The bodies of a church pastor and his wife from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have been found, by two children, three weeks after they were abducted by Islamist militants.
The pastor, of the Eglise Message du Temps church in Bayeti, was snatched with his wife and a number of other Christians from the church during a service. Five church members were killed during the initial raid, including the pastor’s two children. The attack was by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an Islamist extremist rebel group who, using guns and machetes, had killed at least 12 local Christians while they were working on their farms.
Local pastor Jean Marie notes that the numerous attacks on Christian communities in eastern DRC continue to cause massive population displacement, many fleeing towards the cities of Beni and Oicha.
‘Tragically, when Christians are kidnapped, it is just a matter of time before their bodies are found,’ says Jo Newhouse, Open Doors spokesperson for Sub-Saharan Africa. ‘When a pastor is kidnapped, it intimidates and cripples the church. Whilst they are in captivity they are physically tortured, which also emotionally intimidates and tortures his family and community.
‘In many parts of the region the church and villages have been emptied because of attacks. In some villages the church attempted to reopen, only to be attacked again until Christians have completely left the area.’
Henrietta Blyth, CEO of Open Doors UK and Ireland, commented: ‘Attacks like this are deeply shocking. And they are deliberately planned. Killing a church leader is a key way to weaken a whole church and community – strike the shepherd and scatter the sheep. After attacks like this people leave the church or even their villages; you get a huge number of people on the move.’
