On 15 January 2023, a bomb exploded during a Sunday service in a Pentecostal church in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The attack occurred in Kasindi in the northeastern province of North Kivu, close to the Ugandan border.[1] The attack killed at least 17 people and left 39 more were injured.[2] The Islamic State – Central Africa Province (IS-CAP) claimed responsibility for the attack.[3][1][4]
| Kasindi church bombing | |
|---|---|
| Part of the ADF insurgency | |
 | |
| Location | Kasindi, North Kivu, DR Congo |
| Coordinates | 00°02′52″N 29°41′11″E / 0.04778°N 29.68639°E |
| Date | 15 January 2023 |
| Target | Pentecostal church |
Attack type | Bombing |
| Deaths | 17 |
| Injured | 39 |
| Perpetrator |  Islamic State |
Reaction and response
Authorities in the DRC blamed the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a Ugandan Islamist group whose insurgency began in 1996 and spread to the DRC; the group has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. A Kenyan national was arrested at the scene.[5][6]
Pope Francis sent his condolences to the victims of the bombing ahead of his scheduled visit to the DRC in 2023.[7] Peter Mathuki, then-Secretary General of the East African Community (EAC), condemned the " horrific attack on worshippers" in a statement.[8] The government of France issued a condemnation of the attacks, stating it "expresses its full solidarity with the Congolese people at this difficult time".[9]
