New York [US], August 21: M23 rebels killed at least 140 people in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo last month in one of the worst atrocities by the armed group since its resurgence in late 2021, Human Rights Watch has said in a report.
This is despite a peace process, brokered by the US and Qatar, to end the conflict in the region. Witnesses told the advocacy group that the Rwanda-backed rebels "summarily executed" local residents, including women and children, largely from the Hutu ethnic group in the Rutshuru area, near the Virunga National Park.
The rebels have previously strongly denied any role in these killings, calling the charges a "blatant misrepresentation of the facts". The alleged massacre appears to have taken place during an M23 campaign against an armed Hutu group, the FDLR, formed by perpetrators of the 1994 genocide in neighbouring Rwanda.
Source: Qatar Tribune
