Latest news with #Rutshuru
The Independent
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
The UN says Rwanda-backed rebels killed over 300 civilians in Congo in the past month
Rwanda-backed rebels killed at least 319 people over the past month in eastern Congo, the U.N. human rights chief said Wednesday, 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. 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 M23 comment. The M23 early 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. 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. The new U.N. statement said deadly attacks occurred in the days following that signing. 'I am appalled by the attacks on civilians by the M23 and other armed groups" despite the declaration, the U.N. human rights chief said, calling for an immediate end to attacks on civilians.
Reuters
6 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
M23 rebels killed 319 civilians in east Congo in July, UN rights chief says
PARIS, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Rwanda-backed M23 rebels killed at least 319 civilians, including 48 women and 19 children, last month in eastern Congo, Volker Turk, U.N. high commissioner for human rights, said on Wednesday, citing "first-hand accounts". The violence in the Rutshuru territory of North Kivu province produced "one of the largest documented death tolls in such attacks since the M23's resurgence in 2022," Turk said in a statement. Reuters first reported on the killings in late July, citing findings by the U.N. Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO) that put the death toll at 169 people. M23 leader Bertrand Bisimwa told Reuters at the time it would investigate, but also said the report could be a "smear campaign". A spokesperson for M23, a spokesperson for Rwanda's military and a Rwandan government spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment on Wednesday. Reuters has not been able to independently confirm the killings, but a local activist cited witnesses as describing M23 combatants using guns and machetes to kill scores of civilians. Two U.N. sources told Reuters that 100 of the dead had been identified by name and that an investigation was ongoing. The M23 and Congolese government have pledged to work towards peace by August 18 after the rebels this year seized more territory than ever before in fighting that has killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands more. The UNJHRO findings said M23 targeted suspected members of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a Congo-based group that includes remnants of Rwanda's former army and militias that carried out the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Turk said on Wednesday the killings had taken place in four villages in Rutshuru from July 9 to July 21 and that most victims were "local farmers camping in their fields during the planting season". Persistent violence in eastern Congo threatens U.S. President Donald Trump's vision for the region, which has been plagued by war for decades and is rich in minerals including gold, cobalt, coltan, tungsten and tin. A peace agreement signed on June 27 in Washington by the Congolese and Rwandan foreign ministers requires Congo to "neutralise" the FDLR as Rwanda withdraws from Congolese territory. Rwanda has long denied helping M23 and says its forces act in self-defence against Congo's army and ethnic Hutu militiamen linked to the 1994 Rwandan genocide, including the FDLR.
Al Jazeera
6 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
M23 rebels killed 319 civilians in east DR Congo in July, UN says
Rwanda-backed M23 rebels killed at least 319 civilians, including 48 women and 19 children, last month in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Volker Turk, UN high commissioner for human rights, said, citing 'first-hand accounts'. The violence in the Rutshuru territory of North Kivu Province produced 'one of the largest documented death tolls in such attacks since the M23's resurgence in 2022,' Turk said in a statement on Wednesday. With Rwanda's support, the M23 has seized swaths of the mineral-rich Congolese east from the DRC's army since its resurgence in 2021, triggering a spiralling humanitarian crisis in a region already riven by three decades of conflict. July's violence came only weeks after the Congolese government and the M23 signed a declaration of principle on June 19 reaffirming their commitment to a permanent ceasefire, following months of broken truces. 'I am appalled by the attacks on civilians by the M23 and other armed groups in eastern DRC amid continued fighting, despite the ceasefire that was recently signed in Doha,' Turk said in a statement. 'All attacks against civilians must stop immediately, and all those responsible must be held to account,' he added. Turk's UN Human Rights Office said it had documented multiple attacks in North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri provinces, in the conflict-ridden east of the country bordering Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. In the agreement signed in Doha, the warring parties agreed to 'uphold their commitment to a permanent ceasefire', refraining from 'hate propaganda' and 'any attempt to seize by force new positions'. The deal includes a roadmap for restoring state authority in eastern DRC, and an agreement for the two sides to open direct talks towards a comprehensive peace agreement. It followed a separate agreement signed in Washington by the Congolese government and Rwanda, which has a history of intervention in the eastern DRC stretching back to the 1990s. Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi are due to meet in the coming months to firm up the Washington agreement, whose terms have not yet been implemented. Last week, the two countries agreed to a US State Department-brokered economic framework outline as part of the peace deal. 'I urge the signatories and facilitators of both the Doha and Washington agreements to ensure that they rapidly translate into safety, security and real progress for civilians in the DRC, who continue to endure the devastating consequences of these conflicts,' said Turk. Rich in key minerals such as gold and coltan, the Congolese east has been riven by fighting between rival armed groups and interference by foreign powers for more than 30 years. Dozens of ceasefires and truces have been brokered and broken in recent years without providing a lasting end to the conflict.
Washington Post
6 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
The UN says Rwanda-backed rebels killed over 300 civilians in Congo in the past month
DAKAR, Senegal — Rwanda-backed rebels killed at least 319 people over the past month in eastern Congo , the U.N. human rights chief said Wednesday, 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.
Arab News
31-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
UN says scores of farmers killed in Congo, endangering Trump's peace
PARIS: An M23 rebel attack on farmers and other civilians in east Democratic Republic of Congo killed 169 people earlier this month, a UN body told Reuters, in what would be one of the deadliest incidents since the Rwanda-backed group's resurgence. M23 leader Bertrand Bisimwa told Reuters it would investigate but the report could be a 'smear campaign.' The UN rights body's account has not been previously reported and emerged as US President Donald Trump's administration pushes for peace between Congo and Rwanda that it hopes will unlock billions in mineral investments. Reuters has not been able to independently confirm the killings but a local activist cited witnesses as describing M23 combatants using guns and machetes to kill scores of civilians. The M23 and Congolese government have pledged to work toward peace by August 18 after the rebels this year seized more territory than ever before in fighting that has killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands more. According to findings by the UN Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO), which monitors Congo, the M23 operation that led to the farmers' killings began on July 9 in the Rutshuru territory of North Kivu province. It targeted suspected members of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a Congo-based group that includes remnants of Rwanda's former army and militias that carried out the 1994 Rwandan genocide, UNJHRO said. 'Civilians, mainly farmers temporarily camping in their fields for the plowing season, have been attacked. The human toll has been particularly high: at least 169 people have been killed,' UNJHRO said in findings shared by Reuters. The victims were 'far from any immediate support or protection,' UNJHRO said, citing credible information from several independent sources. In response, M23's Bisimwa said the group had been notified about UNJHRO's findings in a letter and would form a commission to investigate the unconfirmed accusations. 'We believe that before imposing sanctions, the facts must first be established by verifying their actual existence through an investigation,' he said. 'This rush to publish unverified information is propaganda whose purpose is known only to the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office,' he said, adding that the allegations could be part of a 'smear campaign' by Congolese employees of UNJHRO. UNJHRO is made up of the human rights division of Congo's UN peacekeeping mission and the former office of the UN high commissioner for human rights in Congo. It has both Congolese and foreign staff members. HUTU FARMERS TARGETED The activist in Rutshuru, who did not want to be named for safety reasons, told Reuters the M23 combatants killed more than 100 civilians, mostly Congolese Hutu farmers. The victims had initially fled when M23 advanced on the territory, but they returned after M23 promised them safety, the activist said. UN human rights chief Volker Turk said last month that M23, Congo's army and allied militias had all committed abuses in eastern Congo, many of which may amount to war crimes. Rwanda has long denied helping M23 and says its forces act in self-defense against Congo's army and ethnic Hutu militiamen linked to the 1994 Rwandan genocide, including the FDLR. A report by a group of United Nations experts published this month said Rwanda exercised command and control over M23 and was backing the group in order to conquer territory in east Congo. A government spokesperson said at the time that the report misrepresented Rwanda's security worries related to the FDLR and affiliated groups. The spokesperson, Yolande Makolo, did not respond to a request for comment about UNJHRO's findings. Persistent violence in eastern Congo threatens Trump's vision for the region, which has been plagued by war for decades and is rich in minerals including gold, cobalt, coltan, tungsten and tin. A peace agreement signed on June 27 in Washington by the Congolese and Rwandan foreign ministers requires Congo to 'neutralize' the FDLR as Rwanda withdraws from Congolese territory. Both the Congolese operations against the FDLR and the Rwandan withdrawal were supposed to have started on Sunday, though it is unclear what progress has been made. They have three months to conclude. Congolese government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya told Reuters the killings in Rutshuru demonstrate that M23 is a destabilising force incapable of bringing security. Kinshasa wants a peace deal that will allow for the restoration of its authority in the region, Muyaya said.
