Killings, Sexual Violence by M23 Rebels in DR Congo - HRW

Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have committed unlawful killings, rape, and other apparent war crimes since late 2022, according to Human Rights Watch.

It also says the Rwandan army has deployed troops to eastern Congo to provide direct military support to the M23, helping them expand control over Rutshuru and neighboring Masisi territories. It is calling on the United Nations Security Council to add M23 leaders, as well as Rwandan officials who are assisting the armed group, to the Council's existing sanctions list.

Human Rights Watch also said that it appears M23 rebels are responsible for mass graves found in the village of Kishishe, North Kivu province in the east of the country. It said the bodies are believed to be those of villagers and captured militia members, executed by M23 fighters between November 2022 and the armed group's departure from Kishishe in April 2023.

The M23 armed group includes soldiers who participated in a mutiny from the Congolese national army in 2012. The group's senior commanders have a well-known history of serious abuses against civilians. The dire security situation has been compounded by two years of martial law in the region and the collaboration of the Congolese armed forces (Forces armées de la République démocratique du Congo, FARDC) with various armed groups, mostly along ethnic lines. The warring parties have increasingly appealed to ethnic loyalties, putting civilians in remote areas of North Kivu province at a heightened risk.