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Miami Herald
a day ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Human Rights Watch: M23 rebels killed 140 civilians in DR Congo in July
Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Rebels from M23, a rebel group backed by Rwanda, killed at least 140 people in July in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Human Rights Watch said. The resurgence of killings of mostly Hutu civilians in at least 14 villages and farming areas near Virunga National Park in eastern DRC comes as the United States and Qatar have been working to broker peace in the region. Human Rights Watch called the killings "executions." Between July 10 and 30, "M23 fighters summarily executed local residents and farmers, including women and children, in their villages, fields, and near the Rutshuru River," Human Rights Watch said. "Credible reports indicate the number of people killed in Rutshuru territory since July may exceed 300, among the worst atrocities by the M23 since its resurgence in late 2021," it added. The rebels have denied any role in these killings, calling the charges a "blatant misrepresentation of the facts," BBC reported. "The M23 armed group, which has Rwandan government backing, attacked over a dozen villages and farming areas in July and committed dozens of summary executions of primarily Hutu civilians," said Clémentine de Montjoye, senior Great Lakes researcher at Human Rights Watch. "Unless those responsible for these war crimes, including at the highest levels, are appropriately investigated and punished, these atrocities will only intensify." Witnesses said that M23 fighters told them to immediately bury the bodies in the fields or leave them unburied, preventing families from having funerals. M23 fighters also threw bodies, including of women and children, into the Rutshuru River, Human Rights Watch said. The mass killings appear to be part of a military campaign against opposing armed groups, especially the Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda, a largely Rwandan Hutu armed group created by participants in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. In the killings reported to Human Rights Watch, most victims were ethnic Hutu and some were ethnic Nande. Rwanda has not responded to the HRW claim, but it has denied the U.N. accusations, calling them "gratuitous" and "sensational allegations." It claims that an armed group opposed to M23 committed the killings. Rwanda denies allegations that it provides military support to M23, which is largely made up of the Tutsi ethnic group that was targeted by Hutu militias in the genocide. Human Rights Watch reported first-person accounts of witnesses. In one, a woman saw her husband killed by M23 fighters with a machete. The same day, "We were forced to walk toward the place where our lives were going to end," she said. The group included about 70 women and girls. After walking all day, they were forced to sit on a riverbank to be shot at. She was only able to escape because she fell into the river without being shot. Fighting between DRC government troops and M23 escalated in January, when the rebels captured large parts of the mineral-rich east, including the regional capital Goma. Thousands have been killed and hundreds of thousands of civilians forced from their homes in the ongoing conflict, the United Nations says. On June 27, DRC and Rwanda signed a peace agreement in Washington, D.C., after 30 years of conflict between the two nations. Then on July 19, DRC and M23 rebels backed by Rwanda signed a declaration of peace after nearly four years of fighting. The rebels were not involved in the agreement in Washington but the declaration must follow the Washington Accord brokered by the United States. As negotiations were set to resume last week, M23 walked away from the peace talks. It said Kinshasa had failed to meet commitments outlined in the deal. Around 7 million people have been displaced in Congo, which has a population of 106 million. Rwanda also borders Uganda to the south. The Congolese army has also accused the M23 of violating the cease-fire. Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
UPI
a day ago
- Politics
- UPI
Human Rights Watch: M23 rebels killed 140 civilians in DR Congo in July
1 of 5 | Leader of Alliance Fleuve Congo Corneille Nangaa, center, and M23 President Bertrand Bisimwa, center-right, arrived to participate in a cleanup exercise in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, in February. M23 (March 23 Movement) rebel group has killed 140 civillians in DRC in July, Human Rights Watch said. File Photo by EPA Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Rebels from M23, a rebel group backed by Rwanda, killed at least 140 people in July in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Human Rights Watch said. The resurgence of killings of mostly Hutu civilians in at least 14 villages and farming areas near Virunga National Park in eastern DRC comes as the United States and Qatar have been working to broker peace in the region. Human Rights Watch called the killings "executions." Between July 10 and 30, "M23 fighters summarily executed local residents and farmers, including women and children, in their villages, fields, and near the Rutshuru River," Human Rights Watch said. "Credible reports indicate the number of people killed in Rutshuru territory since July may exceed 300, among the worst atrocities by the M23 since its resurgence in late 2021," it added. The rebels have denied any role in these killings, calling the charges a "blatant misrepresentation of the facts," BBC reported. "The M23 armed group, which has Rwandan government backing, attacked over a dozen villages and farming areas in July and committed dozens of summary executions of primarily Hutu civilians," said Clémentine de Montjoye, senior Great Lakes researcher at Human Rights Watch. "Unless those responsible for these war crimes, including at the highest levels, are appropriately investigated and punished, these atrocities will only intensify." Witnesses said that M23 fighters told them to immediately bury the bodies in the fields or leave them unburied, preventing families from having funerals. M23 fighters also threw bodies, including of women and children, into the Rutshuru River, Human Rights Watch said. The mass killings appear to be part of a military campaign against opposing armed groups, especially the Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda, a largely Rwandan Hutu armed group created by participants in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. In the killings reported to Human Rights Watch, most victims were ethnic Hutu and some were ethnic Nande. Rwanda has not responded to the HRW claim, but it has denied the U.N. accusations, calling them "gratuitous" and "sensational allegations." It claims that an armed group opposed to M23 committed the killings. Rwanda denies allegations that it provides military support to M23, which is largely made up of the Tutsi ethnic group that was targeted by Hutu militias in the genocide. Human Rights Watch reported first-person accounts of witnesses. In one, a woman saw her husband killed by M23 fighters with a machete. The same day, "We were forced to walk toward the place where our lives were going to end," she said. The group included about 70 women and girls. After walking all day, they were forced to sit on a riverbank to be shot at. She was only able to escape because she fell into the river without being shot. Fighting between DRC government troops and M23 escalated in January, when the rebels captured large parts of the mineral-rich east, including the regional capital Goma. Thousands have been killed and hundreds of thousands of civilians forced from their homes in the ongoing conflict, the United Nations says. On June 27, DRC and Rwanda signed a peace agreement in Washington, D.C., after 30 years of conflict between the two nations. Then on July 19, DRC and M23 rebels backed by Rwanda signed a declaration of peace after nearly four years of fighting. The rebels were not involved in the agreement in Washington but the declaration must follow the Washington Accord brokered by the United States. As negotiations were set to resume last week, M23 walked away from the peace talks. It said Kinshasa had failed to meet commitments outlined in the deal. Around 7 million people have been displaced in Congo, which has a population of 106 million. Rwanda also borders Uganda to the south. The Congolese army has also accused the M23 of violating the cease-fire.
The Star
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Rwanda-backed rebels massacred civilians in Congo, Human Rights Watch says
FILE PHOTO: A member of the M23 rebel group walks on the outskirts of Matanda in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, March 22, 2025. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra/File Photo (Reuters) -Rwanda-backed M23 rebels killed at least 140 people in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in July, Human Rights Watch said in a report on Wednesday that highlighted how violence remains elevated despite the U.S.- and Qatar-backed peace talks underway. The advocacy group provided new details about the killing spree first reported by Reuters in July. It said total killings in Rutshuru territory in July may exceed 300, echoing similar findings by the United Nations last month. The report included interviews with civilians that HRW said had survived the killings, elaborating on how the attacks had taken place. One woman, who saw M23 kill her husband with a machete, described being marched all day to a river with about 70 women and children. "They told us to sit on the edge of the riverbank, and then they started shooting at us," the woman was quoted as saying. She said she survived after falling into the river without being shot. Another man said that he watched M23 rebels kill his wife and four children aged nine months to 10 years from afar, after failing to make it back in time to save them, according to the report. The killings occurred weeks after a June 27 U.S.-brokered preliminary deal between Congo and Rwanda and peace negotiations in Qatar between Congo and M23 rebels. M23 has previously denied any role in the killings. The group did not respond to a request to comment on the report. HRW said the witness accounts indicated the attacks took place in at least 14 villages and farming areas near Virunga National Park in eastern Congo in July. Citing 25 witness accounts, medical staff, U.N. personnel and other sources, HRW said most victims were ethnic Hutu, with some ethnic Nande. HRW urged the U.N. Security Council, European Union and governments to expand sanctions, press for arrests and prosecutions, and called on Rwanda to allow U.N. and independent forensic experts into areas under M23 control. Reuters could not independently verify HRW's report. (Reporting by Ayen Deng Bior; Editing by Jessica Donati and Paul Simao)
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Politics
- Perth Now
Rwanda-backed rebels massacre civilians in Congo
Rwanda-backed M23 rebels killed at least 140 people in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in July, Human Rights Watch says. A report by the independent, non-governmental human rights organisation released on Wednesday highlights how violence remains elevated despite the US and Qatar-backed peace talks underway. The advocacy group provided new details about the killing spree first reported by Reuters in July. It said total killings in Rutshuru territory in July may exceed 300, echoing similar findings by the United Nations last month. The report included interviews with civilians that HRW said had survived the killings, elaborating on how the attacks had taken place. One woman, who saw M23 kill her husband with a machete, described being marched all day to a river with about 70 women and children. "They told us to sit on the edge of the riverbank, and then they started shooting at us," the woman was quoted as saying. She said she survived after falling into the river without being shot. Another man said that he watched M23 rebels kill his wife and four children aged nine months to 10 years from afar, after failing to make it back in time to save them, according to the report. The killings occurred weeks after a June 27 US-brokered preliminary deal between Congo and Rwanda and peace negotiations in Qatar between Congo and M23 rebels. M23 has previously denied any role in the killings. The group did not respond to a request to comment on the report. HRW said the witness accounts indicated the attacks took place in at least 14 villages and farming areas near Virunga National Park in eastern Congo in July. Citing 25 witness accounts, medical staff, UN personnel and other sources, HRW said most victims were ethnic Hutu, with some ethnic Nande. HRW urged the UN Security Council, European Union and governments to expand sanctions, press for arrests and prosecutions, and called on Rwanda to allow UN and independent forensic experts into areas under M23 control. Reuters could not independently verify HRW's report.
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Rwanda-backed rebels massacred civilians in Congo, Human Rights Watch says
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: A member of the M23 rebel group walks on the outskirts of Matanda in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, March 22, 2025. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra/File Photo Rwanda-backed M23 rebels killed at least 140 people in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in July, Human Rights Watch said in a report on Wednesday that highlighted how violence remains elevated despite the U.S.- and Qatar-backed peace talks underway. The advocacy group provided new details about the killing spree first reported by Reuters in July. It said total killings in Rutshuru territory in July may exceed 300, echoing similar findings by the United Nations last month. The report included interviews with civilians that HRW said had survived the killings, elaborating on how the attacks had taken place. One woman, who saw M23 kill her husband with a machete, described being marched all day to a river with about 70 women and children. "They told us to sit on the edge of the riverbank, and then they started shooting at us," the woman was quoted as saying. She said she survived after falling into the river without being shot. Another man said that he watched M23 rebels kill his wife and four children aged nine months to 10 years from afar, after failing to make it back in time to save them, according to the report. The killings occurred weeks after a June 27 U.S.-brokered preliminary deal between Congo and Rwanda and peace negotiations in Qatar between Congo and M23 rebels. M23 has previously denied any role in the killings. The group did not respond to a request to comment on the report. HRW said the witness accounts indicated the attacks took place in at least 14 villages and farming areas near Virunga National Park in eastern Congo in July. Citing 25 witness accounts, medical staff, U.N. personnel and other sources, HRW said most victims were ethnic Hutu, with some ethnic Nande. HRW urged the U.N. Security Council, European Union and governments to expand sanctions, press for arrests and prosecutions, and called on Rwanda to allow U.N. and independent forensic experts into areas under M23 control. Reuters could not independently verify HRW's report. REUTERS
