ICC Note: Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) continues to face brutal conflict where attacks from rebel factions on local communities have recently claimed the lives of nine Christians in the outskirts of Oicha town in the North Kivu region. Reportedly, the offenders remain unidentified, but suspicions surround whether Muslim extremists are responsible. The area that is 96 percent Christian has seen more than 1,100 killed in the past year and a half.

7/11/16 North Kivu, DRC (World Watch Monitor) – An attack by unknown armed men early on Tuesday morning (5 July) has claimed the lives of at least nine Christians in the volatile eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Local sources contacted by World Watch Monitor said the assailants stormed the Tenambo, Nzanza and Mamiki communities, near an army base on the outskirts of the town of Oicha, between 4am and 6am. Armed with guns and machetes, they looted homes, taking food and cattle as plunder. The incident was confirmed by security forces and the Administrator of Beni territory, Bernard Amisi Kalonda, who said the death toll may climb higher as searches for victims continue.

Eastern DRC has been beset by deadly violence, with 1,116 killed between October 2014 and May 2016, according to local NGOs. Another 1,470 people have been abducted, they say, while more than 34,000 families have been forcibly displaced. There have also been numerous cases of sexual violence against women and children.

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Pray for comfort for the deceased family!

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