M23 Rebels Massacre 140 Civilians in Eastern Congo Despite Ongoing Peace Talks
21-Aug-2025.
Rwanda-backed M23 rebels killed at least 140 civilians in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo last month in one of the worst mass killings by the armed group since its resurgence in late 2021, according to a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report.
The brutal killings occurred even as US and Qatar-brokered peace negotiations continue in an effort to end the regional conflict.
Witnesses told the advocacy organization that the rebels "summarily executed" local residents, including women and children, primarily targeting members of the Hutu ethnic group in the Rutshuru area near Virunga National Park.
M23 has denied the allegations, dismissing HRW's findings as "falsified" and calling the rights organization an "instrument of propaganda" for the Congolese government.
The alleged massacre took place during M23's military campaign against the FDLR, an armed Hutu group formed by perpetrators of Rwanda's 1994 genocide. HRW estimates the total July death toll may exceed 300 people, findings that align with earlier UN reports.
Escalating Violence Grips Mineral-Rich Region
Fighting between government forces and M23 intensified in January when the rebels seized large portions of the mineral-wealthy eastern region, including the strategic city of Goma. The United Nations reports that thousands have died and hundreds of thousands of civilians have been displaced in the ongoing conflict.
According to the August 20 HRW report, M23 fighters used machetes and firearms to attack residents in at least 14 villages and farming communities near Virunga National Park between July 10-30. Witnesses described how rebels surrounded the area and blocked all escape routes.
"We woke up on July 11 and [the M23] were there in large numbers... they were already on our doorstep... they killed people with guns and machetes," one survivor recounted, noting that five family members died in the Katanga area.
A woman who witnessed her husband's machete killing on July 11 described how M23 fighters rounded up approximately 70 women and children. "They told us to sit on the edge of the riverbank, and then they started shooting at us," she said, explaining that she survived by falling into the river unhit.
Another witness reported watching from a distance as rebels killed his wife and four children, ranging in age from nine months to 10 years.
Local residents said M23 fighters ordered them to immediately bury bodies in fields or leave them unburied, preventing families from conducting proper funeral ceremonies.
The latest atrocities highlight the persistent violence plaguing eastern Congo despite international diplomatic efforts to broker peace in the resource-rich but conflict-torn region.
