By Kennedy Nalyanya
A report from the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, Volker Turk, alleges that Rwanda-backed M23 rebels killed at least 319 civilians in eastern Congo last month. Citing "first-hand accounts," the report claims the victims included 48 women and 19 children.
The violence, which took place in the Rutshuru territory of North Kivu province, is described by Turk as "one of the largest documented death tolls in such attacks since the M23's resurgence in 2022." The U.N. Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO) initially put the death toll at 169 before Turk's updated statement.
According to a local activist, witnesses described M23 fighters using guns and machetes to kill scores of civilians. While Reuters has not been able to independently verify the claims, two U.N. sources have confirmed that 100 of the dead have been identified by name and that an investigation is underway.
An M23 leader, Bertrand Bisimwa, told Reuters the group would investigate the claims but also suggested the report could be a "smear campaign." As of Wednesday, spokespersons for the M23, Rwanda's military, and the Rwandan government could not be reached for comment.
What is the M23?
The M23 is a rebel group that has seized more territory than ever before in recent fighting, killing thousands and displacing hundreds of thousands more. The UNJHRO report states that the M23 targeted suspected members of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a Congo-based group that includes remnants of the army and militias that carried out the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
Rwanda has long denied providing support to the M23, stating that its forces act in self-defence against Congo's army and the FDLR. Both the M23 and the Congolese government have pledged to work towards a peace agreement.
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