"Shock Waves" Series: Ituri (DRC) — Gospel and Reconciliation Radio and Television: Carrying One’s Cross Up the Mountain.
In Ituri Province, in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the small village of Nyankunde is home to a station whose name sounds like a challenge: Radio-Télévision Évangile Réconciliation. Perched on a mountain to better broadcast its signal, the radio station overlooks exceptionally rich soil, teeming with gold, coltan, and uranium. These resources attract the interest of multinational corporations and foreign powers such as China, the United States, and Russia—through the Wagner Group—transforming the region into a constant focus of international covetousness.
The ADF: The Tactics of Terror and Silence
The main adversary facing the local populations is the ADF (Allied Democratic Forces), a radical Islamist group seeking to impose Sharia law on Christian communities in the eastern part of the country. For these jihadists, targeting Christian institutions such as churches, schools, and media outlets is a deliberate tactical choice. News of the attack spreads more quickly by word of mouth, which amplifies their propaganda and forces people to flee, thus leaving the ground open for their training camps.
Between Direct Threats and Psychological Pressure
ADF members do not merely observe the radio station from a distance; they listen to it closely to monitor the messages broadcast and the intentions of the Christian community. Jean-Luc Simbilyabo reports direct interventions and constant pressure, including intimidating calls from Ugandan phone numbers in which the kidnappers promise to forcibly convert Christians to Islam. At the same time, the imam of a nearby mosque has requested airtime, a move perceived by the radio station’s committee as a form of pressure coordinated with the intensity of the massacres in the region.
The Indescribable Price of Blood and Loyalty
Jean-Luc’s courage came at the cost of indescribable personal tragedies, as he survived three major attacks that struck his loved ones. During a massacre in Komanda, members of his in-laws’ family were burned to death in their vehicle following a jihadist raid on a Sunday. Later, during a direct raid on his home explicitly aimed at finding him, the attackers unleashed their violence on his eldest daughter, who was brutally raped in retaliation for her father’s activism while he was away.
A voice of comfort beneath a “veil of fear”
Today, Nyakunde lives under a cloud of constant fear, and blood pressure among the population is at an all-time high. Yet the radio station remains active and continues to mobilize local pastors to broadcast messages of comfort in various regional dialects. To ensure the continuity of this vision despite the threats, Jean-Luc’s son is currently completing a master’s degree in media studies in Uganda so that he can soon take up the torch. Jean-Luc remains steadfast in his mission, reminding everyone that even though they walk through the valley of the shadow of death, they will fear no evil.
“No matter how dark the path ahead may be or how difficult the trials we face, let us remain steadfast and unshaken in our mission. Remember these words from the Psalm: even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we will fear no evil. Our determination is our greatest strength.” — Jean-Luc Simbilyabo
