Bunia: Church institutions in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are facing renewed attacks as armed assailants and criminal gangs targeted a preparatory training school near the Bishop’s residence in the Mudzipela neighbourhood of Bunia during the night of September 15–16. Armed with hammers, knives, crowbars, and other tools, the attackers injured a priest while attempting to loot the training centre, highlighting the persistent insecurity in Ituri Province.
According to Agenzia Fides, the intruders first assaulted and tortured the security guard on duty, seeking information about the school’s funds. Father Jean-Deogratias Budjona, the Spiritual Director of the institution, recounted that the guard’s calls for help prompted Father Justin Logo to respond. When Father Logo opened the door, the attackers forced their way inside and stabbed him in the arm before they could be repelled. Quick action and the raising of an alarm attracted a military patrol, preventing further harm.
This incident marks the third attack on the preparatory school since July 2025. Other parishes, rectories, and convents across Ituri including those in Lopa, Komanda, and Nyakasanza have also been repeatedly targeted by criminal gangs and armed groups, further destabilizing the province.
Pope Leo XIV has expressed sorrow and spiritual solidarity with the people of Ituri, recalling the July 2025 massacre at the Parish of Blessed Anuarite in Komanda, when armed forces of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) killed fifty people, including nine children, injured many, and set homes and shops ablaze. The UN peacekeeping mission in DRC, MONUSCO, condemned that attack, highlighting the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
Ituri remains plagued by multiple armed groups, whose actions continue to spread fear, violence, and death. Despite the province being under a state of siege since May 2021 a measure aimed at curbing more than three decades of insurgency, armed conflict, and banditry the attacks persist, underscoring the fragility of security and the vulnerability of civilians, including religious communities.
The repeated targeting of Church institutions in Ituri not only threatens the lives of clergy and laity but also undermines the vital role of faith-based organizations in education, social support, and community cohesion amid one of the DRC’s most volatile regions.