At least 43 persons were killed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo when Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) militants stormed a Catholic church on Sunday.
The ADF, an insurgent organization associated to the so-called Islamic State group, attacked the church in the northeastern town of Komanda as people gathered for prayer.
What do we know about the assault on the Catholic church?
Nine people, including youngsters, were slain, according to MONUSCO, the UN peacekeeping mission in the nation.
According to accounts, the insurgents also set fire to residences and businesses around the church.
These targeted attacks on unarmed people, particularly in places of worship, are not only horrific, but they also violate all human rights and international humanitarian law, according to the mission's deputy leader, Vivian van de Perre, in a statement.
Sunday's attack shattered months of peace in the Ituri area, which borders Uganda.
In February, ADF guerrillas murdered 23 individuals in an attack in the province's Mambasa region.
The Congolese military denounced what it termed as a large-scale slaughter on Sunday.
It claimed that the ADF had decided to target innocent, peaceful communities in order to create dread.
Eastern Congo is recognized as one of the world's most hazardous places.
Nearly 130 distinct armed groups are thought to be active around the country, with many focused on gaining control of the region's enormous and rich natural resource reserves, including coltan, cobalt, gold, and diamonds.
Hostilities between Congolese troops and the M23 rebel group began earlier this year and resulted in a truce on July 19.
