(Reuters) -The Islamic State militant group on Monday claimed responsibility for a deadly attack that a U.N. mission said had killed at least 43 worshippers during a night mass at a church in eastern Congo.
At dawn on Sunday, Islamic State-allied rebels stormed the church in Komanda, a village located around 75 kilometers from Ituri’s provincial capital Bunia, killing people with guns and machetes and taking captives.
Islamic State said on its Telegram channel that rebels had killed some 45 churchgoers and burned dozens of homes and shops.
The U.N. mission known as MONUSCO said at least 43 people had been killed, including 19 women and nine children, while condemning the attack carried out by the Islamic State-affiliated Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).
The ADF originates in neighbouring Uganda, but is now based in mineral-rich eastern Congo. It mounts frequent attacks, further destabilising a region where many militant groups compete for influence and resources.
Pope Leo on Monday sent a message of condolences to the bereaved families and the Christian community who lost their relatives and friends in the assault, saying he would pray for them.
(Reporting by Muhammad Al Gebaly and Ahmed Tolba in Cairo; additional reporting by Alvise Armellini in Rome, Sonia Rolley in Paris and Fiston Mahamba in Goma; writing by Anait Miridzhanian; editing by Hugh Lawson and Mark Heinrich)
