Congo-Kinshasa: M23 Dismisses Rights Group Report As Propaganda, Highlights Civilian Outreach in Eastern DRC

The M23 rebel movement has rejected a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report accusing it of executing at least 21 civilians in the eastern DR Congo city of Goma in February, branding the claims as fabricated and politically motivated.

The HRW report, released on Tuesday, alleges that M23 fighters carried out extrajudicial killings on February 22 and 23 in the Kasika neighbourhood, west of Katindo military camp.

Witnesses and family members cited by the rights group described a series of executions targeting young men and alleged collaborators with the Congolese government and allied militias.

Some victims were reportedly taken from their homes or seized from the streets before their bodies were dumped at a nearby construction site.

The group claimed the killings were part of M23’s effort to assert control and instil fear.

However, M23’s military spokesperson Willy Ngoma dismissed the allegations, accusing Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International of being “mouthpieces of Kinshasa” and circulating “incessant doctored reports” to undermine the rebel group’s legitimacy.

“Contrary to these unfounded allegations of certain organisations which are only allegations, the M23/AFC gives the principles and the facts which affirm the reality that the movement is indeed a providence of the people,” Ngoma said in a statement.

“The defence and protection of the population is our essence.”

He insisted that the M23-AFC (Alliance Fleuve Congo) coalition has focused on pacifying areas under its control and restoring basic services cut off by Kinshasa.

Since taking Goma on January 27, the group claims to have prioritised civilian welfare by reviving electricity and internet services, restoring water supply, reopening the banking system, and rehabilitating roads to facilitate the return of economic activity.

“The movement is actively cleansing local communities of infiltrators, particularly remnants of the FARDC [Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo] and militias known as Wazalendo,” said Ngoma, accusing government-aligned actors of continuing to destabilise areas no longer under Kinshasa’s control.

The HRW report claims its findings are based on remote interviews with 22 individuals, including eyewitnesses, medical personnel, and residents of the Kasika neighbourhood, as well as verified photos and videos.

It alleges that M23 fighters shot civilians at point-blank range, with many victims sustaining gunshot wounds to the head and chest.

One 15-year-old boy was reportedly abducted from his home and later found among bodies at the construction site.

A video cited in the report shows M23 fighters rounding up young men near a sports field in Goma and killing at least three who tried to flee.

Witnesses described scenes of bodies being piled up and bullet casings littering the streets. Medical workers told HRW that over 50 bodies were collected over the two days.

Human Rights Watch called for M23 commanders and combatants responsible for the killings to be held criminally accountable, and urged the International Criminal Court to expand its investigation into war crimes in North Kivu since January 2022.

It also accused Rwanda, M23’s main backer, of complicity in the group’s alleged atrocities.

“The Rwandan government, as the direct supporter of the M23, may be complicit in the armed group’s war crimes,” said HRW’s Clémentine de Montjoye.

“Concerned governments… should press Rwanda to end its support and ensure that justice for serious crimes is a priority.”

The Rwandan government has yet to respond to the report but Kigali has certainly seen more than it can be shocked by the “incessant” reports as the rights group and Amnesty International have for decades released similar reports.

Ngoma, however, rejected any such link between humanitarian violations and the group’s leadership. He argued that the only killings occurring in areas under M23 control were those involving clashes with “hostile elements” attempting to sabotage stabilisation efforts.

While tensions remain high in Goma, M23 has turned its military focus westward towards Walikale territory.

A senior source within the rebel alliance confirmed ongoing plans to capture the strategic town of Pinga, a key logistical point in Walikale.

If successful, this would expand M23’s corridor of influence and further challenge Kinshasa’s control over the vast mineral-rich eastern provinces.

The M23, which first emerged in 2012 and relaunched its rebellion in late 2021, has positioned itself as a liberation movement, despite international condemnation and accusations of atrocities.

As both military operations and diplomatic negotiations continue, the fate of civilians caught between shifting frontlines remains uncertain.

By Nile Post.