At least five people were killed and 15 wounded in a suspected Islamist militant bomb on a church in the North Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on Sunday.
Congolese army spokesman Anthony Muwalushi said the "terrorist act" took place in a church in Kasindi, a town on the border with neighboring Uganda.
Videos posted on social media showed dead bodies in the seats and blood on the floor. Another photo showed bloodied victims being carried and treated by bystanders outside the church.
"The security services have already taken control of the place and the injured have been evacuated to local health facilities," Moshayei said, adding that an investigation is underway.
"I just came back from the scene, where I saw the bodies of children on the ground," said Kasindi resident Alain Kitsa by phone, describing the atmosphere in the town as tense.
The Allied Democratic Forces, which the Islamic State claims to be affiliated with in Central Africa, is active in the North Kivu region, where the attack on the church took place.
"Despite the security measures put in place, the first indications show that it is the ADF which is behind this bomb attack," Mualushay said, without providing evidence to back his claim.
ADF has not yet commented on the attack.
Charles Omeonga, the district official, said this would be the first time the ADF had targeted Kasende since the group intensified its attacks in the area in 2014.
The ADF declared allegiance to the Islamic State in 2019 and has been accused of killing hundreds of villagers in repeated raids over the past two years.
The DRC and Uganda launched a joint military operation in 2021 to target the Australian Defense Forces.
Follow the latest news on Google News
