BENI (DR Congo), Jan 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — At least 10 people were killed and 39 wounded in a bomb attack on a church in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo claimed by Daesh militants.
Congolese military spokesman Antony Mualushayi said the “terrorist act” happened Sunday in a Pentecostal church in North Kivu province’s Kasindi, a town on the border with Uganda.
The explosion killed at least 10 people and wounded 39, he added, revising up an initial death toll of five. Both tolls were provisional, the spokesman said.
But the spokesman for Uganda’s military operation in the DRC, Bilal Katamba, said that 16 people had been killed in the blast, and 20 wounded.
“The attackers used an IED to carry out the attack and we suspect ADF is behind the attack,” he added.
The DRC’s communications ministry said on social media that the attack was apparently carried out by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) — which the Daesh group claims as its affiliate in central Africa.
On Sunday evening, the Daesh group claimed responsibility for the attack and said “nearly 20” people had been killed, according to the specialised monitoring group Site intelligence group.
Army spokesman Mualushayi said a Kenyan suspect was arrested after the attack.
The DRC’s presidency condemned the bombing, as did the United Nations peacekeeping mission which described it as a “cowardly and despicable attack”.
Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi placed North Kivu and Ituri under a so-called state of siege in 2021 in a bid to stem the violence, with military officials replacing civilian administrators. — NNN-AGENCIES