Latest news with #Wazalendo
Daily Mail
12 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Woman is tied between two trees and gang-raped by six men while dozens of women and children are slaughtered in horrific new outbreak of Rwanda-Congo rebel violence
Women gang-raped and tied between trees, civilians executed with machetes, hospitals stormed, and children slaughtered with their bodies dumped into rivers. This is the grim reality in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where a devastating new Amnesty International report accuses both the Rwanda-backed rebel group M23 and Congo-based Wazalendo militias of widespread human rights abuses that could account to war crimes. Amnesty's 39-page briefing, 'DRC: 'They Said we would Die': M23 and Wazalendo abuses in eastern Congo', reveals harrowing testimonies of sexual violence, torture, and extrajudicial killings carried out between March and May of this year. One survivor described being tied between two trees and gang raped by six Wazalendo fighters, telling investigators: 'Let them be punished so they don't do such acts to someone else'. During another rape by Wazalendo fighters, Kinyarwanda-speaking men, believed to be fighters belonging to the armed Nyatura group, accused the woman of supporting the M23. They chillingly told her that 'any women who come to the field, we will always rape them,' according to the Amnesty report. Another woman said she was raped by five M23 fighters inside a military camp in Bukavu: 'When I see someone in a military uniform, I'm traumatised. Since that day, I do not go out. When I see them, I feel pain in my heart. It's like a heart palpitation'. In total, Amnesty interviewed 14 survivors of sexual violence – eight were raped by M23, five by Wazalendo, and one by soldiers from the Congolese army (FARDC). The abuses, they say, are part of a deliberate campaign of intimidation and humiliation aimed at terrorising civilians. One survivor described being tied between two trees and gang raped by six Wazalendo fighters, telling investigators: 'Let them be punished so they don't do such acts to someone else'. Pictured: Displaced community members travel in a truck as they return to their hometown of Kitshanga on February 11, 2025 in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty's Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, said: 'For the women of eastern DRC, nowhere is safe; they are raped in their homes, in the fields, or camps where they seek shelter. 'The world must say enough. All warring parties must prioritise the protection of civilians, including women and girls who continue to bear the greatest brunt of this conflict'. Chagutah called on both Rwanda and Congo to hold their proxies accountable, urging DRC's President Felix Tshisekedi to dismantle Wazalendo militias and Rwanda to rein in its Defence Forces operating in the region. The shocking report comes just weeks after Human Rights Watch (HRW) revealed that M23 fighters had killed at least 140 people in July in one of the worst atrocities since the group's resurgence in 2021. Witnesses described M23 fighters using machetes and gunfire to massacre men, women, and children in 14 villages around Virunga National Park between July 10 and July 30. Some were forced to sit on riverbanks before being gunned down. Others were buried hastily in fields or thrown into rivers. One man recalled: 'We woke up on 11 July and [the M23] were there in large numbers... They were already on our doorstep... They killed people with guns and machetes,' adding that five members of his family were killed. Villagers described finding the bodies of a 47-year-old man and his four children, ages 11 to 17, in a field about 18 kilometers from Kiseguru, on July 11. 'We found him in his field with his head cut off,' said a man who found and buried them. 'They were all killed with machetes. Their throats were cut.' Another man said that he watched as the rebels killed his wife and four children aged nine months to 10 years from afar, according to the report. Locals said that M23 fighters told them to immediately bury the bodies in the fields or leave them unburied, preventing families from organising funerals. 'M23 fighters also threw bodies, including of women and children, into the Rutshuru River,' the report added. A woman who saw M23 fighters kill her husband with a machete on July 11 said that M23 fighters that day rounded up the women and children. 'Around 10am, we were forced to walk toward the place where our lives were going to end,' she said. 'We walked in silence. If a child started crying, they threatened to kill them. They killed with knives.' She said they were a group of about 70 people, including women and girls: 'We walked all day until we reached the confluence of the Kitchuru Rivers in the evening… 'They told us to sit on the edge of the riverbank, and then they started shooting at us.' The woman added that the executions took place near Kafuru, and identified 47 people, including children, who were killed. She was able to escape because she fell in the river without being shot. Human Rights Watch received information that the M23 carried out mass killings by the Rutshuru River for several days. Residents and witnesses said that the M23 continued to execute people until at least July 30. HRW believes the true death toll may exceed 300, echoing similar UN findings earlier this month. Amnesty also documented how M23 fighters stormed hospitals in Goma six times, abducting patients and medical staff, including wounded soldiers who are still receiving care. Civil society activists, journalists, and lawyers have also been targeted. One activist detained in March said M23 interrogators had detailed knowledge of his work: 'It was like they had all the info on us,' he said. The M23 fighters whipped him both nights of his detention. 'They really beat me. They had whips. They beat me on the buttocks. They slapped me in my ears which caused my nose to bleed.' Another activist, Aloys Bigirumwami, was abducted in May along with five others. He has not been seen since. The atrocities come despite a flurry of peace initiatives. In June, the DRC and Rwanda signed a US-brokered peace deal in Washington, followed by a ceasefire agreement in Doha, Qatar, in July. But last week, M23 walked away from negotiations, accusing Kinshaha of failing to meet its commitments. Fighting has resumed across North and South Kivu, leaving civilians once again caught in the crossfire. HRW has urged the UN Security Council, the European Union, and world governments to impose sanctions on those responsible and press for prosecutions. Amnesty, meanwhile, says the international community must stop turning a blind eye: 'Rwanda and the DRC cannot continue shunning responsibility; they must hold all perpetrators accountable,' Chagutah warned. Since January, the M23 offensive has seized large parts of the mineral-rich east, including the regional capital Goma. The UN says thousands have been killed and hundreds of thousands more driven from their homes. For ordinary Congolese civilians, there is little hope. As one woman, raped while pregnant, told Amnesty: 'They told me if my daughter doesn't go back into the room, they would kill her. I thought I was going to die.'
Zawya
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Zawya
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): Warring factions in eastern DRC commit horrific abuses including gang rapes, summary executions and abductions
Both the Rwanda-backed March 23 Movement (M23) and the Wazalendo, a loose coalition of armed groups backed by the Congolese army, have gang raped women and committed widespread human rights abuses against civilians in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that violate international humanitarian law and could amount to war crimes, Amnesty International said in a new briefing. The briefing, ' DRC: 'They said we would die': M23 and Wazalendo abuses in eastern Congo ', documents how M23 fighters have summarily killed Congolese civilians, attacked hospitals, abducted patients, and tortured and forcibly disappeared civil society members. It also details the increasing militarization in eastern DRC, as M23 has taken control of vast swathes of territory in the region and the Wazalendo have received large amounts of ammunition and weapons supplied by the Congolese army (FARDC). 'The brutality of the warring parties knows no bounds; these atrocities are intended to punish, intimidate and humiliate civilians, as each side attempts to assert control,' said Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International's Regional Director for East and Southern Africa. 'Rwanda and the DRC cannot continue shunning responsibility; they must hold all perpetrators accountable,' said Tigere Chagutah. 'It's time for DRC's President Felix Tshisekedi to honour his commitment to justice and accountability and ensure that Wazalendo fighters who committed crimes are brought to justice and others are demobilized and reintegrated into civilian life. As a party to the conflict, Rwanda must ensure that all Rwandan Defence Forces in the DRC comply with international humanitarian law.' Amnesty International interviewed more than 53 victims and witnesses, including survivors of gang rape, victims of abuse, relatives of those unlawfully killed, detained or forcibly disappeared, medical professionals, civil society members, human rights defenders, lawyers, humanitarian actors, and journalists. The organization also reviewed M23 official statements, audio-visual evidence and reports by local and international media and human rights organizations. On 18 July, Amnesty International requested information from the FARDC about the conduct of its soldiers, as well as information from representatives of M23 in relation to specific allegations of human rights violations and abuses. At the time of publication, the organization had not received responses from them. 'If you do not want this, we will kill you' Of the 14 survivors of sexual violence from North and South Kivu, interviewed by Amnesty International, eight said they were gang raped by M23 fighters, five said they were gang raped by Wazalendo fighters, and one said she was gang raped by FARDC soldiers. All the survivors of gang rape by M23 fighters said the perpetrators wore uniforms that resembled those of the M23 and spoke Kinyarwanda, which is spoken by some M23 fighters. The gang rapes by M23 fighters took place between March and May 2025 when the fighters controlled Goma and Bukavu in eastern DRC. Five survivors said M23 fighters raped them at M23 military positions. In Bukavu, five M23 fighters gang-raped Beatrice* at an M23 military camp. 'When I see someone in a military uniform, I'm traumatized. Since that day, I do not go out. When I see them, I feel pain in my heart. It's like a heart palpitation,' she said. In Rutshuru and Masisi territories in North Kivu province, as well as Kalehe territory in South Kivu province, Wazalendo groups raped women and girls. One woman was gang raped in late March 2025. Four other women in Masisi were raped by Wazalendo fighters, two in January 2024 and two in February and April 2025. Amnesty International also received a credible report of a young woman gang-raped by multiple Wazalendo fighters in Rutshuru in March 2025. Another woman was tied between two trees while six Wazalendo gang-raped her. 'Let them be punished so they don't do such acts to someone else,' she said. During another rape by Wazalendo fighters, Kinyarwanda-speaking men, believed to be fighters belonging to the Nyatura, a predominately Hutu armed group, accused the woman of supporting the M23. They told her that 'any women who come to the field, we will always rape them.' A woman said she was pregnant when she was gang raped in Bukavu by two FARDC soldiers in February 2025, before the fall of the city, as the FARDC were fleeing. During the rape, her 14-year-old daughter screamed from a bedroom. The soldier said: 'If she doesn't go back in the room, I'll kill her.' Tigere Chagutah said: 'For the women of eastern DRC, nowhere is safe; they are raped in their homes, in the fields, or camps where they seek shelter. The world must say enough. All warring parties must prioritize the protection of civilians, including women and girls who continue to bear the greatest brunt of this conflict.' Human rights abuses by M23 M23 fighters have also committed human rights abuses against civil society actors, journalists, lawyers, and others. Amnesty International interviewed 12 civil society actors, human rights defenders and journalists who described how M23 tortured, forcibly disappeared, arbitrarily detained, or threatened them. One civil society actor detained in March 2025 said that an M23 fighter asked him specific questions about issues he had covered in the past. 'It was like they had all the info on us,' he said. The M23 fighters whipped him both nights of his detention. 'They really beat me. They had whips. They beat me on the buttocks. They slapped me in my ears which caused my nose to bleed.' In May, Aloys Bigirumwami, a member of the youth movement, Lutte pour le Changement (LUCHA), and five others were taken away in a vehicle, and Bigirumwami has not been seen since. Amnesty International documented five summary killings by M23: three men in Goma and a father and son in South Kivu. All men were shot to death or had their throats cut by M23 fighters between February and May 2025. M23 fighters also attacked hospitals in Goma six times during the same period, abducting or detaining patients and caregivers, including FARDC soldiers who had been injured, still required care or were hiding at the hospital. On 19 July 2025, DRC and M23 representatives signed a 'declaration of principles' in Doha, Qatar, facilitated by the Qatar government, pledging to work toward a final peace agreement that will align with the peace deal signed in Washington, D.C., by DRC and Rwanda on 27 June 2025. 'As diplomatic efforts continue, Amnesty International calls on Qatar to press M23 to stop abducting and forcibly disappearing individuals. In addition, the United States should push the Congolese government to implement a vetting mechanism to identify and remove armed group members and security force officials who may have been implicated in serious human rights abuses or violations,' said Tigere Chagutah. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Amnesty International.
DW
04-07-2025
- Politics
- DW
DR Congo-Rwanda peace deal met with skepticism – DW – 07/04/2025
While leaders hail a recent peace deal between Rwanda and the DR Congo as a diplomatic breakthrough, observers say deep-rooted tensions and unresolved grievances remain major threats. The Rwandan and Congolese governments have lauded the recently signed peace agreement as a historic milestone to end fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The deal, brokered and signed in the United States, with support from Qatar, outlines commitments to cease hostilities, establish a path to economic cooperation, and neutralize armed groups, including the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). President Félix Tshisekedi said it would open a "new era of stability, cooperation and prosperity." Meanwhile, US officials say this is a step towards unlocking mineral wealth in the region. But observers in Rwanda and the DRC warn implementation, inclusivity, and accountability remain significant hurdles. Also, the realities on the ground and the cool reactions from armed groups, such as the M23, complicate matters. The M23 rebel group, which seized the strategically important cities of Goma and Bukavu earlier this year, has rejected the binding nature of the DRC–Rwanda deal. A separate process in the Qatari capital of Doha between the Congolese government and the M23 is ongoing but has produced few public details. In a statement, Corneille Nangaa, coordinator of the M23-affiliated Congo River Alliance (AFC), criticized the Washington deal as "limited," claiming Kinshasa was undermining the Doha process. M23 executive secretary, Benjamin Mbonimpa, told reporters: "Our problems are different from what was dealt with in Washington." Kigali-based political commentator Gonza Mugi described the M23's stance as predictable. "They are still attacked by other groups like the Wazalendo and even Congolese government coalitions," told DW. "So, it makes sense for them to keep defending the communities they claim to protect." Jean Baptiste Gasominari, a Congolese political analyst, told DW the Congolese government should be held accountable for arming militias, and their subsequent actions. "Saying there are multiple armed groups operating independently in the eastern DRC is misleading," he said. "Except for M23, the rest have been armed, trained, and commanded by the DRC government itself, now unified under the Wazalendo umbrella." To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A United Nations report concluded that despite denials, Rwanda's army played a "critical" role alongside the M23 anti-governmental group in this year's offensive in eastern DRC. Both the DRC and Rwanda have pledged to pull back support for guerilla fighters. The US-brokered deal has been critcized for not addressing the atrocities committed by all sides during years of conflict. Additionally, concerns persist that key local communities, rebel groups, and civil society appear to have been ignored. For Gasominari, accounting for the violence and suffering is crucial. "Justice is a matter of state sovereignty," said Gasominari, who has been living in Rwanda as a refugee. "It's the responsibility of the DRC government to request the intervention of an international tribunal or the International Criminal Court." He said the agreement does not ignore justice issues, but rather delegates their resolution to internal processes and existing international frameworks. But because justice was not clearly defined by the Washington agreement, the interpretation of justice remains vague and very dependent on the actors' willingness to implement it, according to Mugi. "The important point is whether it will be possible to implement such an ambitious concept in 90 days," Mugi told DW. "That depends entirely on the commitment and effort put into making the deal stick," he added. He said previous peace efforts had lacked inclusive dialogue and marginalized some political and civil society actors. "There are forces who saw the conflict in the east as an opportunity to negotiate a new political order in Kinshasa," Mugi told DW, pointing out that armed groups had profited from the instability and conflict. Both analysts said the peace deal has economic motives. The eastern Congo is rich in minerals such as cobalt, gold, and coltan. Gasominari characterized the agreement as "a peace deal and a business deal." "You cannot do business where there is no peace," he said. Mugi added that formalizing economic cooperation could reduce the influence of informal networks that have profited from conflict. "If proper contracts are awarded, that means the interest in supporting peace is more powerful than the interest supporting war. In the long term that could be very good for the region," he told DW. While President Tshisekedi is expected to meet his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame in Washington in the coming weeks to discuss next steps, Rwanda's foreign minister Olivier Nduhungirehe reaffirmed Kigali's insistence on the "irreversible and verifiable end" to the FDLR, a militia it holds responsible for attacks inside Rwanda. "We must acknowledge there is a great deal of uncertainty in our region," Nduhungirehe said. The FDLR is a Congo-based militia, which is opposed to Kagame's Tutsi-led government in Rwanda. Initially made up of fighters who led the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, Kagame's government views the FDLR's presence on its borders as an existential threat. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video US involvement, and particularly the Trump administration's role in brokering the agreement, has added a geopolitical dimension. President Donald Trump, who welcomed the two foreign ministers at the White House, celebrated the deal's potential to unlock mineral resources. However, Trump's remarks about securing "a lot of mineral rights from the Congo" have fueled a different narrative. Mugi for instance, suggested that formalizing the "permanent economic interests" of Rwanda and other neighboring countries in the Congo could create powerful incentives for peace over war. In contrast, Nobel laureate and former Congolese presidential candidate Denis Mukwege has warned the deal could "would amount to granting a reward for aggression" and legitimize the "plundering of Congolese natural resources." While the front in eastern DRC has largely stabilized since February, sporadic skirmishes persist. The joint monitoring mechanism created by the Washington agreement and the vaguely defined "regional economic integration framework" are expected to provide accountability mechanisms. However, both are still in early stages. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Zawya
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Zawya
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): Peace deal with Rwanda fails to address serious crimes committed in eastern DRC
The recent peace agreement signed between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda fails to address justice for the victims of serious crimes by not including any provisions aimed at holding their perpetrators to account, Amnesty International said today. 'Without addressing impunity for the horrific crimes committed in eastern DRC, the agreement missed an opportunity to decisively tackle a long-standing driver of the conflict,' said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International's Secretary General. 'When human rights abusers are not investigated and held to account, it leads to a vicious cycle of abuses in which civilians pay the price. This must stop for security to be sustainable.' Since the agreement was signed in Washington DC on 27 June, Amnesty International has received credible reports that the Rwanda-backed March 23 Movement (M23) and Wazalendo armed groups – many of which are supported by the Congolese army – have continued to clash in North and South Kivu provinces, resulting in the deaths of civilians. In addition, M23 continues to abduct young men and take them to unknown locations. M23, which is negotiating with the DRC government in a separate mediation process led by Qatar, ' took note ' of the US-facilitated peace deal on 30 June but stated recently that it did not concern them. Rwanda and the DRC must urgently press M23 and Wazalendo groups to prioritize civilian protection. 'The people of eastern Congo have had their hopes for justice and security raised and then dashed by the signing and failure of numerous peace agreements over the last 25 years. DRC and Rwanda owe it to the people of eastern Congo – who continue to face untold suffering at the hands of the Wazalendo and M23 – to push the armed groups they support and collaborate with to protect civilians and to respect international humanitarian law,' said Agnès Callamard. Background The human rights situation in eastern DRC has deteriorated since Rwandan-backed M23 fighters entered the country in November 2021 and went on to capture large areas of North and South Kivu provinces. The United Nations (UN) Group of Experts and Human Rights Watch have documented Rwanda's support of the M23, the latest in a series of armed groups operating in DRC that Rwanda has backed since the late 1990s. On 27 January 2025, M23 declared that it had captured Goma after residents and displaced people fled to safety in other parts of DRC or neighbouring countries. On 16 February, M23 seized Bukavu, a key trading hub and capital of South Kivu province. The UN confirmed cases of summary killings and had received reports of 'arbitrary arrests and detentions, degrading treatment and alleged forced returns of Congolese young men fleeing violence in neighbouring countries.' Amnesty International has documented how the M23 killed, tortured and forcibly disappeared detainees, held some as hostages, and subjected them to inhumane conditions at detention sites in Goma and Bukavu, which may amount to war crimes. The Wazalendo are a loose coalition of armed groups fighting the M23 and backed by the Congolese army. The UN and other human rights organizations have documented human rights abuses committed by the Wazalendo. On 27 June 2025, Rwanda and DRC signed a peace deal in Washington, DC, aimed at ending the conflict between the two neighbours. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Amnesty International.
Time of India
03-06-2025
- 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".
