The M23 rebel group, which operates in eastern Congo and is reportedly funded by Rwanda, may have killed at least 21 civilians in the city of Goma between 22 and 23 February, according to the international non-governmental organisation Human Rights Watch.
The M23 has occupied Goma, the capital and largest city of North Kivu province, since late January, having driven out Congolese forces and European mercenaries. According to HRW, witnesses saw three M23 pick-up trucks executing seven people near an abandoned DRC military camp. The organisation also alleges that 11 more people were found dead at a nearby construction site.
Human Rights Watch, based in New York, said it had spoken to 22 witnesses, including those who had witnessed the killings, as well as other community members. The organisation added that it had reviewed media reports and geolocated and analysed photographs and videos from their sources and social media.
“The M23’s brutal control over Goma has created a climate of fear among those perceived to be allied to the Congolese government,” said Clémentine de Montjoye, a senior researcher on the Great Lakes region at Human Rights Watch.
“The mass killings don’t seem to be actions by rogue fighters, but rather the M23 leadership’s efforts to solidify their control by whatever means necessary,” he added.
The organisation said that it had contacted Lawrence Kanyuka, spokesperson for the M23’s allied Alliance Fleuve Congo, but had not received a response.
Witnesses say the area was targeted due to reports of crimes by Congolese army soldiers and Wazalendo, a militia group affiliated with the DRC government.
“[The M23] went into stores and shot people in the head on the Avenue du Commandant Belge,” a witness told Human Rights Watch. “The bodies were then piled up in two places: 10 in one place and 15 in another.”
Another woman, who had lost a relative, said that the M23 had shown her bodies on the ground and said, “This is what we’re going to do with you”. She claims she saw 18 other bodies on different streets.
