Latest news with #Bukavu
Telegraph
27-05-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Rwanda-backed rebels accused of ‘war crimes' in assault on eastern DRC
The Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have been accused of killing, torturing and 'disappearing' civilians after seizing swathes of territory in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The group's actions 'violate international humanitarian law and may amount to war crimes,' Amnesty International said on Tuesday. Amnesty investigators collected testimony from 18 men who were held by M23 fighters in a network of detention centres in Goma and Bukavu – the two major cities captured by the rebel group in its assault earlier this year. One man described witnessing two of his fellow inmates being killed in captivity. 'The M23 [fighter] brought out a hammer and hit him in the ribs. He died on the spot,' he said. 'They took another person. He said he was a former member of the Republican Guard. They hit him with the hammer, but he didn't die immediately. In the morning, he was dead.' Another man, who was detained in Goma, witnessed the rebels executing a fellow detainee. 'I saw one man who was assassinated,' he said. '[M23] were asking him where he kept the weapons and where is so and so. They shot him in the stomach and the right arm.' At least nine of the former detainees said they were beaten with a range of implements including wooden rods, electric cables, and engine belts on areas including their genitalia and buttocks. 'I was beaten for five days,' said a former detainee who was held in a military compound in Goma. 'Everyone was hit. They said they were going to kill me. They said: 'We don't need you. We will take your wife, and we will impregnate her.'' Five of the detainees required hospital treatment following their release. Many of the men interviewed by Amnesty said they were detained on suspicion of supporting the Congolese government and army. Some were accused, without evidence, of hiding or possessing weapons, others of knowing the whereabouts of civil servants or government officials, while several were detained for speaking out against M23 abuses. Survivors said hundreds of detainees were being held in 'overcrowded, unsanitary cells without sufficient food, water, sanitation facilities or healthcare,' Amnesty said. Some were not told at all why they were being held and were denied access to lawyers or communication with their families. Amnesty wrote to Rwanda's Ministry of Justice and Attorney General with its allegations earlier this month, but says it has not yet received a response. More than 7,000 people have been killed and hundreds of thousands more displaced in the DRC since January in the latest escalation in conflict between the armed forces and the M23, which was formed in 2012 and has roots in the 1998 Rwandan genocide. The United Nations maintains that Rwanda has 'de facto control of M23 operations,' and has detailed how M23 recruits are trained under Rwandan supervision and equipped with Rwandan weaponry – but Rwanda's leader, President Paul Kagame, has repeatedly denied any involvement in supporting the M23 rebels. 'M23's public statements about bringing order to eastern DRC mask their horrific treatment of detainees. They brutally punish those who they believe oppose them and intimidate others, so no one dares to challenge them,' said Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International's Regional Director for East and Southern Africa. 'Regional and international actors must pressure Rwanda to cease its support for M23.' In February, David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, announced that Britain would suspend aid to Rwanda due to its support of M23. The UK has also said it will impose other measures, including looking into potential sanctions and suspending 'future defence training assistance'.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
M23 accused of possible ‘war crimes' in eastern DRC: Rights group
M23 rebels in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have committed serious abuses against civilians, 'including torture, killings and enforced disappearances', in areas under their control, according to Amnesty International. 'These acts violate international humanitarian law and may amount to war crimes,' Amnesty said in a statement on Tuesday. The allegations come amid a renewed surge in violence that erupted in January, when the Rwandan-backed M23 group captured the strategic city of Goma in North Kivu province. The rebels went on to seize Bukavu in South Kivu in February, escalating a conflict that has displaced hundreds of thousands. Between February and April, Amnesty researchers spoke to 18 people who had been detained by M23 in Goma and Bukavu. Many said they were held on accusations of supporting the Congolese army or government – claims for which no proof was presented. Several were not told why they were being held. According to Amnesty, detainees were crammed into overcrowded, unhygienic cells, lacking adequate food, water, sanitation and medical care. Some of those interviewed said they saw fellow prisoners die due to these conditions or from acts of described gruesome scenes, including two detainees being bludgeoned to death with hammers and another shot dead on the spot. All of the former detainees said they were either tortured or saw others being tortured with wooden sticks, electric cables or engine belts, the rights group said. Relatives searching for the missing were often turned away by M23 fighters, who denied the detainees were being held – actions Amnesty says amount to enforced disappearances. 'M23's public statements about bringing order to eastern DRC mask their horrific treatment of detainees. They brutally punish those who they believe oppose them and intimidate others, so no one dares to challenge them,' said Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International's regional director for East and Southern Africa. 'Regional and international actors must pressure Rwanda to cease its support for M23,' added Chagutah. The United Nations and DRC's government say Rwanda has supported M23 by providing arms and sending troops – an accusation Kigali denies. The UN estimates that about 4,000 Rwandan soldiers support M23. M23 is among roughly 100 armed groups fighting for control in eastern DRC, a region rich in minerals and bordering Rwanda. The ongoing conflict has driven more than seven million people from their homes, including 100,000 who fled this year alone. Despite recent pledges by the Congolese army and the rebels to seek a truce, clashes have continued. M23 previously threatened to advance as far as the capital, Kinshasa, more than 1,600km (1,000 miles) away. In April, Rwanda and DRC agreed to draft a peace deal by May 2, committing to respect each other's sovereignty and refraining from providing military support to armed groups.
Al Jazeera
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
M23 accused of possible ‘war crimes' in eastern DRC: Rights group
M23 rebels in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have committed serious abuses against civilians, 'including torture, killings and enforced disappearances', in areas under their control, according to Amnesty International. 'These acts violate international humanitarian law and may amount to war crimes,' Amnesty said in a statement on Tuesday. The allegations come amid a renewed surge in violence that erupted in January, when the Rwandan-backed M23 group captured the strategic city of Goma in North Kivu province. The rebels went on to seize Bukavu in South Kivu in February, escalating a conflict that has displaced hundreds of thousands. Between February and April, Amnesty researchers spoke to 18 people who had been detained by M23 in Goma and Bukavu. Many said they were held on accusations of supporting the Congolese army or government – claims for which no proof was presented. Several were not told why they were being held. According to Amnesty, detainees were crammed into overcrowded, unhygienic cells, lacking adequate food, water, sanitation and medical care. Some of those interviewed said they saw fellow prisoners die due to these conditions or from acts of torture. Witnesses described gruesome scenes, including two detainees being bludgeoned to death with hammers and another shot dead on the spot. All of the former detainees said they were either tortured or saw others being tortured with wooden sticks, electric cables or engine belts, the rights group said. Relatives searching for the missing were often turned away by M23 fighters, who denied the detainees were being held – actions Amnesty says amount to enforced disappearances. 'M23's public statements about bringing order to eastern DRC mask their horrific treatment of detainees. They brutally punish those who they believe oppose them and intimidate others, so no one dares to challenge them,' said Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International's regional director for East and Southern Africa. 'Regional and international actors must pressure Rwanda to cease its support for M23,' added Chagutah. The United Nations and DRC's government say Rwanda has supported M23 by providing arms and sending troops – an accusation Kigali denies. The UN estimates that about 4,000 Rwandan soldiers support M23. M23 is among roughly 100 armed groups fighting for control in eastern DRC, a region rich in minerals and bordering Rwanda. The ongoing conflict has driven more than seven million people from their homes, including 100,000 who fled this year alone. Despite recent pledges by the Congolese army and the rebels to seek a truce, clashes have continued. M23 previously threatened to advance as far as the capital, Kinshasa, more than 1,600km (1,000 miles) away. In April, Rwanda and DRC agreed to draft a peace deal by May 2, committing to respect each other's sovereignty and refraining from providing military support to armed groups.
BreakingNews.ie
27-05-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Rwanda-backed rebels committed possible war crimes in eastern Congo
Human rights group Amnesty International accused the M23 rebels in eastern Congo of killing, torturing and forcibly disappearing civilian detainees in two rebel-controlled cities on Tuesday. 'These acts violate international humanitarian law and may amount to war crimes,' Amnesty said in a statement. Advertisement The decades-long conflict in eastern Congo escalated in January, when the Rwanda-backed M23 advanced and seized the strategic city of Goma in North Kivu province, followed by Bukavu in February. Amnesty said that between February and April, it interviewed 18 civilians who had been detained by M23 in Goma and Bukavu, after they were accused of supporting the Congolese army or government. The former detainees said that the rebels produced no evidence of these accusations and several were not informed of the reasons for their detention. They were held in overcrowded, unsanitary cells without sufficient food, water, sanitation facilities or health care, according to the rights group. Advertisement Several said that they saw fellow detainees die from the harsh conditions and torture. Some described how they witnessed M23 fighters kill two detainees with hammers and shoot another, who died on the spot. All of the former detainees interviewed by Amnesty said that they were either tortured or witnessed M23 fighters torture others in detention, describing severe beatings with wooden rods, electric cables or engine belts. The rights group said that relatives looked for their loved ones at the detention sites, but M23 fighters often refused to grant them access or denied that their relatives were there, which Amnesty said amounts to enforced disappearances. Advertisement M23 is one of about 100 armed groups that have been vying for a foothold in mineral-rich eastern Congo near the border with Rwanda, in a conflict that has created one of the world's most significant humanitarian crises. More than 7 million people have been displaced, including 100,000 who fled their homes this year. The rebels are supported by about 4,000 troops from neighbouring Rwanda, according to UN experts, and at times have vowed to march as far as Congo's capital, Kinshasa, about 1,000 miles to the east. Despite Congo's army and M23 having agreed to work towards a truce last month, fighting between the two sides continues. Advertisement
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rwanda-backed rebels committed possible war crimes in eastern Congo
Human rights group Amnesty International accused the M23 rebels in eastern Congo of killing, torturing and forcibly disappearing civilian detainees in two rebel-controlled cities on Tuesday. 'These acts violate international humanitarian law and may amount to war crimes,' Amnesty said in a statement. The decades-long conflict in eastern Congo escalated in January, when the Rwanda-backed M23 advanced and seized the strategic city of Goma in North Kivu province, followed by Bukavu in February. Amnesty said that between February and April, it interviewed 18 civilians who had been detained by M23 in Goma and Bukavu, after they were accused of supporting the Congolese army or government. The former detainees said that the rebels produced no evidence of these accusations and several were not informed of the reasons for their detention. They were held in overcrowded, unsanitary cells without sufficient food, water, sanitation facilities or health care, according to the rights group. Several said that they saw fellow detainees die from the harsh conditions and torture. Some described how they witnessed M23 fighters kill two detainees with hammers and shoot another, who died on the spot. All of the former detainees interviewed by Amnesty said that they were either tortured or witnessed M23 fighters torture others in detention, describing severe beatings with wooden rods, electric cables or engine belts. The rights group said that relatives looked for their loved ones at the detention sites, but M23 fighters often refused to grant them access or denied that their relatives were there, which Amnesty said amounts to enforced disappearances. M23 is one of about 100 armed groups that have been vying for a foothold in mineral-rich eastern Congo near the border with Rwanda, in a conflict that has created one of the world's most significant humanitarian crises. More than 7 million people have been displaced, including 100,000 who fled their homes this year. The rebels are supported by about 4,000 troops from neighbouring Rwanda, according to UN experts, and at times have vowed to march as far as Congo's capital, Kinshasa, about 1,000 miles to the east. Despite Congo's army and M23 having agreed to work towards a truce last month, fighting between the two sides continues.
