“There is a lot more from the Allied Democratic Forces coming into Uganda and attacking.” 

In the East, it’s a different story. There, Muslim-majority communities team up against their Christian counterparts. Wesley says while the attacks were initially more verbal than physical, the intensity of violence is increasing. Reports indicate that attacks are especially ramping up against evangelists and recent converts. 

“Because that is the evidence of Christianity’s expression in those places,” Wesley says. “If the church was silent and was not evangelistic, then they would feel no threat.” 

Despite this, some Muslims are beginning to see the cracks in their cultural fortress; and those who do are stepping outside it. Choosing Christ over Islam means ostracization, threats, and sometimes even death. But Wesley says even this reality can serve as a confirmation for new believers. 

“They see that almost as a weakness of their faith and a strength of Christianity, and therefore they oppose it,” he explains. 

On the political front, Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has pledged to uphold religious freedom in the country, and Wesley says that position is backed by policy. 

“Where there have been attacks, there are actual police reports that are written, and people have been arrested. So they are trying to prevent these things from taking place,” he says. 

Still, the situation is complex. According to a report from Open Doors International:

 “The Ugandan government’s increased surveillance and monitoring, in response to national security concerns, have added another layer of pressure on Christians. While the government’s actions are aimed at curbing Islamic extremism, they place Christians under further scrutiny, particularly in regions already fraught with religious tensions.”

Regardless of human leadership, Wesley says Christians will remain Kingdom-focused, as persecution is neither new nor unexpected for followers of Christ. The history of Uganda itself is peppered with martyrdom, Wesley says, and it’s a backdrop that fortifies believers. 

“In the understanding there, they recognize that they are going to suffer some persecution, but they’re not willing to let that prevent them from continuing their faith,” he says. 

As the church in Uganda continues to lift up the name of the Lord, would you lift up these brothers and sisters in prayer? 

Pray for the light to shine in the darkness and for the Holy Spirit to strengthen believers in love, faith, and endurance. Pray for a spirit of resilience, courage, and boldness amongst the Ugandan church, and pray that lost people would respond to the glorious hope and salvation of Jesus Christ.

Above: Ugandan community, courtesy of illustrate Digital UG via Pexels. Featured image: Ugandan church, courtesy of Fame of God Studios via Unsplash.

Greg Kelley with Unknown Nations explains that M23 is essentially a proxy army supported by Rwanda. However, “the M23 group also has an independent power structure,” he says. “And this peace agreement that was signed, M23 is saying, ‘Well, we’re not bound by that. That was between the DRC and Rwanda, so we can operate independently.’”

As if to underscore this, less than a week after the peace accord, M23 captured the strategic city of Uvira in the DRC’s South Kivu province. They allegedly abandoned it a week later after international condemnation of the move. However, this past New Year’s weekend, M23 clashed with the Congolese army again, just a few miles away from Uvira. 

The cost of these latest militant operations is high. The Congolese government has accused the Rwandan-backed rebels of killing more than 1,500 civilians in eastern DRC since early December. More than 84,000 people have fled the DRC into neighboring Burundi since early December, too, according to the UN. Tens of thousands more have been displaced within the DRC. That’s on top of millions already forced from their homes in the past decades of conflict.

Treasure audio Bible distribution in DRC. (Photo courtesy of Unknown Nations)

“Anytime you have that kind of displacement of mass humanity, it’s going to complicate gospel inroads, because people are leaving everything behind,” says Kelley. 

Near the heart of the decades of conflict in the DRC are the country’s rich resources. 

“These other countries — like Uganda, like Rwanda — they have been occupying the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo in the name of national security, while they’re conveniently extracting some of these natural resources,” says Kelley. 

Please ask God to raise more gospel workers to bring the hope of Christ to people trapped in this conflict.

“We can pray that there ultimately becomes peace in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, and that leaders would emerge who would come alongside these displaced people and encourage them in this time of difficulty,” says Kelley. “Because from an earthly perspective, they’re living in hell. Things are incredibly difficult and challenging. But they can find refuge in the message of the gospel.”

Learn more here about how Unknown Nations partners with indigenous believers for gospel ministry. 

Header photo is a representative 2015 image depicting Congolese soldiers on patrol in the Ituri district. (Wikimedia Commons, CC by SA 2.0)

On one front is the DRC and neighboring Rwanda. They signed a peace deal in June but have missed next-step deadlines to implement it. Last week, representatives of both nations met again in Washington, D.C., to work toward on-the-ground peace. 

On another front is the rebel group M23, only one of more than 100 militant groups in eastern DRC. M23 and the DRC government signed a declaration toward peace in July, but this deal has also stalled. Both sides accuse the other of violating the agreement. On October 14, the government and M23 agreed to establish an international oversight committee as another step toward peace.

“They have signed paper, and they have made a lot of statement which brought hope for the people living there, but so far, nothing tangible has changed,” says lllia Djadi, who serves with Open Doors International as the senior analyst for freedom of religion and belief in Africa.

There is another layer of the DRC’s decades of conflict that we must not forget: Islamic extremism. 

“There’s one armed group called ADF, the Allied Democratic Forces. The ADF is a radical Islamic group with a clear affiliation with Islamic State. So when we consider the ongoing violence in DRC, we need to pay attention on this particular group,” says Djadi. 

He notes that sub-Saharan Africa has become the new epicenter of terrorism. 

“What Daesh [ISIS] try to do in Middle East, that’s the same project. That’s what they [ADF] want to achieve: to set up a caliphate, to rule that state by Islamic law, by Sharia law,” Djadi says.

“They [ADF] are using the same modus operandi. They are sharing the same ideology. They are targeting particularly Christians, bombing churches, attacking Christian communities mainly in rural areas.” 

One attack on September 8th saw at least 70 Christians killed and dozens kidnapped in one village. (More on these attacks here.) It’s not the only ADF incident either.

“It has been going on for months now in eastern DRC. Why? Because the ongoing military activity and all the focus was on M23. Even the [ceasefire] agreement is only about M23 and the military forces in DRC,” says Djadi. 

“But we are saying, ‘Pay attention. This [peace with M23] is not enough to bring peace in eastern DRC. We need to consider the activity of Islamic State there.’” 

Learn more about the challenges in the DRC and what Christians there face. Pray for peace, says Djadi. 

“Let’s pray for this Church to be resilient, to stand in the midst of this violence and violent persecution, how to continue to minister, how to continue to go to church without any fear of being attacked or bombed,” he says.

Header image of DRC flag courtesy of Pixabay.

Secretary Marco Rubio hosts a Democratic Republic of the Congo-Rwanda Peace Agreement signing ceremony between Democratic Republic of the Congo Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner and Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe at the Department of State in Washington, D.C., June 27, 2025. (Official State Department photo by Freddie Everett. U.S. Department of State – Public Domain)

As nations, the DRC and Rwanda have signed and are slowly implementing a June 27 peace deal. In a separate, parallel dialogue, the DRC and the M23 rebel group believed to be backed by Rwanda also signed a peace accord on July 19. They have committed to adopting a final peace deal by August 18. 

At least six truces in the DRC-M23 conflict have failed since 2021, according to a report from Al Jazeera. Yet according to TeachBeyond’s president, David Durance, one of their local school leaders says the peace accord has prompted hope that citizens have not felt for a decade. 

“He said, ‘Somehow this does feel different, and there’s hope in our community,’” Durance shared.

The hope brought by the peace accord also boosted school attendance, helping TeachBeyond end the October-to-July school year well despite disruptions earlier this year. That’s what occurred back in January, when M23’s successful offensive in eastern DRC sparked protests in the capital, Kinshasa.

“There was unrest enough that families felt like it was unwise to bring their kids to school,” Durance said. “Anywhere [that] there’s unrest, kids are often the first that suffer.” 

Please pray

“We’re praying that, by God’s grace and mercy, this would stick. That we would have a lasting peace, a peace that allows for this government to flourish in both the DRC and of course Rwanda, where this is all spilling out from,” said Durance. 

Learn more about TeachBeyond’s mission to give Christ-centered education across the world here. 

Header photo: This representative 2015 photo depicts Congolese soldiers on patrol in the Ituri district. (Wikimedia Commons)

On Sunday, M23 forces captured a fishing town on the west coast of Lake Edward in the eastern DRC. Rebels have stepped up their offensive since December, capturing key towns and uprooting 7.8 million people.

This summer, a landmark agreement brokered with US support aims to end years of conflict between the DRC and neighboring Rwanda. Kinshasa and others accuse Rwanda of supporting M23, a claim Kigali denies.

Two World Missionary Press partners live near Goma, one of the biggest cities captured by M23. In letters to Helen Williams, WMP’s Director of Orders and Distribution, they describe difficult circumstances.

“People are starving. There are massacres, kidnappings, and people are afraid,” Williams recounts from the correspondence.

“People (soldiers) are disguised as civilians, but they’re really the danger.”

In a copy of the email obtained by MNN, one partner says:

Apart from the day-and-night massacres, another form of massacre is taking place because banks remain closed and activities have been paralyzed for 3 months; economic recovery will take time, as almost all major businesses have been looted. Another danger is that it’s difficult to know who is sowing terror in the city because there are 4 layers that seem to be uncontrollable: the new administration’s military, the hunted government’s military disguised as civilians, the patriots/populations who have taken up arms, and over 5,000 prisoners who have left the burnt-down prison.

Some believers have lost family members in the fighting, while others are struggling to share the hope of Christ.

“Their ministry is going from home to home and visiting people – that has become much more dangerous because people don’t trust anybody, and they’re just kind of paralyzed,” Williams says.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, believers are dedicated to spreading the Gospel all across this nation.
(Photo, caption courtesy of World Missionary Press)

Another partner wrote the following as part of his update:

The current situation in Goma remains very delicate. Although we do not hear regular gunfire or bombings in the city itself, insecurity is ever-present. People continue to die almost daily due to targeted assassinations, often leaving communities in fear and mourning. These acts of violence have become sadly routine. But God remains on our side to protect us.

Yet Gospel work continues with the help of WMP. Two shipments arrived in the DRC mid-March, and distribution efforts are underway despite the turmoil.

“This partner received a 40-foot container, which has 2.1 million booklets in it. They were primarily in French, but then also in Lingala and Swahili,” Williams says.

“The other distributor received pretty much the same, [so] between the two, we’ve got over 3 million pieces of literature that just arrived.”

Pray for local believers as they continue their work amid the crisis. “We need to pray for spiritual and physical strength for those who are still going out [to serve the community] because this is hard,” Williams says.

The first WMP partner shares:

When we received the new booklets, we tried to share the Gospel in one school, but we were emotionally affected when some kids shared with us that their parents died and others missed their beloved [ones] because of this war. I was touched to see others [who] don’t know who will pay school fees for them. There are some families, when you meet them to share the Gospel, you weep first by seeing what is happening in the family or the area.

We are doing our best to seize the occasion to double our effort in sharing the Gospel in this context, but we realize that many things are needed to accomplish the Great Commission in that condition. We need your prayers and compassion!

Header image is a representative photo depicting FARDC soldiers deployed in Kibumba, last position before entering into M-23 controlled zone, the 1st of September 2012. © MONUSCO/Sylvain Liechti (Wikimedia Commons)

“I think having the African Union and the international community as a whole involved in this is really going to be important for diplomacy purposes,” he says. 

Much of the fighting concerns access to DRC’s rich mineral resources, including cobalt, gold, diamond, and copper. 

“They’ve got it all, and tremendous amounts of it, so that’s really the heart of the issue,” Kelley says. 

Rwanda-backed M23 rebels are primarily Tutsi fighters, the people group targeted by Rwandan Hutus in the 1994 genocide. The group now seeks to eradicate Hutu influence from the DRC, a vindication for the many Tutsi people who have lived in the DRC for decades. 

“And the Rwandese are saying, ‘We’re trying to protect these minority groups,’ but at the end of the day, it’s just a land grab,” Kelley says.

M23 isn’t the only group stirring up conflict.

“There are over 120 rebel groups that have actively been at work in Eastern Congo,” Kelley says. 

He says this level of instability affects the Gospel movement. 

“It disrupts churches. It causes people by the tens of thousands to be displaced.”

Please pray for Christian brothers and sisters in the DRC, especially as churches are often targeted due to their vulnerability. Consider supporting a humanitarian organization offering aid to those who have lost everything in their displacement. Kelley encourages listeners to support Christian workers. 

“As aid is administered, it’s way more effective for it to come through the hands of followers of Jesus than it is some secular aid organization,” Kelley says. “The love of Christ can really cure a lot of things.”

Featured image courtesy of Pexels

At least 7,000 people have been killed and hundreds of thousands uprooted from their homes since January. East Africa ministry director Egide Bandyatuyaga says Trans World Radio is active on the airwaves, bringing hope to those who need it most.

TWR has a station in Kinshasa, the capital city on the far western side of the DRC, and shortwave broadcasts from Eswatini in southeastern Africa can be heard throughout the DRC.

(Photo courtesy of TWR)

“We try to give hope to the people that, even when they are going through those difficulties, God has not forsaken them [and] God still cares for them,” Bandyatuyaga says.

“Apart from giving them hope, we are also advocating for them so that the international community may come to their rescue.”

Burundi has taken in the lion’s share of refugees. Nearly 66,000 Congolese people have crossed the border to date.

“Refugees need a place to stay. They need food, medicine, water, and the government of Burundi might not be able to provide much of those [things] unless the international community comes to help,” Bandyatuyaga says.

“With a small country with very limited resources, like water, food, fuel, and then you add thousands of [people] fleeing from DR Congo, it’s not going to be easy.”

TWR programs offer refugees a place of peace amid tribulation. Pray that TWR receives the support it needs to keep these programs going. “Pray that the war ends very quickly, and then we pray for protection for the refugees,” Bandyatuyaga says.

“It’s rainy season. When you are running away, and there is rain, there is no solid shelter. It’s a big problem.”

Pray for physical protection and protection from diseases. “Also, we pray for provision so they can get something to eat, they can get medicines, [and] clothing,” Bandyatuyaga says.

Header image courtesy of TWR.

The leaders of neighboring countries emphasize a peaceful way forward, as ongoing clashes threaten to destabilize the region. “A central Africa conflict has memories of Somalia, the bombings even in Nairobi, and there’s just not a big appetite to engage,” Unknown Nations’ Greg Kelley says.

“One of the real challenges of Eastern Congo is the historical relations with nearby Uganda and Rwanda. It’s probably the most complicated situation in Africa today.”

(Photo courtesy of Wendyfleury/Pixabay)

Although the DRC has a significantly larger land mass, the country struggles to protect its borders from incursions by neighboring nations.

“Rwanda and Uganda have been pushing in their military in the name of national security, conveniently inside the mines, so they’ve been taking out gold and stuff. So, the relations with those two countries are very fragile and hostile,” Kelley says.

“Unfortunately, Congo has been at the mercy of all these other bad actors, who are taking advantage of the lack of security and just taking their stuff.”

Prayer needed

Rebel forces have seized east Congo’s two biggest cities since January. At least 7,000 people have died in the fighting, and more than 600,000 people are on the run.

“The president of Congo made an offer to the United States for access to the minerals, and in exchange, there would be a US presence in Congo. How the State Department or President Trump responds to that is yet to be known,” Kelley says.

“Congo is wealthy from the standpoint of natural resources, but at the same time – short of maybe Sudan – it’s the most unstable place in the world.”

Pray for Unknown Nations and its partners in the DRC as they continue to distribute God’s Word and train leaders – despite the war raging around them. “In eastern Congo, 20 years ago, we built our first training center in the middle of this carnage. It’s been kind of a beachhead for the Gospel,” Kelley says.

“Those moments are a tremendous opportunity for the Gospel and to reinforce our efforts of discipleship because that’s the only thing that’s going to stop it (the war.)”

Pray also for the war to end. Kelley says, “It’s going to require a supernatural act of forgiveness because there is guilt to be shared in this situation. But when the blood of Jesus covers that, it can be a testimony, maybe like we’ve never seen before.”

Header image is a representative 2015 photo depicting Congolese soldiers on patrol in the Ituri district. (Wikimedia Commons)

Instead, DRC Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka told BBC News that her government wants to negotiate with neighboring Rwanda. DRC leaders accuse Rwanda of backing the M23.

Trans World Radio’s Egide Bandyatuyaga says, “Since they (rebels) feel that the government is not taking much care of them, they have taken arms to fight the government. So far, they have taken two major cities in the eastern part of DRC, and it looks like they are progressing southward to take other cities.”

At least 8,500 people have been killed since fighting escalated in January. More than 100,000 people were recently forced to flee their homes in a single week.

Church in the DRC (Representative stock photo courtesy of Johnnathan Tshibangu via Unsplash)

“When there is a war in a country, there are victims,” Bandyatuyaga says.

“People are displaced from their homes, and in the course of fleeing, people die. They die of hunger. They die of diseases, and families are separated.”

Rooted in decades-old ethnic violence, today’s conflict threatens to cripple the next generation.

“As they flee in crowds, children are separated from their parents, and it’s very difficult to reunite them,” Bandyatuyaga says.

Bandyatuyaga coordinates ministry and partnerships for TWR in 12 African nations, including DRC. Pray for wisdom for TWR staff as they develop radio programs and content for DRC listeners.

“We really try to encourage them, that even though they are going through those difficult times, God has not forsaken them,” Bandyatuyaga says.

“You cannot assume that when people are running away to try to save their life, they have time to listen to the radio, but when they do have time, they can continue listening to some of our programs.”

Header image is a representative stock photo depicting the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s flag. Photo courtesy of David Peterson/Pixabay.

Islamic State affiliates Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) reportedly kidnapped these believers during two raids in a Christian village in mid-February. Then, the terrorists took the kidnapped believers to a church, where they slaughtered them.

According to Open Doors, some families have not been able to bury their dead because of insecurity.

Editor’s note: It has come to our attention that the story of the murders of 70 Christians did not happen, however the context remains accurate.

MNN is guided by a newsroom policy that strives to report our stories as accurately as possible.   We cross-check information with multiple sources to verify our research.

That said, if a report proves to be inaccurate, we will correct it and state why it has been altered. If relevant new information emerges, we will update or do a follow-up story. 

Greg Kelley with Unknown Nations says, “There are over 100 different rebel groups that are active in eastern Congo, including these radical Islamic State-based entities that are doing some of the most horrific acts against Christians.”

Illia Djadi, Senior Analyst for Freedom of Religion or Belief in sub-Saharan Africa for Open Doors, says ADF wants to wipe out Christianity in DRC. “Their interests are twofold,” Kelley adds.

“They are taking natural resources out, but [also spreading] a jihadist form of Islam in this part of Congo.”

DRC is full of natural resources that could fund terrorist endeavors.

“They’re (terrorists) hopeful that Christians will just scurry out of these areas, and they’ll ultimately take it over. The extraction of all these people makes it easier for them to take the gold, cobalt, and diamonds,” Kelley explains.

Audio Bibles distributed by Unknown Nations give hope to displaced communities.
(Photo courtesy of Unknown Nations)

Pray for peace between people groups. Kelley says attacks like these can spark tribal tension, which can then escalate into ethnic war.

“It goes way beyond the country of Congo, the country of Uganda, the country of Rwanda. It’s all rooted in people group animosity, one against another,” Kelley says.

Additionally, pray the Lord can help believers forgive Islamists who target and attack their communities. Pray mature Christian leaders can instill the principles of love and forgiveness in new believers.

“When you haven’t established maturity and discipleship, there’s retaliation, and when there’s retaliation, it just perpetuates a [bad] situation,” Kelley says.

“Jesus called us to be disciples, not converts. When we have a bunch of converts running around, a lot of bad things can still happen, and the enemy can take advantage of that because there’s a lot of immaturity.”

Header image is a screenshot courtesy of Prayercast.