Armed bandits attack confreres in DR CONGO
[FR]
KISANGANI, DR Congo - On Friday, October 17, 2025, two Montfortian confreres, Fathers Jean-Trésor BAFENGO SMM, the parish priest, and Ignace MESSINOU SMM, parish vicar and bursar who is also the bursar of the Entity of Francophone Africa, were the victims of an attack by armed bandits.
At 2:00 a.m., these assailants entered the rectory of the parish of Saint Paul the Apostle/Kibibi, in Kisangani, DR Congo, where the two confreres minister. Having easily penetrated the fence, these armed men and women broke down the priests' doors with a large stone and began to threaten them. After a long period of threats with bullets, they knocked the confreres to the ground and ransacked their rooms. Having found no money in the parish priest's room, they took only his two computers, his telephone, his power bank, and a few personal belongings. In the bursar's room, they also recovered his computers, his telephones, parish money, a sum of money from the entity, and a few personal belongings.
When they wanted to execute the parish priest because they had found no money in his room, one of them told the others not to shoot the priests. Thus, they were forced to leave the place while sparing the lives of our confreres.
The intervention of certain individuals and the police took place after the bandits had left.
After the morning Mass in this parish, Father Louis-Guélord ASEME SMM, Delegate Superior of the Africa Francophone, appealed to the political, administrative, military, civil, and ecclesiastical authorities. A little later in the morning, Auxiliary Bishop Léonard arrived on the scene to address the situation and offer his sympathy to the entire affected parish community through its priests.
We commend these attackers into the hands of the Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Disarmament! Pray for us.
Father Emmanuel KWASIA SMM
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