Over 237 Christians Murdered By Islamist Militia Between January And February
There is a circulating claim that Islamist militia have murdered over 237 Christians between January and February in the North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC.
On February 26, 2025, an X user @FarezPervaiz3 made the post which had a graphic image of dead bodies lying on the ground with the caption: “Graphic Warning: Democratic Republic of Congo #DRC Islamists #ISIS have murdered more than 237 Christians between January-february in villages across the North Kivu province. Homes were torched and many are missing, Rape. These Christian communities need urgent prayer. #Congo”.
The post has gone viral with 89,000 views and smilar claims with the same image were also found on X, here and here.
VERIFICATION
The image from the claim was put through Google reverse image search and results reveal that this image is not recent.It is from eight months ago as seen here, here and here, when the Allied Democratic Forces, ADF attacked villages and killed over 80 people in June 2024.
Was There an Attack by Islamist Militia in Kivu Province in 2024?
In July 2024, the DRC experienced a series of brutal attacks attributed to the Allied Democratic Forces, ADF, a group linked to the Islamic State. On July 23, 2024, suspected ADF militants attacked civilians working in fields near the town of Oicha in North Kivu province. The assailants killed at least 17 people, with some reports indicating up to 19 victims, including two women. Many of the victims were decapitated with machetes. Local authorities, including Oicha Mayor Nicolas Kikuku, attributed the massacre to the ADF.
Around the same period, approximately 20 individuals were killed while cultivating their fields about 30 kilometers from Oicha. The victims were attacked with firearms and knives. Local officials and civil society representatives, such as Mayor Nicolas Kikuku and Darius Syaira, linked this atrocity to the ADF.
These incidents are part of a broader pattern of violence in eastern DRC, where the ADF has been active for decades. Despite joint military operations by Congolese and Ugandan forces since late 2021, the ADF continues to perpetrate deadly attacks on civilians. The group pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in 2019, which now refers to them as its Central African branch.
Are There Recent Attacks by the ADF in Kivu Province in 2025?
In early 2025, the Kivu region of the DRC experienced a significant escalation in violence, primarily due to the activities of the March 23 Movement, M23, (which is not linked to the Islamic militia), and the Allied Democratic Forces, ADF, which is linked to jihadist movement.
Earlier, on January 2, 2025, ADF fighters conducted raids in North Kivu province, targeting the villages of Bilendu and Mangoya. These attacks resulted in the deaths of at least 12 people and the burning of several houses.
On February 12, 2025, ADF militants abducted over 70 Christian civilians in the village of Mayba, North Kivu. The captives were taken to a Protestant church in Kasanga, where they were executed. The Christians were found beheaded in a church in the DRC. The January and February attacks are the only documented attacks carried out by the ADF militants in 2025 as other attacks in Kivu region are being carried out by the M23 rebels as reported here and here.
Number Of Casualties Of M23 Attack On Kivu Province
On February 27, 2025, explosions at an M23 rally in Bukavu, South Kivu, led to at least 11 deaths and 65 injuries. Rebel leader Corneille Nangaa accused the Congolese government of orchestrating the attack, while President Felix Tshisekedi condemned it as a terrorist act by foreign forces.
Earlier in February 2025, the M23 seized the city of Goma in North Kivu. The United Nations estimates that this offensive resulted in approximately 3,000 civilian deaths.
CONCLUSION
The claim that over 237 Christians have been killed by Islamic backed militia in the Kivu region between January and February 2025 is MISLEADING as attacks linked to IS-affiliated ADF led to over 80 deaths while about 3,000 people lost their lives due to attacks between the M23 rebels and government forces in the same region. Also, the circulating image of the said attack is from a June 2024 attack.
