Bunia: As fragile peace efforts stumble in the Democratic Republic of Congo, priests from the Diocese of Bunia have issued a powerful appeal, warning that the spiral of violence is tearing their province apart.
On 20 August, 76 priests signed a joint statement lamenting that the “ongoing violence is endangering our province,” even as recent dialogue between the DRC and Rwanda had raised hopes of easing tensions.
Bunia, the capital of Ituri province in eastern DRC, has been under siege since May 2021, and remains scarred by brutal attacks carried out by various armed groups. Despite a heavy security presence, killings, kidnappings, and assaults on religious communities continue.
One of the latest attacks unfolded overnight on 19–20 August, when armed men stormed the Propédéutique Saint Kizito oratory, desecrating the tabernacle, scattering consecrated hosts, smashing windows, and threatening priests. The clergy stressed this was not an isolated event but part of a disturbing pattern of unchecked violence.
Earlier incidents included a raid on a parish in Lope on 21 July, and another in Komanda on 26 July, where nearly 50 people were killed and 40 youths abducted.
The Bunia priests expressed deep frustration with the response of state security agencies. Their statement accused officials of downplaying the crisis by framing attacks as mere provocations or retaliations an approach they said masks incompetence, complicity, and corruption.
They further alleged that security personnel, sometimes in collaboration with militias, have engaged in murders, illegal checkpoints, arbitrary arrests (including of minors), and looting of civilian property.
In a worrying twist, military leaders in Ituri have accused the Catholic Church of shielding members of the Convention pour la Révolution Populaire (CRP) militia. The priests strongly rejected this, calling it part of a broader effort to discredit the Church’s prophetic role.
“It is evident that the Catholic Church, because of its prophetic mission, has become a target of orchestrated attacks by the military, who act in criminal complicity with CODECO,” the statement said, referring to one of the most active armed groups in the region.
They added that the state of siege, imposed as a security measure, has failed in its primary task of restoring peace, instead enabling armed groups to expand both in numbers and in weaponry.
Through their declaration, the priests of Bunia have called on national and international actors to intervene urgently to protect civilians, restore law and order, and dismantle the cycle of impunity that has left communities in fear.
Their plea echoes the cries of a population exhausted by years of violence, forced displacement, and unfulfilled promises of peace.