Shooting, stabbing, raping and arbitrarily kidnapping people, rebels in eastern Congo have killed at least 131 people and inflicted “unspeakable violence” on civilians, says a new UN report.
The M23 rebel group killed men, women and children in two villages in Congolese territory of Rutshuru in North Kivu province last month, according to a preliminary investigation by the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office in Congo. and MONUSCO, the UN peacekeeping mission in the country.
The investigation, based on interviews with 52 victims and witnesses, details a brutal campaign of murder, rape, kidnapping and looting in the villages of Kishishe and Bambo between November 29 and 30 by rebels. At least 60 people were kidnapped, 22 women and girls raped, property looted and houses burned, the report says.
The killings are among the latest clashes between the rebels and a coalition of armed civil protection militias, which have been fighting each other in eastern Congo for more than a year, since the M23 rebels resurfaced after being inactive for almost a decade.
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The M23 rose to prominence 10 years ago when its fighters seized Goma, the largest city in eastern Congo, which borders Rwanda. The group derives its name from a March 23, 2009 peace agreement, which it accuses the government of failing to implement.
After the attacks, the rebels prevented the survivors from leaving the looted villages and allegedly buried the bodies of the victims in what may have been an attempt to destroy evidence, according to the UN report. Due to security restrictions, investigators were unable to access the villages to speak to survivors and witnesses at a UN peacekeeping base in a nearby town where people had sought refuge.
The report comes amid a series of tit-for-tat accusations by both groups accusing the other of atrocities. While a ceasefire was agreed last month, analysts say the new attacks could lead to more violence.
A young man wrapped in the flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Beni on December 7, 2022, during a prayer vigil in memory of the victims of the ongoing unrest in the country. At least 131 civilians have been killed by M23 rebels in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, according to a United Nations investigation.
(SEBASTIEN KITSA MUSAYI/AFP via Getty Images)
“Despite recent statements by the M23 expressing its willingness to withdraw, the group’s attacks on civilians could potentially signal an escalation of the conflict and are likely to spark further violence between the M23 and other armed groups, some of which have also committed violations. Civilians, as always, will pay the price,” said Daniel Levine-Spound, a Congo-focused researcher with the Center for Civilians in Conflict.
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M23 did not immediately respond to the findings of the UN investigation, but previously dismissed similar allegations as propaganda. It said that it is committed to complying with the ceasefire agreed in Angola in November. Speaking to The Associated Press by phone, Lawrence Kanyuka, the rebel group’s political spokesman, said the M23 has the right to defend itself if attacked.
However, the group has gained ground in recent weeks, inching closer to Goma and expanding into Masisi, gains in their territory that make it hard to believe the rebels are only acting in self-defense.
“When you look at how much ground they’ve gained since October, it’s hard to believe the argument that they’re just fighting back,” said Eliora Henzler, coordinator of Kivu Security Tracker. “The problem is that we’re still not clear on what they want. It’s hard to understand what they see as an end game.”
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The violence is exacerbating a serious humanitarian crisis in eastern Congo. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced, living in miserable conditions in damp schools, churches and stadiums. Locals want the Congolese government to do more to stop the violence, but say they will not support negotiations with a group as brutal as the M23.
“I would like our government to start fighting and finish off the M23 rebels and refuse to negotiate with these terrorists,” said Stephanie Mbafumoja, a resident of the nearby town of Beni. “Why negotiate with them? It is enough to annihilate them for peace to return to the Congo.”
