The pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need expressed its "deep concern and solidarity" with the families of the victims of a brutal attack carried out on the night of Sept. 8-9 in Ntoyo in the area of St. Joseph of Manguredjipa Catholic Parish, which is in the Congolese province of North Kivu.

According to local sources close to the charity, the massacre -- attributed to the Allied Democratic Forces -- left at least 64 dead, many of whom were killed while taking part in a wake.

"The attackers used firearms and hammers, and some homes were selectively set alight, suggesting that this was a premeditated act of terror. Local authorities have begun to bury the victims and implement new security measures," ACN said in a Sept. 17 statement.

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Bishop Melchisédech Sikuli Paluko of Butembo-Beni in a statement sent to ACN expressed his "spiritual closeness" to "all the families affected by this umpteenth and horrible carnage."

He asked that God, "the Master of Life, strengthen us through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, consoler of the afflicted, and lead us beyond the desert of present-day suffering to lasting peace."

ADF, an organization blamed for the attack, is a murderous militia group that was launched in Uganda in 1995 and currently operates in the mountainous region between Uganda and Congo. The group has been recruiting child soldiers, maiming, killing, and raping women and children. In 2019, the militant group pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group and increased its attacks.

"The group has been responsible for a number of massacres in eastern Congo, which have been characterized by their extreme violence against civilians, especially Christians," ACN said.

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The horrendous attack follows several recent atrocities.

At least 43 people, including children, were killed July 27 in a brutal overnight attack on a Catholic church in Komanda in eastern Congo.

In February, over 70 corpses were found in a Protestant church in Lubero, "many of them had their hands bound and had been decapitated," ACN said.

"The situation in eastern Congo can only be described as dire. The violence has intensified all over the region of North and South Kivu, leading to massive displacement of populations and a serious humanitarian crisis. Although many provinces have been under martial law for years, with a heavy presence of Congolese armed forces, Ugandan troops and a U.N. mission, the attacks continue," the pontifical charity said.

Congo has been dogged by conflict for over 30 years, since the Rwandan 1994 genocide -- with fighting escalating in early 2025 when M23 rebels violently took over Goma and Bukavu, with church sources warning that a silent genocide is unfolding in the country.

The Congolese bishops' conference has denounced the fact that in these regions the population continues to suffer from murders and kidnappings, describing the killings as "odious massacres" carried out against innocent faithful.

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ACN called for prayers "for the victims of this new atrocity, for their families and for the entire Christian community."

The charity also called for urgent action by the international community "to protect civilians, ensure religious freedom and work for a lasting peace in this region which struggles under the yoke of over 120 militias and violent groups which operate with impunity in the eastern provinces of the DRC, including Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu and Tanganyika."