At least 16 civilians were killed last night in an attack on three villages in the DRC. The attacks are suspected to be perpetrated by the Islamist terrorist group Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an affiliate of ISIS that has the primary aim of creating an Islamic Caliphate in Central Africa.

The Kivu Security Tracker, which maps violence in the region, reported last night’s incident in a tweet, stating:

“At least 16 civilians were killed last night in the villages of Mayele, Kalembo and Toya (Beni territory, North# ivu). The ADF are suspected. At least 944 civilians have been killed in North Kivu and Ituri since the state of siege was established on May 6.”

While a large majority (85-90%) of DRC’s population is Christian, violence rooted in Islamic extremism, mostly at the hands of ADF, continues to worsen, putting the country at number 40 on the 2021 Open Doors World Watch List for Christian persecution. “These predominantly Christian communities are attacked by an Islamic extremist group with a clear Islamic expansionist agenda,” Open Doors spokesperson Illia Djadi stated in reference to the rebel group.