2/28/2025 DRC (International Christian Concern) — Mutwanga, once a thriving village in the North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), is now in shambles, ravaged by the relentless terror of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).
From Jan. 24 to Feb. 2, the area has been struck by multiple horrific attacks that have left the land and its people traumatized.
In Loulo, the epicenter of these attacks, more than 121 residents have been killed, and homes that were once full of families are now empty shells.
“The night was filled with the sounds of gunfire,” said Jeremie Mahembe, a survivor of the atrocities committed in Loulo. “I heard my neighbors screaming, but there was nothing I could do. I escaped with my children, but my wife … she did not make it, she was killed. The attackers were everywhere, death shadows. I never thought I would live to see the day my life, my home, would be destroyed in an instant.”
The horror spread from Loulo to Bukokoma military camp, which was emptied by an ADF attack on Dec. 24, 2024. Nearby villages were also attacked.
“It is as if the earth has swallowed us whole,” said Chief Kighoma, whose village was engulfed by the chaos. “Our homes, our families, gone. The attackers didn’t even spare the elderly or the children. Now, over 350 houses stand vacant, their walls silent witnesses to the atrocities we’ve suffered. Where do we go from here? Who’s going to assist us?”
Pastor Munduwighulu, a local cleric, said he is devastated by the extent of the brutality.
“It is inhuman to kill innocent people of God, to eliminate a family in seconds,” he said. “We are not animals, but what has been done to us is worse than anything imaginable. How many more people must die before the world acts? How many more families must be devastated?”
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