YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon – Catholic bishops in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have expressed anger at the spike in attacks in the east of the country.

Over 20 rebel groups have for decades been fighting for the control of the eastern territory, which contains minerals and resources. Recent attacks included strikes in places of worship which are protected by the Constitution.

On September 9, members of a terrorist group that is aligned to the Islamic State,  the Allied Democratic Forces, staged two separate attacks in North Kivu Province: The first involved storming a funeral ceremony at the locality of Ntoyo in Lubero, resulting in the deaths of 102 civilians. The second took place about 60 miles away in Beni, where 18 civilians were murdered.

“Some were killed with hammers, others with bullets. In addition to the loss of human life, the armed group set fire to 16 houses, eight motorcycles, two vehicles, and looted numerous belongings of the local population,” said members of the Congo Catholic Bishops’ Conference, CENCO members in a September 12,2025 statement.

The bishops condemned the recent massacres, underscoring the sanctity of human life that “must be respected.”

They complained that the killings “no longer seem to move either the nation or the international community. It thus appears that human life in the DRC is being trivialized.”

They offered condolences to bereaved families and commended their souls to God.

The French Embassy in the DRC issued a Sep. 11 statement condemning the recent attacks “in the strongest possible terms.”

“France extends its condolences to the bereaved families and to the Congolese people. It stands alongside the Congolese authorities. It calls for a return to peace and security in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in the Great Lakes region,” the embassy said.

The attacks in Ntoyo and Beni aren’t isolated incidents, but are tied to a war in eastern DRC that has been around for over three decades.

“In Ituri Province, on August 16, 2025, on the way to Bule Center in the Djugu Territory, rebels of the Cooperative for the Development of Congo (CODECO) carried out attacks against the civilian population. The toll of this attack was five people killed, four injured, and about ten houses set on fire,” the bishops explained.

Most concerning are attacks that target the very institutions that the Geneva Conventions say must never be touched during war: Schools, hospitals and churches.

“While places of worship are protected by the Constitution and laws of the Republic, Saint Kizito Propaedeutic Seminary in Bunia suffered a violent intrusion by armed men during the night of August 19 to 20, 2025,” the bishops said.

“This attack follows the assault on Blessed Anuarite Parish in Komanda, Djugu Territory, where more than 40 Catholic faithful, gathered for prayer on the night of July 26 to 27, were killed by the ADF (Allied Democratic Forces),” the bishops explained.

The bishops called on the government of President Felix Tshisekedi to “double its vigilance and efforts to better secure our compatriots living in this part of the country.”

They called on the parties to the conflict – M23/AFC, CRP, Wazalendo, and the government – “to renounce the logic of confrontations that have only caused death and destruction of infrastructure, and instead to accelerate the implementation of the social pact proposed by religious denominations to allow Congolese people to reflect on lasting solutions to this security situation with incalculable consequences.”