AFRICA/DR CONGO - Home of the Missionary Sisters of Santo Domingo in the municipality of Kimbanseke, in Kinshasa, attacked

Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) - The home of the Missionary Sisters of Santo Domingo in the municipality of Kimbanseke in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, was attacked. The events date back to the night of March 18-19, when men armed with machetes, commonly referred to as "kuluna," entered the sisters' home by breaking through a wall before threatening them and stealing money, telephones, computers, and other valuables. "We wish to express the outrage of Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo, Archbishop of Kinshasa, over the attack on the community of the Missionary Sisters of Santo Domingo in the parish of Kimbanseke," reads the statement signed by Father Clet-Clay Manvemba, Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Kinshasa. "The Cardinal expressed his solidarity with the religious who were victims of this barbarism and encouraged them to resist and be guided by the light of hope. He took the opportunity to call on the various congregations to increase their vigilance without giving in to panic or fear." Meanwhile, a police report was filed against an unknown person, while the judicial vicar of the archdiocese went to the scene. The attack once again highlights the growing insecurity in the Congolese capital, where criminal gangs operate and target both civilians and religious institutions. The term "Kuluna" was first used in the 1990s to describe urban youths from the southwest of the Democratic Republic of Congo who had illegally migrated to Angola from the north in search of diamonds. Since 2000, it has become a general term for criminals. From the outskirts of Kinshasa, where the police dare not enter, the gangs gradually spread to the central districts. From Kinshasa, the phenomenon of "Kuluna" gangs spread to other cities. To combat the criminal gangs, the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo conducted extensive raids and arrested hundreds of suspected criminals, many of whom were sentenced to death after the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo reintroduced the death penalty. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 21/3/2025)

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violence

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criminality

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nuns

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local churches

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