Rwanda-backed rebels have killed 80 civilians in Congo despite peace efforts, officials say
A decades-long conflict ravaging eastern Congo escalated this year when the M23 rebel group seized two key cities with the help of neighboring Rwandan forces. The Democratic Republic of Congo has long been racked by deadly conflict in its mineral-rich east, with more than 100 armed groups active.
The continuing violence could threaten efforts to get Congo and the rebels to sign a permanent peace deal by Aug. 18 as hoped for. One of the deal's conditions is the protection of civilians and the safe return of millions of displaced people.
The Congolese army said in a statement late Friday that it is 'fiercely condemning' what it described as a series of mass killing of civilians in South Kivu. It said that 80 people were killed Aug. 4 in the village of Nyaborongo, and that six civilians, including two children, were killed on July 24 in the village of Lumbishi.
It blamed the the RDF/M23-AFC coalition, which includes the rebel groups M23 and AFC, both backed by the Rwanda Defense Force.
'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.
There was no immediate comment from M23. When asked for a comment, the Rwandan foreign minister, Olivier J.P. Nduhungirehe, told the Associated Press that he could not comment on 'any stupidity coming from DRC,' using the acronym of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The United Nations' human rights chief, Volker Turk, said recently that M23 had killed 319 people in the previous month in a different part of the region, describing the toll as one of the largest documented of such attacks since the M23 rebels resurfaced in 2022.
Citing firsthand accounts, Volker Turk said in a statement that the rebels, backed by Rwanda Defense Force members, 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 that 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 two sides signed a declaration of principles July 19 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.
Kamale writes for the Associated Press. AP writer Ignatius Ssuuna in Kigali, Rwanda, contributed to this report.
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New York Times
27 minutes ago
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Al Jazeera called the strike 'a desperate attempt to silence the voices exposing the impending seizure and occupation of Gaza.' Mourners buried the journalists on Monday. The United Nations human rights office condemned the killing as a grave breach of international law, adding that at least 242 Palestinian journalists had been killed in Gaza since the war began. Despite the rising tensions, Qatar is expected to continue mediating Israel-Hamas talks. Mr. Guzansky said that being a mediator serves Qatar's interests by highlighting the tiny country's importance to international allies, chief among them the United States. Nick Cumming-Bruce contributed reporting from Geneva.
