GOMA, DR CONGO – A new report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) alleges that M23 rebels killed at least 140 people in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo last month, a period when the group was engaged in a campaign against a rival armed group. The report, based on witness accounts, claims the Rwanda-backed rebels “summarily executed” local residents, including women and children, in the Rutshuru area.
The M23, which has previously denied any involvement in such killings, did not respond to HRW’s request for comment on the report. According to the advocacy group, the alleged massacre appears to have occurred as the M23 conducted operations against the FDLR, a Hutu armed group. The killings, which HRW suggests may have claimed more than 300 lives, corroborate similar findings by the United Nations earlier this month.
The ongoing conflict in the region, which has escalated since January, has displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians and resulted in thousands of deaths. HRW reports that M23 fighters used machetes and gunfire in their attacks, surrounding villages to prevent residents from escaping. Eyewitnesses recounted stories of families being killed and bodies being thrown into the Rutshuru River. The report, citing multiple sources, also claims that members of the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) were backing the M23’s operation. While Kigali has not responded to the HRW claims, it has previously dismissed similar accusations from the UN as “sensational allegations.”
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