Todd Nettleton of The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) says that two separate massacres took place in the African village of Mungbere, six on June 3rd and another eight on the 24th.
“Earlier this month, 14 Christians were beheaded in two separate attacks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DCR),” Nettleton says.
The attackers, he says, were an ISIS offshoot that's gaining strength in that part of the DRC.
“The attacks have been credited to ISCAP, the Islamic State Central Africa Province, so an ISIS-affiliated terrorist group working in DRC,” Nettleton states.
Security experts say ISCAP (ICE-CAP) may have moved into the area because counter terrorism operations are happening near their stronghold, reports Barnabas Aid. The terrorists may also be trying to escape a part of the DRC that has been affected by Ebola.
Nettleton says this particular ISIS-offshoot are getting a reputation as being exceptionally violent.
“As we look around the world, some of the most violent attacks that we've seen are in DRC, and this is another example. You have 14 Christians not just being killed, but being beheaded,” Nettleton states.
The Islamist may be so brazen, he says, because they believe Allah will cut them a break if they die while killing Christians.
“There is a theological aspect to this: that I can fight jihad, I can commit violence, because if I'm killed in that act, I will go straight to paradise. I will bypass this sort of weighing of my deeds,” Nettleton says.
According to VOM’s Global Prayer Guide, DRC is labeled as a hostile country toward Christians. The designation identifies the nation as one where the government “may attempt to provide protection for the Christian population, but Christians are still routinely persecuted by family, friends, neighbors or political groups because of their witness.”
About 90% of the DCR’s population is Christian, and the main persecutors are Islamic extremists and terrorists, such as the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF)), affiliated with ISCAP, along the country’s eastern border.
