Democratic Republic of the Congo (MNN) — Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 10:16, “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”

Christians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo live among wolves. Last month, the terrorist group Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP) claimed the brutal killings of more than 140 believers. An ambush during a funeral in Nyoto village, Lubero District killed as many as 102 people. Multiple attacks later in the month killed an estimated 40, according to a report from Barnabas Aid.

Church in the DRC (Representative stock photo courtesy of Johnnathan Tshibangu via Unsplash)

“One of the things that we’ve seen even [in] the last couple of months is just the level of violence of these attacks,” says Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs, USA. “[Fighters] coming in and killing dozens of people, beheading people, the idea of putting fear into the whole populace.”

There’s no end in sight, either. ISCAP, also known as the Allied Democratic Forces, is only one of 100 armed groups in the DRC. 

“So if you’re in the government or in the military and you say, ‘Okay, we need to solve this problem,’ this is 100 problems,” Nettleton says. 

He says there is also a question of whether there is a will to solve the security problems. A July 26-27 ISCAP attack killed at least 40 churchgoers in a city with a UN Peacekeeper presence.

“If that’s happening in the same city where there are so-called peacekeepers, is it a lack of will? Is it a lack of information? What is happening that is allowing this to continue on?” says Nettleton.

“If you’re a Christian in DRC right now, certainly you’re asking that question as well: ‘Why does this keep happening, and what needs to happen for our government or for someone to provide some safety, some protection for us?'”

Imagine the disruption to daily life that these dangers cause for everyone, not only for those doing gospel work.

“The baseline of, ‘Am I going to go out today and come home safely tonight?’ — that’s not a given,” says Nettleton. “Every decision, every meeting, every chance to travel to a different location, you’re having to factor in those security questions. ‘What do I need to do to take only necessary risks and not unnecessary risks?'”

ISCAP released a graphic propaganda video in September, boasting of its wars on Christians and calling for reinforcements to join the rising jihad in Africa. (Read an analysis of the video here.) With that in mind, please pray for bold wisdom and innocence for Christians in the DRC in line with Matthew 10:16. Pray that even jihadists in Africa will be won over by the gospel of Jesus.

 

Header image: Portrait of a Taabwa Catholic priest at the historic mission in the city of Moba, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Photo, caption courtesy of IMB)