By Spy Uganda CorrespondentĀ
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s army said on Sunday that an explosive device had detonated in a church in North Kivu province, without giving details about the number of casualties.
In a statement sent to reporters, military spokesman Antony Mualushayi said that the “terrorist act” occurred in a pentecostal church in the town of Kasindi in North Kivu, which lies on the border with neighbouring Uganda.
“The security services have already taken control of the place and the injured have been evacuated to local health facilities,” Mualushayi said, adding that an investigation was underway.
Details on the ground are hazy, and both the number of casualties and the perpetrator of the attack remains unclear.
Over 120 armed groups roam mineral-rich eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, many of which are the legacy of regional wars that flared at the turn of the century.
The Allied Democratic Forces — which the Islamic State group claims as its affiliate in Central Africa — is active in the area of North Kivu where the church bomb attack took place.
It has been accused of slaughtering thousands of Congolese civilians and carrying out bomb attacks in neighbouring Uganda.
A joint Ugandan-Congolese military operation has targeted the ADF in North Kivu and neighbouring Ituri province since it launched in November 2021.
