Caritas Bunia, has issued a scathing condemnation of the July 27 massacre at Blessed Anuarite Komanda Parish and other areas in Ituri Province.
Newsroom (31/07/2025, Gaudium Press )The humanitarian arm of the Catholic Diocese of Bunia, Caritas Bunia, has issued a scathing condemnation of the July 27 massacre at Blessed Anuarite Komanda Parish and other areas in Ituri Province, denouncing the escalating violence against civilians and the failure of the Congolese government’s state of siege to restore peace.
In a statement released on July 29, Caritas Bunia expressed profound shock and grief over the relentless attacks targeting Christian communities in the conflict-ravaged province. “Ituri is bleeding, Ituri is weeping—but Ituri will not die,” declared Fr. Justin Zanamuzi, Director of Caritas Bunia.
The attack on Blessed Anuarite Parish, attributed to rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), struck in the early hours of July 27, hours after the parish’s youth celebrated the silver jubilee of the Eucharistic Crusade. “Around 1:00 a.m., barbaric violence struck the young people who remained at the parish grounds,” Fr. Zanamuzi recounted. “Machete attacks, beatings, gunfire, arson targeting shops and vehicles, and kidnappings plunged Komanda into horror.” Over 40 civilians, mostly young Catholics, were killed in the parish’s multipurpose hall.
The massacre triggered widespread panic, prompting a mass exodus to Bunia, Beni, and Kisangani. Economic and religious activities have ground to a halt, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis as displaced populations strain local resources.
Fr. Zanamuzi highlighted the relentless violence plaguing Ituri, noting that over 100 people, including women and children, have been killed in July 2025 alone. He also referenced the July 21 desecration of St. John Capistran Parish by Cooperative for the Development of Congo (CODECO) rebels, which led Bishop Dieudonné Uringi Uuci to indefinitely close the parish.
The Caritas Bunia Director accused the Congolese authorities and the international community of “total indifference” to the crisis, asserting that the four-year state of siege has been an “utter failure.” He condemned the military rule as “imposed against the will of the local population” and demanded its immediate lifting, alongside the replacement of security personnel stationed in Komanda and Lopa during the recent atrocities.
Fr. Zanamuzi called for an urgent overhaul of civilian protection strategies and urged all belligerents to spare innocent lives. He implored the Congolese government to “act decisively to impose peace,” warning that their “silence and passivity amount to criminal complicity.” He also pressed the international community to investigate the crimes and ensure accountability for perpetrators.
Extending condolences to the victims’ families, Fr. Zanamuzi described the deceased as “witnesses of their faith” and prayed for God’s mercy upon Ituri, “a land martyred by daily bloodshed.” He urged the people of Ituri to remain united against “hatred, division, and political manipulation,” emphasizing that “unity is strength” in the face of attempts to “divide and conquer.”
“May their sacrifice inspire us to continue the fight for justice and peace,” he concluded, calling for renewed community solidarity to confront the region’s ongoing horrors.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from ACI Africa
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