More than 40 Christians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo were killed by Islamic militants early Sunday morning, according to reports from multiple Christian organizations and the United Nations.

The victims, including at least nine children, were holding a prayer vigil as part of a summer holiday session in the early morning hours in the city of Komanda when they were attacked by the Allied Democratic Forces, a radical Islamic rebel group with ties to the Islamic State, according to Aid to the Church in Need.

“The attack occurred at around 1 o’clock in the morning. The rebels entered the church and murdered a large number of children, both inside the church building and in the compound,” said Fr. Marcelo Oliveira, a longtime missionary in the Congo.

Islamic militants set fire to homes and shops in Komanda before fleeing. The terrorists were gone by the time the government forces arrived. According to the United Nations peacekeeping mission, 43 people were killed in the attack, including 19 women and nine children, the BBC reported. The Congolese military said that the insurgents used machetes in their attack, adding, “These terrorists have decided to take revenge on defenseless peaceful populations to spread terror.”

The attack is yet another example of the extreme persecution faced by Christians at the hands of Islamic extremists in the Congo and other African nations. In February, 70 Christians were found beheaded in a church after they were attacked by militants with the Allied Democratic Forces. Last month, around 200 Christians in Nigeria were killed by jihadists who stormed a predominantly Catholic farming community and set fire to homes.

Christian persecution in Africa receives little to no coverage in the legacy news media despite the constant threats and violence faced by people of faith. According to the Christian group Open Doors, 355 Christians in the Congo were killed in 2024, an increase from 261 in 2023.

The Congo remains a completely volatile political landscape with factions and rebel groups fighting for control of multiple regions. The fighting has resulted in more than 100,000 Congolese people getting displaced, the United Nations reported in February.