North Kivu: 17 people killed in the explosion of an artisanal bomb in the church of the 8th CEPAC in Kasindi-Lubirigha

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At least 17 people were killed and around twenty others seriously injured on Sunday 15 January when an artisanal bomb exploded in the church of the 8th CEPAC in the commune of Kasindi-Lubirigha (North Kivu) and border city with Uganda located 90 kilometers northeast of the city of Beni.

The administrative and security authorities who quickly went to the scene of the tragedy quickly evacuated the injured for appropriate care, while the dead bodies were taken to the morgue.

A security device surrounds the place of the tragedy to avoid other collateral damage while the faithful of this church, who were in the middle of an evangelical conference, emptied the place.

According to the army, investigations are already underway to detect the origin of this purely terrorist act.

The army asks the population to avoid crowds to avoid other unpleasant surprises.

Government condemnation

The Government strongly condemns “the bomb attack visibly perpetrated by ADF terrorists, this Sunday 15/01/2023, against citizens in full worship in the parish of the 8th Community of Pentecostal Churches of Congo in the city of Kasindi in the Nord-Kivu”, we read on the twitter account of the Ministry of Communication and Media.

He encourages the local population to observe FARDC recommendations in order to avoid crowds and to be vigilant.

“The overall assessment and the results of the preliminary investigations in progress will be communicated in the following hours. The Government offers its most saddened condolences to the bereaved families and expresses its deep compassion to the compatriots who are victims of this despicable terrorist act,” wrote Patrick Muyaya.