At least 34 people have died after IS-backed rebels launched a brutal attack on a church in Goma.

The Associated Press in Central Africa also reports that five others were killed in Machongani, a nearby village.

Gunmen attacked the Catholic church in Komanda, killing dozens before setting fire to shops and homes.

A local civil society leader said, “We are truly disappointed because it is incredible that such a situation could occur in a town where all the security officials are present… We demand military intervention as soon as possible, since we are told the enemy is still near our town.”

Christians in eastern Congo have faced increasing persecution in recent years, primarily from Rwandan-backed M23 rebels and the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF)—a group that began as an ideologically driven Ugandan militia but is now backed by the Islamic State.

Many have been internally displaced, with churches serving as key sources of shelter for those forced to flee their homes.

Anti-persecution watchdog Open Doors ranks the Democratic Republic of the Congo as the 35th most dangerous country in which to follow Jesus—despite more than 95 percent of the population identifying as Christian.