US EditionRwanda-Backed Rebels Killed over 140 Civilians in Eastern Congo, Rights Group Says
Human Rights Watch reports M23 rebels executed over 140 civilians in eastern Congo in July amid continuing conflict and peace negotiations, with total deaths possibly exceeding 300.
- On Wednesday, Human Rights Watch reported that Rwanda-backed M23 rebels killed at least 140 people in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo near Virunga National Park in July.
- Weeks after a June 27 U.S.-brokered deal, the peace process faltered as M23 walked away from talks last week, while HRW said their violence targets the Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda.
- Survivors told HRW that between July 10 and 30, bodies were thrown into the Rutshuru River, forced burials blocked funerals, and 47 victims were identified.
- HRW urged the U.N. Security Council, European Union and governments to expand sanctions, press for arrests and allow forensic access, warning the killings could escalate tensions in Congo's mineral-rich east amid around 7 million displaced.
- On July 19, DRC and M23 signed a declaration of peace after nearly four years of fighting, but the U.N. office reported at least 319 killings in Rutshuru territory, which Kigali denies, calling accusations "gratuitous" and "sensational allegations.
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75 Articles
The human rights organisation claims that 140 civilians were executed by M23, an armed group supported by Rwanda, between 9 and 30 July, in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In a report published on Wednesday, 20 August, the NGO Human Rights Watch denounces the execution of more than 140 civilians by the AFC/M23 group in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, just during the month of July. The NGO describes these massacres, having taken place in more than 14 villages and small agricultural communities near Virunga National Park in Rutshuru territory, as the worst atrocities committed by the armed …
According to human rights organisations, many people are said to have been killed in northern Kivu. Rwandan-backed militias appear to be responsible.
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