The beheaded bodies of 70 Christians were found in a Protestant church in North Kivu Province in the Congo around Feb. 15, several religious freedom advocates said, blaming the extremist Allied Democratic Forces.

The ADF is accused of approaching homes in Mayba, in the Lumbero territory, beginning Feb. 12 and capturing as many as 100 Christians through Feb. 15, marching them to a Protestant church in Kasanga affiliated with the Evangelical Community in Central Africa 20 (CECA 20), binding and beheading them, reported advocates including Open Doors, International Christian Concern (ICC) and Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).

The February massacre followed a January attack, reportedly by ADF, that killed 15, ICC reported.

Church leaders are asking the international community for prayer, describing a climate of unchecked violence at the hands of ADF and other Islamic extremist groups including March 23 Movement (M23) rebels.

“We are no longer talking about simple violence,” ICC quoted a pastor Feb. 21. “We are losing fellow innocent Christians time and again. Our churches are now remaining empty. … The people of the Lord are suffering, and it’s just not bearable to watch.”

ADF, a terrorist group aligned with ISIS and originally from neighboring Uganda, has intensified in the DRC the past decade, Open Doors reported. The violence prompted Open Doors to move the DRC up six places to 35th on its 2025 World Watch List of the 50 worst places for Christians to live.

“We don’t know what to do or how to pray; we’ve had enough of massacres,” Open Doors quoted an elder of the CECA 20 church. “May God’s will alone be done.”

Those beheaded, who included children and the elderly, were likely unable to complete the journey or duties the captors demanded of them, local sources told ACN, as the captives are required to carry the loot stolen from villages.

“It is likely that these victims were unable to resist or endure the forced march, because when the rebels take hostages, they make them travel with them, either as reinforcements for their group or as forced labor for the war effort,” ACN quoted a source who was unidentified for safety concerns. “If you get tired on the way, you’re done. I believe that is what happened to these 70 people.”

The terrorists arrived in Mayba around 4 a.m. Feb. 12 and commanded 20 villagers to exit their homes quietly. When about 50 other villagers gathered the next day to plan a response, the terrorists also captured them, it was widely reported. While most said 70 were captured, ACN put the number closer to 100.

John Samuel, Open Doors’ legal expert for its work in sub-Saharan Africa, strongly condemned the violence and called upon civil societies, governments and international organizations to prioritize protection for civilians in the targeted area.

“The violence takes place in a context of impunity, where almost no one is held accountable,” Samuel said in a Feb. 18 press release. “This massacre is a clear indicator of widespread human rights violations against civilians and vulnerable communities, often targeting Christians, perpetrated by ADF – a [so-called Islamic State] affiliate.

“We further call on the international Christian community to remain in prayer for Christians and vulnerable communities in eastern DRC.”

Pray that all levels of government in DRC will respond “diligently, impartially and transparently address the violence and its effects,” Samuel pleaded, while also seeking prayers for the church in Lumbero.

Open Doors counted 355 Christians killed for their faith in the DRC in 2024, an increase from the 261 killed the previous year. An estimated 10,000 were internally displaced, Open Doors said, putting the number at 10-fold the number in 2023.

About six million people have died and many more have been displaced in a decades-long conflict in the DRC, ICC said.

This article is republished with permission from Baptist Press.

Diana Chandler is Baptist Press’ senior writer.