Church Bomb Kills 6, According to Congo’s Army; Extremists Suspected

According to the army of the nation, at least 10 people died and more than 30 were hurt in an attack by extremists on a church in eastern Congo.

A military spokesman named Anthony Mwalushayi says that the bombing of the Pentecostal church in Kasindi, a town in the North Kivu region, is thought to have been done by an Islamic extremist group.

According to Mwalushayi, a Kenyan national located at the scene was detained. In a tweet, the ministry of communication advised the public to avoid crowded areas and to exercise caution as the government of Congo conducted an inquiry.

Young bodies, including what looked to be a dead kid, were seen lying on the ground outside the church in videos and pictures of the attack that the AP saw. People were yelling as the injured were being brought out of the church.

As more than 120 armed groups and self-defense militias battle for territory and power, violence has plagued eastern Congo for decades. According to the U.N., there are about 6 million people who are internally displaced, and hundreds of thousands of them are severely food insecure.

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Members of the Allied Democratic Forces, a rebel group thought to have ties to the Islamic State, have carried out attacks in Kasindi, a town close to the Ugandan border.

The Ugandan army has sent troops to the eastern Congo in an effort to quell the unrest, but the attacks have grown more frequent and widespread. In attacks since April, the ADF has murdered at least 370 civilians and kidnapped hundreds more, according to a report released by the UN last month.

The rebel organisation has expanded its sphere of influence to include Goma and the neighbouring province of Ituri.