Churches In Eastern DRC Forced To Shelter M23 Fighters As Violence Against Christians Escalates
In the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, churches have been forced to become safe havens for M23 rebels, a Tutsi-led paramilitary group that continues to target Christian civilians across the DRC’s eastern provinces.
Local pastors have reported that they have been forced to shelter rebels inside their churches as well as within their surrounding communities. The rebels are well aware that hiding in these sanctuaries guarantees them protection, given the government’s longstanding commitment to ensuring that attacks do not target civilians, churches or hospitals.
The situation has left both pastors and their congregations in a difficult position. Rebels have used churches not only as hiding spots, but as a shield against military intervention. In return, pastors are left with little choice but to offer refuge to the armed fighters, often against their will. While church services in cities like Goma have continued, albeit under duress, believers in Bukavu have been unable to gather as the city has been seized by the M23 rebels. Access to the area has been cut off, with roads closed, further complicating efforts to assist the beleaguered communities.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, especially in the eastern region, Christians face severe persecution and violence, frequently from Islamist militants the Allied Democratic Forces. Allied with ISIS, the ADF abduct and kill Christians and attack churches, leading to widespread terror, insecurity and displacement. The M23 rebel group, reportedly supported by Rwanda, also targets Christian civilians, making the situation even worse.
The DRC’s neighbors, including Rwanda, are suspected of having an interest in the region, largely due to its wealth of strategic minerals. According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center, over 2.7 million people in DRC have been displaced due to conflict in the first half of 2024. It marks the highest figure recorded in the country since IDMC began tracking in 2009.
The violence has targeted both Christians and non-Christians alike, with media reports confirming a rising death toll.
Emmanuel Kasala, a Congolese pastor currently residing in South Africa, shared troubling statistics with Religion Unplugged, estimating that some 4,000 people had died in Goma alone due to the violence. With approximately 80% of DRC’s population identifying as Christian, Kasala said upwards of 3,200 of those killed may have been Christians.
“The statistics excluding those who have been buried clandestinely are so far 4,000 in Goma alone,” he said. “Taking into consideration that 80% of DRC populations are Christians. It will be not far fetched to say around 3,200 Christians were massacred the day Goma was taken by M23 backed by Rwandan army.”
The pastor described the situation as one of extreme insecurity. He also expressed concern for his family and church members in Goma, where communication is difficult and phone calls are monitored by the rebels.
“The rebels take your phone and scroll through your messages,” he added. “If they find anything suspicious, they’ll come for you. You’ll disappear, and no one will ever see you again.”
A nation under siege
In the city of Goma, the rebels have reportedly shut down the internet and the lack of electricity and water has worsened the humanitarian crisis. Meanwhile, in the western part of the DRC, pastors continue their ministry, though they are emotionally affected by the violence in the east.
Speaking from the DRC, a 70-year-old pastor, who wished not to be named for fear of assassination, told Religion Unplugged that Christians “live in fear because you are not free to preach what the spirit of God tells you to preach. They function in fear. … Let’s say they want to worship for three hours; they will worship for one and half hour. They are not free to say what they want to say because anything can happen to them anytime.”
The pastor, who lives in the western part of DRC, but has family, friends and church colleagues live in Goma and Bukavu.
“There is no way out for them in those areas. All the roads are closed. We want help for them to escape,” he said. “My nephew is a pastor and he lives in Goma. He travels a long way to charge his phone [because there is nowhere he can charge the phone where he lives]. They pay a lot of money to charge their phones.
“I fear for the lives of my relatives in Goma because I don’t know what would happen to them. It is not easy for them to speak over the phone. Their phones are detected by the rebels. Sometimes they take your phone to scroll through to checkyour communication with people.”
He also added that biggest challenge remains safety and free speech, saying, “People are not really protected. You cannot speak anything negative or make any comments about those people who are invading the country. People who are dying are not only Christians … everyone is also affected. Some of them are shot in their homes. The whole family is taken away — whether you are Christian or not. If you see something negative, you cannot speak about it. If you do, they will say you have despised and criticised the leaders. They will come and take you and once they take you, you are gone, and you will not appear anymore.We also want help to escape the country before they reach the Western side.”
Another pastor who lives in the western part of DRC, who also asked not to be named, said Christians across the country have been impacted by the violence.
“There are still members in different churches that have relatives in Goma, so that affects them emotionally,” the pastor said.
He added: “We are not doing one-on-one counseling. We preach from the pulpit as a general counseling. Preaching is counseling and what we preach should be relevant to the time in which we are. In that way, they are receiving counseling on how to respond in tough circumstances like this one that our country is going through. People in Goma are our brothers. We share the same country and story. We have many things in common. So, in that way we are all affected emotionally.”
Kasala said Christians across the DRC have turned to prayer as well as protecting themselves against the escalating violence.
“Only God can come through,” he added. “The people also need to stand and fight. While others are praying, others must be encouraged to fight and not to give away the land. So, it is a matter of fighting for the land and peace that it [war] must not spread all over. Those pastors that I talk to are determined to put fear aside, to unite and to fight spiritually and encourage the army not to give up. That is the atmosphere. That is the mode right now.”
Kasala said religious freedom remains a paramount concern amid all the violence.
“There is no liberty of praying and people are not really praying in the way that it should be,” he said. “The churches are affected because the people have run away from their homes, so it is now a matter of survival. … Also, the rebels are using churches to hide there because when they are outnumbered, they would run into the churches. There is no normal church service taking place. Many people are scattered. It has affected the church. The gathering is not much allowed, because you don’t know what could happen.”
Vicky Abraham is an investigative journalist based in South Africa and has reported for the Mail & Guardian, City Press, Assist News, the Nation newspaper in Nigeria and Nation Media Group in Kenya.