed, fueling a climate of fear among the civilian population. There have also been reports of young people being recruited by the rebels. In addition, several vehicles belonging to individuals and humanitarian organizations, seized by armed actors of the M23/AFD, have still not been returned.
In addition to aid and advocacy, what is our response to war and conflict in the Congo?
Christians in the DRC ask for prayer for the opportunity to minister to the church and call the church to act in its role in pastoral care, peacemaking, and reconciliation so that the war will end.
February 27, 2025