At least 319 civilians, including 48 women and 19 children, were killed last month in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo by the M23 rebel group, which is allegedly backed by Rwanda, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk. He made the statement on Wednesday, citing “first-hand accounts.”
The killings occurred in Rutshuru territory in North Kivu province, and Turk described the incident as “one of the largest documented death tolls in such attacks since the M23’s resurgence in 2022,” underscoring the magnitude of the violence.
Reuters had initially reported on the massacre in late July, referring to findings by the U.N. Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO), which had placed the number of dead at 169. In response, M23 leader Bertrand Bisimwa told Reuters that they would investigate the allegations but also suggested the report might be a “smear campaign.”
Efforts to get comments from M23, the Rwandan military, and the Rwandan government on Wednesday were unsuccessful, as their representatives could not be reached.
While this has not being independently verified the death toll, a local activist told the outlet that eyewitnesses described M23 fighters using both guns and machetes to slaughter civilians. According to two U.N. sources, 100 victims have already been identified by name, and an official investigation is ongoing.
In a joint statement, the M23 rebels and the Congolese government pledged to pursue peace by August 18, even as M23 has captured more territory this year than ever before in a conflict that has left thousands dead and displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians.
The UNJHRO’s report noted that M23 had deliberately targeted individuals suspected of being members of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a militant group operating in Congo and comprised in part of former Rwandan soldiers and militiamen who participated in the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
Turk specified that the atrocities occurred across four villages in Rutshuru between July 9 and July 21, and that most victims were “local farmers camping in their fields during the planting season.”
The ongoing instability in eastern Congo continues to jeopardize long-term peace efforts and threatens regional stability in an area that is rich in natural resources, including gold, cobalt, coltan, tungsten, and tin.
A peace agreement, signed on June 27 in Washington D.C. by the foreign ministers of Congo and Rwanda, obligates Congo to “neutralise” the FDLR while Rwanda agrees to withdraw its forces from Congolese territory.
While Rwanda has consistently denied providing support to the M23 rebels, it maintains that its military presence is a measure of self-defense against Congolese forces and Hutu militias linked to the 1994 genocide, including the FDLR.
