DR Congo's Catholic Church on Thursday hit out at what it called "Islamisation" in the troubled east of the country, where a notorious militia group has carried out a string of massacres.

At a news conference, Congolese prelates released a message saying civilians who had escaped after being abducted by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) militia, historically a Ugandan Islamist group, had spoken of being "forced to convert to Islam".

The message denounced the "Islamisation of the region to the detriment of religious freedom."

Asked to elaborate, Church spokesman Donatien Nshole said: "The problem here is a faction of Islam that forces people to become Muslim."

Nshole, an abbot, stressed that the Church had "very good relations" with Islam, but described this development as "scary".

The Church's peace and justice commission "is deepening its investigation into the matter," he added. 
The ADF is the bloodiest among dozens of militias that roam eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, many of them a legacy of two regional wars in the 1990s.

On March 11, the United States said the ADF was linked to the Islamic State (IS) group. 
The prelates' message also said thousands of people have been killed or kidnapped in the region since 2013, and at least three million people have been displaced.

In the Beni region of North Kivu province alone, more than 6,000 people have been killed since 2013, while another 2,000 lives were claimed in neighbouring Ituri province just last year, Nshole said. 
Around 7,500 have been kidnapped in the two regions last year, he added.

The prelates' message also denounced "the occupation of land (and) illegal exploitation of natural resources" as well as widespread torching of villages, destruction and closure of schools and health clinics, sacking of administrative buildings and the looting of livestock and farmland in the region.

After a joint mission by the Central African Catholic Church (ACEAC) and the DRC's Church (CENCO) in the region, they concluded that the Congolese army's operations had had "mixed" results.

Violent protest

They said the soldiers were underpaid and alleged that their pay and rations were embezzled, decreasing their motivation.

Local sources said the major cities of Beni and Butembo were "paralysed" on Monday on the first day of protest strikes over the continuing massacres of civilians which the army and UN peacekeepers have failed to stop.

Beni saw strike action for a fourth day running on Thursday, with schools and shops closed and the streets deserted.

Police violently broke up a demonstration using bats and rifle butts, according to local NGO Lucha, or Movement for Change, which shot video of the unrest.

A police spokesman in Beni told AFP that protesters threw stones at police and 57 people had been arrested.

DR Congo's Catholic Church on Thursday hit out at what it called "Islamisation" in the troubled east of the country, where a notorious militia group has carried out a string of massacres.

DR Congo's Catholic Church on Thursday hit out at what it called "Islamisation" in the troubled east of the country, where a notorious militia group has carried out a string of massacres. At a news conference, Congolese prelates released a message saying civilians who had escaped after being abducted by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) militia, historically a Ugandan Islamist group, had spoken of being "forced to convert to Islam". The message denounced the "Islamisation of the region to the detriment of religious freedom." Asked to elaborate, Church spokesman Donatien Nshole said: "The problem here is a faction of Islam that forces people to become Muslim." Nshole, an abbot, stressed that the Church had "very good relations" with Islam, but described this development as "scary". The Church's peace and justice commission "is deepening its investigation into the matter," he added. The ADF is the bloodiest among dozens of militias that roam eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, many of them a legacy of two regional wars in the 1990s. On March 11, the United States said the ADF was linked to the Islamic State (IS) group. The prelates' message also said thousands of people have been killed or kidnapped in the region since 2013, and at least three million people have been displaced. In the Beni region of North Kivu province alone, more than 6,000 people have been killed since 2013, while another 2,000 lives were claimed in neighbouring Ituri province just last year, Nshole said. Around 7,500 have been kidnapped in the two regions last year, he added. The prelates' message also denounced "the occupation of land (and) illegal exploitation of natural resources" as well as widespread torching of villages, destruction and closure of schools and health clinics, sacking of administrative buildings and the looting of livestock and farmland in the region. After a joint mission by the Central African Catholic Church (ACEAC) and the DRC's Church (CENCO) in the region, they concluded that the Congolese army's operations had had "mixed" results. Violent protest They said the soldiers were underpaid and alleged that their pay and rations were embezzled, decreasing their motivation. Local sources said the major cities of Beni and Butembo were "paralysed" on Monday on the first day of protest strikes over the continuing massacres of civilians which the army and UN peacekeepers have failed to stop. Beni saw strike action for a fourth day running on Thursday, with schools and shops closed and the streets deserted. Police violently broke up a demonstration using bats and rifle butts, according to local NGO Lucha, or Movement for Change, which shot video of the unrest. A police spokesman in Beni told AFP that protesters threw stones at police and 57 people had been arrested.

DR Congo's Catholic Church warns of 'Islamisation' in east

French President Macron is currently facing backlash from leaders of the Islamic world. Supporters of French President Macron have been facing violence in Bangladesh, and homes have been burned over a Facebook post.

People are protesting in most countries with a large Muslim population, even when their governments have condemned the attacks in France.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo">Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/i-hear-your-anger-but-wont-accept-violence-macron-to-the-muslim-community-339320" hreflang="en">'I hear your anger, but won't accept violence': Macron to the Muslim community</a></div>

Posters and effigies of Emmanuel Macron have been subjected to the wrath of these protesters.&nbsp;In Dhaka, they attacked with shoes and brooms. In Jakarta, they tried a mock beheading. Indonesia has the highest muslim population in the world. The anger against France and its leader is palpable.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-macrons-message-to-anti-france-protesters-339953/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

In Gaza, they burnt an effigy of Macron. What began with Erdogan's insults, Imran Khan's insinuations, and Mahathir Mohamad's defence of violence has now become a global protest.

The second wave of coronavirus hasn't stopped the islamists from taking to the streets. Over the last week, they have broken every social distancing rule to protest against France and its president.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/understand-people-could-be-shocked-by-caricatures-but-i-will-never-accept-violence-macron-339295" hreflang="en">Understand people could be shocked by caricatures, but I will never accept violence: Macron</a>

Hardliners in Pakistan have been relentless in their campaign. Over the weekend, they took to the streets in Karachi, and brunt an effigy of Emmanuel Macron, and also tried to stage a&nbsp; protest near the French consulate.

Protesters tried to break through barricades outside the french embassy in Islamabad. Undeterred by the protests, the French government has refused to end its campaign against extremists.

Security has been heightened across French embassies worldwide. Paris fears that its diplomatic missions could become the target of an attack. Three islamic leaders started this campaign against Macron and his government.

With insults and boycott calls, their provocations whipped up the anger of Muslims.

French President Macron is currently facing backlash from leaders of the Islamic world. Supporters of French President Macron have been facing violence in Bangladesh, and homes have been burned over a Facebook post.

French President Macron is currently facing backlash from leaders of the Islamic world. Supporters of French President Macron have been facing violence in Bangladesh, and homes have been burned over a Facebook post. People are protesting in most countries with a large Muslim population, even when their governments have condemned the attacks in France. Also read: 'I hear your anger, but won't accept violence': Macron to the Muslim community Posters and effigies of Emmanuel Macron have been subjected to the wrath of these protesters. In Dhaka, they attacked with shoes and brooms. In Jakarta, they tried a mock beheading. Indonesia has the highest muslim population in the world. The anger against France and its leader is palpable. In Gaza, they burnt an effigy of Macron. What began with Erdogan's insults, Imran Khan's insinuations, and Mahathir Mohamad's defence of violence has now become a global protest. The second wave of coronavirus hasn't stopped the islamists from taking to the streets. Over the last week, they have broken every social distancing rule to protest against France and its president. Also read: Understand people could be shocked by caricatures, but I will never accept violence: Macron Hardliners in Pakistan have been relentless in their campaign. Over the weekend, they took to the streets in Karachi, and brunt an effigy of Emmanuel Macron, and also tried to stage a protest near the French consulate. Protesters tried to break through barricades outside the french embassy in Islamabad. Undeterred by the protests, the French government has refused to end its campaign against extremists. Security has been heightened across French embassies worldwide. Paris fears that its diplomatic missions could become the target of an attack. Three islamic leaders started this campaign against Macron and his government. With insults and boycott calls, their provocations whipped up the anger of Muslims.

The global backlash against French President Emmanuel Macron

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