Rwanda backed M23 perpetrating killings and rape in DRC: Amnesty

The renewed violence has so far displaced about 75,000 people, according to the UN. (Reuters Archive)

NAIROBI, Kenya - A new investigation report released by Amnesty International has revealed that the Rwandan government has been backing M23 rebels in carrying out killings and raping of dozens of women in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

The report findings reveal that as of late November 2022, the March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group killed at least twenty men and raped scores of women and girls in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Survivors and other witnesses said that between 21-30 November 2022 fighters for the Rwandan- backed M23 group summarily carried out killings and raped at least 66 women and girls, mainly in Kishishe, a small town located about 100km north of Goma, the capital of North-Kivu province.

The information gathered by Amnesty International appears to show these acts were part of a campaign waged by M23 to punish and humiliate civilians suspected of being supporters of rival armed groups, including the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) and local Mai-Mai.

“Since these attacks, survivors have been living in terror and utter destitution. While some rape survivors received basic medical attention from community health facilities most urgently need adequate medical and mental health care as well as humanitarian assistance,” said Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa.

Witnesses told Amnesty International that after taking control of Kishishe, groups of M23 fighters went house-to-house, summarily killing every adult male they found and subjecting scores of women to rape, including gang rape.

Aline [Not her real name ] was raped by a group of men on 29 November 2022, along with six other women who were hiding in her house in the village of Kishishe.

She said: “They broke through the gate of the compound and rounded up all the men present, seven in total, who they killed. Five soldiers then raped us: six women and me. They called us FDLR wives.”

Eugenie [Not her real name ] also told Amnesty International that she was raped by three M23 soldiers on 30 November 2022 outside a church where she had sought refuge with her family following clashes between M23 and other armed groups.

“They said we were all FDLR. They singled out the men and shot them dead, including my husband and two sons. Three M23 soldiers then took me behind the church and took turns raping me. I thought I would not survive.”

Another survivor who was raped outside the same church told Amnesty International that she counted scores of bodies of men who had been killed.

“I counted up to 80 bodies of men who had been shot dead by M23 soldiers at the church. I have never seen so many corpses in my life. I fainted before I could count all of them.”

Most survivors interviewed by Amnesty International said they had received basic medical assistance from local health facilities including post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for sexually transmitted infections and received emergency contraceptives and painkillers. However, many said they were still suffering from persistent pain due to inadequate care, and there is no mental health support.

Days after the attack the Congolese authorities “strongly condemned the heinous crimes in Kishishe and Bambo” and promised to do everything they could to ensure justice. Nearly three months later there has been minimal progress.

“The DRC authorities’ failure to effectively investigate the allegations of patterns of summary killings, rapes, and other crimes under international law in relation to M23’s resurgence, and their inability to hold perpetrators to account, shows a complete contempt for victims,” Chagutah said.

The DRC is a party to several international and regional legal instruments which oblige states to prevent, investigate and prosecute those responsible for human rights abuses, and ensure comprehensive access to remedies for victims, including survivors of sexual violence.

Amnesty pointed out that the scale and brutality of these mass rapes are particularly shocking. M23’s actions in the Kishishe area constitute war crimes and, to the extent that these rapes and murders are being committed by M23 as part of what appears to be a systematic attack on civilians perceived to be supportive of the FDLR and other armed groups hostile to M23, they should be investigated as possible crimes against humanity.

“DRC authorities with international support, including through the ongoing political processes led by the East African Community and the African Union, must hold perpetrators of such heinous crimes to account and serve justice to victims. They must urgently take all necessary steps to ensure that survivors of these crimes promptly receive adequate health care and humanitarian assistance.”

GAROWE ONLINE