UN: 169 civilians killed by M23 rebels in Congo
The United Nations has accused the M23 rebel group of killing 169 civilians, mostly farmers, in a deadly assault earlier this month in the Rutshuru territory of North Kivu province, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). If confirmed, it would be one of the deadliest attacks since the Rwanda-backed militia resurfaced in the region.
The U.N. rights body's account has not been previously reported and emerged as U.S. President Donald Trump's administration pushes for peace between Congo and Rwanda that it hopes will unlock billions in mineral investments, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
A local activist cited witnesses as describing M23 combatants using guns and machetes to kill scores of civilians.
The M23 and Congolese government have pledged to work towards peace by August 18 after the rebels this year seized more territory than ever before in fighting that has killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands more.
According to findings by the U.N. Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO), which monitors Congo, the M23 operation that led to the farmers' killings began on July 9 in the Rutshuru territory of North Kivu province.
It targeted suspected members of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a Congo-based group that includes remnants of Rwanda's former army and militias that carried out the 1994 Rwandan genocide, UNJHRO said.
“Civilians, mainly farmers temporarily camping in their fields for the ploughing season, have been attacked. The human toll has been particularly high: at least 169 people have been killed,” UNJHRO said in findings shared by Reuters.
The victims were “far from any immediate support or protection,” UNJHRO said, citing credible information from several independent sources.
In response, M23's Bisimwa said the group had been notified about UNJHRO's findings in a letter and would form a commission to investigate the unconfirmed accusations.
"We believe that before imposing sanctions, the facts must first be established by verifying their actual existence through an investigation," he said.
"This rush to publish unverified information is propaganda whose purpose is known only to the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office," he said, adding that the allegations could be part of a "smear campaign" by Congolese employees of UNJHRO.
UNJHRO is made up of the human rights division of Congo's U.N. peacekeeping mission and the former office of the U.N. high commissioner for human rights in Congo.
It has both Congolese and foreign staff members.
The activist in Rutshuru, who did not want to be named for safety reasons, told Reuters the M23 combatants killed more than 100 civilians, mostly Congolese Hutu farmers.
The victims had initially fled when M23 advanced on the territory, but they returned after M23 promised them safety, the activist said.
U.N. human rights chief Volker Turk said last month that M23, Congo's army and allied militias had all committed abuses in eastern Congo, many of which may amount to war crimes.
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