Rwanda-backed rebels have killed at least 80 civilians in recent weeks, Congolese authorities say
The army said in a statement late Friday that it is 'fiercely condemning a series of mass murders of civilians by the RDF/M23-AFC coalition" in South Kivu, including of 80 people on Aug. 4 in the village of Nyaborongo, and of six civilians, including two minors, on July 24 in the village of Lumbishi.
'In addition to this excessive criminality, the M23/AFC is engaged in the forced recruitment of young people, including minors, to join their illegal organization,' the statement said.
The continuing violence could threaten Qatar-led efforts to get Congo and the rebels to sign a permanent peace deal by the goal of Aug. 18. One of the deal's conditions is the protection of civilians and safe return of millions of people displaced by the conflict.
There was no immediate comment from M23.
Earlier this month, the the U.N. human rights chief said that M23 killed 319 people over the past month in a different part of the region, describing the toll as one of the largest documented in such attacks since the M23 rebels resurfaced in 2022.
Citing firsthand accounts, U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk said in a statement that the rebels, backed by members of the Rwandan Defense Force, targeted four villages in North Kivu province's Rutshuru territory between July 9 and July 21.
M23 denied the accusations and called the U.N. statement 'unverified and politically motivated.'
'These allegations constitute a blatant manipulation of the facts, a violation of basic principles of impartiality, and a serious attack on the credibility of U.N. institutions,' said Lawrence Kanyuka, the spokesperson for the Congo River Alliance, an umbrella organization which includes M23. 'We call for the opening of an independent investigation and hope that the organizations that published this report can participate in it.'
The M23 earlier this year seized two key cities in eastern Congo, in a major escalation with the help of neighboring Rwandan forces. Congo has long been wracked by deadly conflict in its mineral-rich east, with more than 100 armed groups active.
The two sides on July 19 signed a declaration of principles in Qatar to end the fighting and commit to a comprehensive peace agreement that would include the restoration of state authorities in key eastern cities controlled by the insurgents.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
26 minutes ago
- The Independent
Mali's former prime minister Maiga taken into custody amid corruption probe
Former Malian prime minister Choguel Kokalla Maiga was taken into custody on Tuesday on accusations of corruption, his lawyer said, as the West African country 's military junta has ramped up arrests of top politicians in recent weeks. Maiga's lawyer, Cheick Oumar Konaré, told The Associated Press the former prime minister was taken in for questioning earlier this month by the National Economic and Financial Unit, which is responsible for fighting corruption, as part of an investigation into allegations of misuse of public property. 'Former Prime Minister Choguel Kokalla Maiga has been taken into custody by officers from the brigade of the National Economic and Financial Unit,' Konaré said. 'We are contesting his detention because the former prime minister has no intention of fleeing the country or destroying evidence,' he added. In November 2024, Maïga was dismissed from his role as prime minister, days after he criticized the military regime for postponing elections. Following his dismissal, Maiga continued to criticize the military regime in the media. Earlier this month, another former prime minister, Moussa Mara, was imprisoned after tweeting his support for jailed critics of the ruling military junta. Mali has been ruled by military leaders since a junta seized power in 2020 and staged another coup the following year. In June, the country's leader, Gen. Assimi Goita, was granted an additional five years in power, despite the junta's earlier promises of a return to civilian rule by March 2024. The move followed the military regime's dissolution of political parties in May.
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
US imposes sanctions on Congo armed group, mining firms over illicit minerals
Aug 12 (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday announced sanctions against an armed group aligned with Congo's military as well as a Congolese mining company and two Hong Kong-based exporters over armed violence and the sale of critical minerals. The measures are the latest taken by the administration of President Donald Trump to try to bring peace to eastern Congo, where Rwanda-backed M23 rebels staged a lightning advance earlier this year, spurring violence that has killed thousands of people. The Treasury Department said it was putting sanctions on the Coalition des Patriotes Resistants Congolais-Forces de Frappe (PARECO-FF), a militia that it said controlled mining sites in the mineral-rich region of Rubaya from 2022 to 2024. Rubaya, now controlled by M23, produces 15% of the world's coltan, which is processed into a heat-resistant metal called tantalum that is in high demand from makers of mobile phones, computers and other applications in the electronics, aerospace and medical industries. The new sanctions, which restrict trade with U.S. companies and persons, also target the Congolese mining company Cooperative des Artisanaux Miniers du Congo (CDMC), which the Treasury Department said sold critical minerals smuggled from PARECO-FF areas of control, and the Hong Kong-based export companies East Rise Corporation Limited and Star Dragon Corporation Limited, which it said bought those minerals. A senior U.S. government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Washington was seeking to raise the cost of illicit trade "to make the licit trade that much more appealing." The Trump administration hopes an eventual peace deal will attract billions in Western investments to a region rich in tantalum, gold, cobalt, copper, lithium and other minerals. A report by a U.N. group of experts published last month said Congo's army had received support from PARECO-FF in late 2024 and early 2025. A Congolese government spokesperson and East Rise did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Tuesday. Star Dragon, CDMC and PARECO-FF could not be reached for comment. Jason Stearns, a Congo expert, said he was surprised that PARECO-FF, not M23, had been targeted in the new mining-related sanctions but said the move might be aimed at not derailing talks going on in Doha. Qatar is hosting direct talks between Congo and M23, while Washington is hosting talks between Congo and Rwanda. Congo, the United Nations and Western powers say Rwanda is supporting M23 by sending troops and arms. Rwanda has long denied helping M23 and says its forces are acting in self-defence against Congo's army and ethnic Hutu militiamen linked to the 1994 Rwandan genocide. The senior U.S. official acknowledged M23 was involved in the illicit trade of minerals and noted that M23 has already had sanctions placed on it by the U.S. and the United Nations. A U.S. sanctions announcement in January 2013 said M23 was "committing serious violations of international law involving the targeting of children in situations of armed conflict in the DRC, including killing and maiming, sexual violence, abduction, and forced displacement." It made no mention of minerals smuggling. Last year, the Treasury Department put sanctions on the broader Alliance Fleuve Congo rebel coalition, of which M23 is a central member. It has also sanctioned members of the M23 leadership. The senior U.S. official said the Trump administration's diplomacy was "progressing" and that sanctions were a way of targeting "spoilers" seeking to profit off the illicit mineral trade. It wanted all parties to realize there would be a brighter economic future if U.S. companies had confidence that they could invest in a "stable and peaceful" eastern Congo, the official said.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Israel rejects UN allegations that its forces have sexually abused detained Palestinians
The U.N. chief warned Israel that the United Nations has 'credible information' of sexual violence and other violations by Israeli forces against detained Palestinians, which Israel's U.N. ambassador dismissed as 'baseless accusations.' Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a letter to Ambassador Danny Danon that he is 'gravely concerned' about reported violations against Palestinians by Israeli military and security forces in several prisons, a detention center and a military base. Guterres said he was putting Israeli forces on notice that they could be listed as abusers in his next report on sexual violence in conflict 'due to significant concerns of patterns of certain forms of sexual violence that have been consistently documented by the United Nations.' Danon, who circulated the letter and his response Tuesday, said the allegations 'are steeped in biased publications.' 'The U.N. must focus on the shocking war crimes and sexual violence of Hamas and the release of all hostages,' he said. Danon was referring to the militant group's surprise attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, where some 1,200 people were killed and about 250 taken hostage. Israeli authorities said women were raped and sexually abused. The Hamas attack triggered the ongoing war in Gaza, which has killed more than 61,400 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many were fighters or civilians but that about half were women and children. Danon stressed that 'Israel will not shy away from protecting its citizens and will continue to act in accordance with international law.' Because Israel has denied access to U.N. monitors, it has been 'challenging to make a definitive determination' about patterns, trends and the systematic use of sexual violence by its forces, Guterres said in the letter. He urged Israel's government 'to take the necessary measures to ensure immediate cessation of all acts of sexual violence, and make and implement specific time-bound commitments.' The secretary-general said these should include investigations of credible allegations, clear orders and codes of conduct for military and security forces that prohibit sexual violence, and unimpeded access for U.N. monitors. In March, U.N.-backed human rights experts accused Israel of 'the systematic use of sexual, reproductive and other gender-based violence.' The Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory said it documented a range of violations perpetrated against Palestinian women, men, girls and boys and accused Israeli security forces of rape and sexual violence against Palestinian detainees. At the time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashed out at the U.N. Human Rights Council, which commissioned the team of independent experts, as an 'anti-Israel circus' that 'has long been exposed as an antisemitic, rotten, terrorist-supporting, and irrelevant body.' His statement did not address the findings themselves.
