Human Rights Watch reported that M23 rebels killed at least 140 people in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo last month, marking one of the group’s worst atrocities since their resurgence in late 2021. This occurred despite a peace process brokered by the US and Qatar. Witnesses said the Rwanda-backed rebels “summarily executed” local residents, including women and children mainly from the Hutu ethnic group in Rutshuru, near the Virunga National Park. The rebels have denied involvement, calling the allegations a “blatant misrepresentation of the facts.”
No comment was given by the group on the report, according to HRW. The massacre seems to have coincided with an M23 campaign against the Hutu-led armed FDLR group, formed by perpetrators of the 1994 Rwandan genocide. HRW suggested the total death toll in July could surpass 300, supporting similar findings by the UN. Fighting between government troops and M23 increased in January, as the rebels seized large areas, including the capital Goma. The ongoing conflict has resulted in thousands dead and hundreds of thousands displaced, according to the UN.
In a report released on Wednesday, HRW stated that M23 attacked at least 14 villages and farming areas near the Virunga National Park between July 10 and 30, using machetes and gunfire. Witnesses recounted the rebels blocked all roads to prevent escape. A man said M23 killed five family members with guns and machetes in Katanga on July 11. A woman said M23 fighters rounded up around 70 women and children and fired at them, but she survived after falling into a river.
Another witness reported seeing rebels kill his wife and four children, aged nine months to 10 years, from a distance. Locals mentioned being told by M23 to bury bodies in fields or leave them unburied, barring funerals. The report added that M23 threw bodies, including women and children, into the Rutshuru River. Drawing from 25 witness accounts, medical workers, military, and UN personnel, HRW indicated the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) supported the M23 operations.
Earlier this month, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights also reported RDF assistance in killing “at least 319” between July 9 and 21 in four Rutshuru villages. While Kigali has not responded to HRW’s allegations, it strongly denied the UN’s accusations, terming them “gratuitous” and “sensational,” potentially undermining the peace process. Rwanda refutes claims of supporting M23, primarily formed of Tutsi members who were genocide targets, but views eastern DR Congo as a security threat due to the FDLR.
The killings occurred amid stalled regional and international peace efforts, including an agreement between Rwanda and Congo to “neutralize” the FDLR. A separate ceasefire deal was signed last month in Qatar between M23 and the Congo government, aimed at lasting peace. Nonetheless, M23 withdrew from ongoing peace talks, citing unfulfilled commitments by Kinshasa, although a “technical team” was later sent to Doha to discuss truce arrangements. The Congolese army accused M23 of breaching the ceasefire. HRW urged the UN Security Council, the European Union, and governments to condemn the abuses, impose further sanctions, and push for the arrest and prosecution of implicated commanders.