At least five people were killed in a suspected terror attack at church in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Sunday.
According to army spokesman Anthony Mualushay, 15 people were also wounded in what has been reported as an Islamist bomb attack in the eastern Congolese city of Kasindi, on the border with Uganda.
Video footage from locals shows bodies strewn across the church’s floors. Other show churchgoers trying to get those injured onto trucks to get medical help.
Early reports on social media say the bomb went off while a baptism ceremony was taking place.
Although most of the population of the DRC are Christian, they receive relentless violent attacks from Islamic extremists.
According to Christian persecution watchdog Open Doors, “Alliance for Democratic Forces (ADF) is responsible for the persecution of Christians in the east of the country, brutally attacking Christians and churches. Christian leaders who advocate against corruption risk harassment and interference from the government”.
Meanwhile, Christian converts are also forced to take part in non-Christian ceremonies.
Last month, tens of thousands of Christians took to the streets across the DRC to protest violence in eastern regions, as church leaders accused the international community of hypocrisy over Rwanda's alleged role in the fighting.
