Latest news with #Kanyuka
Time of India
7 days ago
- General
- Time of India
HRW warns Rwanda-backed M23 executing DR Congo civilians
HRW warns Rwanda-backed M23 executing DR Congo civilians (AP) KINSHASA: The Rwanda-backed M23 militia has carried out "mass killings" of Congolese civilians in the occupied eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Human Rights Watch (HRW) warned on Tuesday. With Rwanda's support, M23 fighters have seized swathes of the DRC's resource-rich east, capturing the key city of Goma in late January, following a lightning offensive. Since then, the M23 has set up to govern the regions under its control for the long term. With hundreds of Congolese soldiers and allied militia fighters having dispersed to avoid capture, the M23 has carried out frequent raids in a bid to stamp its authority on the restive region. In one such raid on February 22 and 23, the armed group "summarily executed at least 21 civilians and most likely many more" near a former Congolese army barracks in Goma's Kasika neighbourhood, HRW said in a statement. A 15-year-old boy was among the bodies found dumped at a building site near the barracks, according to the watchdog. HRW said the lack of fighting and the wounds inflicted "indicated that M23 fighters deliberately executed those in their custody", accusing the armed group of "war crimes". Citing witnesses who gave their testimony to HRW remotely, the rights group said it had "credible information" that the M23 targeted the area because of reports of the presence of the Congolese army and pro-government militiamen. Called "Wazalendo", meaning "patriots" in Swahili, those fighters are sometimes dressed in civilian clothes, making their allegiance to an armed group difficult to determine. "The M23's brutal control over Goma has created a climate of fear among those perceived to be allied to the Congolese government," said Clementine de Montjoye, a senior HRW researcher for the African Great Lakes region. "The mass killings don't seem to be actions by rogue fighters, but rather the M23 leadership's efforts to solidify their control by whatever means necessary," Montjoye added. Urging the international community to pressure Rwanda to end its backing for the M23, the researcher added that the "Rwandan government, as the direct supporter of the M23, may be complicit in the armed group's war crimes". Besides the 22 eyewitness accounts, the watchdog said it had drawn on authenticated video and photographs to reach its conclusions. HRW said it had on May 23 contacted the M23's spokesman, Lawrence Kanyuka, but had not received a response by the time of publication. Responding on X, Kanyuka accused HRW of publishing "a propaganda instrument", complaining of a "lack of professionalism in certain human rights organisations". Kanyuka last week slammed allegations from HRW's fellow rights group, Amnesty International, that the M23 was torturing civilians it had imprisoned as "grotesque and unsubstantiated".
Arab Times
29-03-2025
- Politics
- Arab Times
Rebels agree to a ceasefire with African coalition troops departing from eastern Congo
GOMA, Congo, March 29, (AP): The M23 rebels in control of key areas of eastern Congo agreed Friday to a ceasefire with African coalition peacekeepers who have announced their withdrawal even as the conflict between the insurgents and Congo 's government continues. The rebels and troops from the South African Development Community, or SADC, said in a joint news release that they would work together to rebuild the airport in the eastern hub of Goma, which was damaged when rebels took over, so that the SADC troops could depart the country in an orderly way. The force of several thousand peacekeeping troops from South Africa, Malawi and Tanzania had been sent to eastern Congo by the SADC in 2023 to help the Congolese government pacify a mineral-rich region plagued by various insurgencies. The troops failed to stop the lightning assaults starting in January by the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels that have claimed several key cities and that left several peacekeepers dead, eroding support for the mission in the donor countries. The SADC leadership announced their withdrawal earlier this month. The rebels and SADC troops gave no timetable for the withdrawal under their accord. The SADC troops "will be leaving via Goma airport, but it has to be repaired before they can leave,' M23 spokesman Lawrence Kanyuka said in an interview with The Associated Press. Kanyuka called it a "historic day," and said that the agreement with the SADC mission reflected an awareness that the conflict must be resolved politically not through fighting. "We thank SADC today for understanding that there is no military solution to this conflict. They came today, and we talked about dialogue,' Kanyuka said, adding that their withdrawal was "one of the prerequisites' for dialogue. Kanyuka accused Congolese troops of violating ongoing ceasefire negotiations and said that M23 had requested that the SADC "talk to Kinshasa to get them to stop and adhere to this ceasefire, which we have respected until now.' The SADC mission was part of a myriad of forces operating in the mineral-rich region plagued by decades of armed violence. They include Congolese government soldiers, foreign mercenaries, a United Nations peacekeeping force and more than 100 groups that are fighting for power, land and valuable mineral resources. Others try to defend their communities. Some armed groups have been accused of mass killings targeting ethnic groups.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rebels agree to a ceasefire with African coalition troops departing from eastern Congo
GOMA, Congo (AP) — The M23 rebels in control of key areas of eastern Congo agreed Friday to a ceasefire with African coalition peacekeepers who have announced their withdrawal even as the conflict between the insurgents and Congo 's government continues. The rebels and troops from the South African Development Community, or SADC, said in a joint news release that they would work together to rebuild the airport in the eastern hub of Goma, which was damaged when rebels took over, so that the SADC troops could depart the country in an orderly way. The force of several thousand peacekeeping troops from South Africa, Malawi and Tanzania had been sent to eastern Congo by the SADC in 2023 to help the Congolese government pacify a mineral-rich region plagued by various insurgencies. The troops failed to stop the lightning assaults starting in January by the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels that have claimed several key cities and that left several peacekeepers dead, eroding support for the mission in the donor countries. The SADC leadership announced their withdrawal earlier this month. The rebels and SADC troops gave no timetable for the withdrawal under their accord. The SADC troops "will be leaving via Goma airport, but it has to be repaired before they can leave,' M23 spokesman Lawrence Kanyuka said in an interview with The Associated Press. Kanyuka called it a 'historic day," and said that the agreement with the SADC mission reflected an awareness that the conflict must be resolved politically not through fighting. 'We thank SADC today for understanding that there is no military solution to this conflict. They came today, and we talked about dialogue,' Kanyuka said, adding that their withdrawal was 'one of the prerequisites' for dialogue. Kanyuka accused Congolese troops of violating ongoing ceasefire negotiations and said that M23 had requested that the SADC 'talk to Kinshasa to get them to stop and adhere to this ceasefire, which we have respected until now.' .The SADC mission was part of a myriad of forces operating in the mineral-rich region plagued by decades of armed violence. They include Congolese government soldiers, foreign mercenaries, a United Nations peacekeeping force and more than 100 groups that are fighting for power, land and valuable mineral resources. Others try to defend their communities. Some armed groups have been accused of mass killings targeting ethnic groups The M23 rebels are supported by about 4,000 troops from neighboring Rwanda, according to U.N. experts, and at times have vowed to march as far as Congo's capital, Kinshasa, over 1,000 miles away. Rwanda has rejected charges, including by the Congolese government and U.N experts, that it backs M23 in eastern Congo, a region that is now one of the world's largest humanitarian crises with more than 7 million people displaced. The withdrawal of SADC troops comes after the M23 took control of eastern Congo's main city of Goma and seized the second largest city, Bukavu, in offensives over the past two months. Fourteen South African soldiers, and at least three from Malawi were killed in January in the fighting. The United Nations later evacuated a group of critically injured South African
The Independent
28-03-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Rebels agree to a ceasefire with African coalition troops departing from eastern Congo
The M23 rebels in control of key areas of eastern Congo agreed Friday to a ceasefire with African coalition peacekeepers who have announced their withdrawal even as the conflict between the insurgents and Congo 's government continues. The rebels and troops from the South African Development Community, or SADC, said in a joint news release that they would work together to rebuild the airport in the eastern hub of Goma, which was damaged when rebels took over, so that the SADC troops could depart the country in an orderly way. The force of several thousand peacekeeping troops from South Africa, Malawi and Tanzania had been sent to eastern Congo by the SADC in 2023 to help the Congolese government pacify a mineral-rich region plagued by various insurgencies. The troops failed to stop the lightning assaults starting in January by the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels that have claimed several key cities and that left several peacekeepers dead, eroding support for the mission in the donor countries. The SADC leadership announced their withdrawal earlier this month. The rebels and SADC troops gave no timetable for the withdrawal under their accord. The SADC troops "will be leaving via Goma airport, but it has to be repaired before they can leave,' M23 spokesman Lawrence Kanyuka said in an interview with The Associated Press. Kanyuka called it a 'historic day," and said that the agreement with the SADC mission reflected an awareness that the conflict must be resolved politically not through fighting. 'We thank SADC today for understanding that there is no military solution to this conflict. They came today, and we talked about dialogue,' Kanyuka said, adding that their withdrawal was 'one of the prerequisites' for dialogue. Kanyuka accused Congolese troops of violating ongoing ceasefire negotiations and said that M23 had requested that the SADC 'talk to Kinshasa to get them to stop and adhere to this ceasefire, which we have respected until now.' .The SADC mission was part of a myriad of forces operating in the mineral-rich region plagued by decades of armed violence. They include Congolese government soldiers, foreign mercenaries, a United Nations peacekeeping force and more than 100 groups that are fighting for power, land and valuable mineral resources. Others try to defend their communities. Some armed groups have been accused of mass killings targeting ethnic groups The M23 rebels are supported by about 4,000 troops from neighboring Rwanda, according to U.N. experts, and at times have vowed to march as far as Congo's capital, Kinshasa, over 1,000 miles away. Rwanda has rejected charges, including by the Congolese government and U.N experts, that it backs M23 in eastern Congo, a region that is now one of the world's largest humanitarian crises with more than 7 million people displaced. The withdrawal of SADC troops comes after the M23 took control of eastern Congo's main city of Goma and seized the second largest city, Bukavu, in offensives over the past two months. Fourteen South African soldiers, and at least three from Malawi were killed in January in the fighting. The United Nations later evacuated a group of critically injured South African
Associated Press
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Rebels agree to a ceasefire with African coalition troops departing from eastern Congo
GOMA, Congo (AP) — The M23 rebels in control of key areas of eastern Congo agreed Friday to a ceasefire with African coalition peacekeepers who have announced their withdrawal even as the conflict between the insurgents and Congo 's government continues. The rebels and troops from the South African Development Community, or SADC, said in a joint news release that they would work together to rebuild the airport in the eastern hub of Goma, which was damaged when rebels took over, so that the SADC troops could depart the country in an orderly way. The force of several thousand peacekeeping troops from South Africa, Malawi and Tanzania had been sent to eastern Congo by the SADC in 2023 to help the Congolese government pacify a mineral-rich region plagued by various insurgencies. The troops failed to stop the lightning assaults starting in January by the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels that have claimed several key cities and that left several peacekeepers dead, eroding support for the mission in the donor countries. The SADC leadership announced their withdrawal earlier this month. The rebels and SADC troops gave no timetable for the withdrawal under their accord. The SADC troops 'will be leaving via Goma airport, but it has to be repaired before they can leave,' M23 spokesman Lawrence Kanyuka said in an interview with The Associated Press. Kanyuka called it a 'historic day,' and said that the agreement with the SADC mission reflected an awareness that the conflict must be resolved politically not through fighting. 'We thank SADC today for understanding that there is no military solution to this conflict. They came today, and we talked about dialogue,' Kanyuka said, adding that their withdrawal was 'one of the prerequisites' for dialogue. Kanyuka accused Congolese troops of violating ongoing ceasefire negotiations and said that M23 had requested that the SADC 'talk to Kinshasa to get them to stop and adhere to this ceasefire, which we have respected until now.' .The SADC mission was part of a myriad of forces operating in the mineral-rich region plagued by decades of armed violence. They include Congolese government soldiers, foreign mercenaries, a United Nations peacekeeping force and more than 100 groups that are fighting for power, land and valuable mineral resources. Others try to defend their communities. Some armed groups have been accused of mass killings targeting ethnic groups The M23 rebels are supported by about 4,000 troops from neighboring Rwanda, according to U.N. experts, and at times have vowed to march as far as Congo's capital, Kinshasa, over 1,000 miles away. Rwanda has rejected charges, including by the Congolese government and U.N experts, that it backs M23 in eastern Congo, a region that is now one of the world's largest humanitarian crises with more than 7 million people displaced. The withdrawal of SADC troops comes after the M23 and seized the second largest city, Bukavu, in offensives over the past two months.
