AFRICA/DR CONGO - North Kivu lives a Holy Week of Passion: at least 11 dead in terror attacks

Thursday, 5 April 2018 massacres  

Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) – Holy Week was a dramatic time in North Kivu, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. On Easter Sunday in the diocese of Goma unidentified gunmen kidnapped Célestin Ngango, parish priest at Karambi (see Fides 4/4/2018) who is still in the hands of the criminals, while the diocese of Butembo-Beni lived Passion Week with attacks by armed men.
“In this Holy Week as we prepare to celebrate the Feast of Easter in serenity we have been terrified by shooting and massacres” Mons. Melchisédech Sikuli Paluku, bishop of Butembo-Beni writes in his Easter message. The bishop speaks of at least 11 dead in an attack on the village of Mayangose and the parish of S. Gustavo di Beni-Paida in the village of Sobiede. “The attackers used firearms and machetes, at least 11 people were killed including a woman of 80 and a child of 9. The attackers also sacked homes. At least 5 boys are missing, taken prisoner by the delinquents” says Bishop Sikuli Paluku. The massacres happened despite the presence in the area of the Congolese army (FARDC) and the MONUSCO troops (UN Mission in DRC), bishop Sikuli Paluku continues.
The Bishop also told Fides that the people of Our Lady of Fatima parish in Kabasha had to run for their lives because of clashes between the regular Congolese army and Mai Mai militia. Bishop Sikuli Paluku asks how is it possible that continual massacres in his diocese are always attributed to the ADF, militia group of Ugandan origin which settled in North Kivu two years ago. “Who are these presumed members of ADF militia and their allies, invisible after months of military operations often joint FARDC and MONUSCO, to restore peace and security in and around the town of Beni?”
How can the reappearance of armed groups in the territory of Lubero be explained, not to mention the Ituri, at the beginning of this electoral year?” asks the Bishop, referring to presidential and political elections scheduled for the end of next December.
Reminding the government authorities of the primary duty to defend the lives and the goods of citizens, Bishop Sikuli Paluku concludes “the people have the right to democratically withdraw their trust in the authorities when the latter fail to fulfil their sovereign duties ”. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 5/4/2018)


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