Byambwe: Fear and heartbreak are spreading through the small village of Byambwe in North Kivu after militants attacked a church run hospital late on Friday night, killing patients who had no chance to escape. Local officials and Church sources say at least seventeen people died inside the facility, while several others were killed in nearby homes that were set on fire.
The attack took place around 10 pm when armed members of the Allied Democratic Forces stormed the health center operated by the Little Sisters of the Presentation. Many of the victims were women who had just given birth or were receiving care in the maternity ward. Survivors say patients were killed in their beds before the attackers burned the building.
Missionaries and local leaders say the militants also looted medical supplies before torching the wards and destroying more than two dozen houses in the village. Some newborn babies are feared to have been taken away by the attackers, though the number is still unclear.
“This is beyond human understanding. Mothers were killed as they were nursing their babies,” said Fr Giovanni Piumatti, an Italian missionary who served more than fifty years in the region and continues to follow events closely. He said the brutality reflects a pattern of violence the group has carried out across North Kivu and Ituri, often targeting civilians and places of worship.
Local authorities said the army tried to pursue the attackers but they escaped into the nearby forest. Residents say the militants were heavily armed and moved quickly, leaving families too frightened to return to their homes.
The ADF has been linked to numerous attacks in eastern Congo for years and is known for its ties to the Islamic State. The region remains unstable due to overlapping conflicts, including clashes with the M23 rebel group and long standing disputes over control of mineral rich land.
Church sources say the sisters who ran the hospital survived the attack and are now caring for injured villagers in makeshift spaces along the roadside. Many families have fled the area.
The killings have renewed anger among missionaries and civil society groups who accuse the international community of ignoring the suffering of people in eastern Congo. They say global powers critique the violence but fail to address the economic interests that fuel the conflict.
Fr Piumatti said the silence is painful. “Kivu is rich in minerals. Many groups profit from this war. And the world allows these massacres to continue. It is a tragedy that repeats almost every week.”
Authorities are still assessing the full extent of the damage, and the number of missing people remains unknown. Humanitarian groups have called for urgent medical support, protection for civilians, and stronger action to stop repeated attacks on communities that have already endured years of violence.