Human Rights Watch ( HRW) issued a warning on Tuesday that the Rwanda-backed M23 militia has “mass killings” of Congolese civilians in the occupied eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Following a thunder offensive in late January, M23 fighters seized swathes of the resource-rich west of the DRC with the support of Rwanda. Since therefore, the M23 has established itself to rule the parts that are under its control for the long term. The M23 has regularly conducted raids to assert its dominance over the restive area, with hundreds of African troops and allied militia fighters dispersing to prevent being captured. At least 21 residents and most likely many more were killed in one of the similar raids on February 22 and 23, according to HRW, the armed party said in a speech close to a former Congolese army barracks in Goma’s Kasika village. According to the regulator, a 15-year-old son was one of the bodies discovered dumped at a building site close to the camp. The lack of battle and the wounds “indicated that M23 combatants consciously executed those in their custody,” according to HRW, blaming the armed party of “war crimes”. The rights group, which contacted witnesses who testified to HRW electronically, claimed it had” reliable information” that the M23 had targeted the area in response to rumors of the presence of the Rwandan army and pro-government soldiers. These soldiers are often dressed in civil attire, making their affiliation to an armed team difficult to pin down, and are sometimes called” Wazalendo,” meaning “patriots” in Swahili. According to Clementine de Montjoye, a senior HRW scientist for the African Great Lakes region,” The M23’s terrible power over Goma has created a culture of concern among those perceived to be allied to the Congolese authorities.” The M23 leader’s efforts to bolster their hold on power through whatever means are necessary, Montjoye said,” the mass deaths don’t seem to be steps by rogue fighters.” The scholar urged the worldwide community to put pressure on Rwanda to stop supporting the M23 and suggested that the” Rwandan state, as the strong supporter of the M23, may be responsible in the military team’s war offences.” The regulator said it relied on verified videos and photos to arrive at its conclusions in addition to the 22 eyewitness accounts. HRW claimed to have contacted Lawrence Kanyuka, the M23’s official, on May 23, but that it had not received a response by the time of release. In response to X, Kanyuka criticized HRW for publishing” a propaganda instrument” and for lacking in competence in” some human rights organizations.” Last year, Kyanyuka criticized claims made by HRW’s other rights organization, Amnesty International, that the M23 was torturing residents it had imprisoned as “grotesque and unfounded.”
