DR Congo army denies M23 extermination claims as rebels allege govt hospital bombing

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s armed forces (FARDC) issued a statement rejecting accusations made by leaders of the M23 rebel coalition that the army is carrying out exterminations of the Banyamulenge community in the east. The army described the claims as a "campaign of propaganda and disinformation" intended to deflect responsibility for violations it attributes to the M23 coalition, and warned that the rebel group was trying to instrumentalise ethnic identities to sow division.

M23, in turn, accused Congolese and Burundian coalition forces of bombing the General Hospital in Minembwe on 24 June 2026 using combat drones, killing civilians including children. The rebels called the attack a war crime, citing the Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statute, and said it represented a grave breach of international humanitarian law. The incident occurs amid ongoing fighting in eastern DRC despite recent diplomatic efforts between the DRC and Rwanda to implement a peace agreement and coordinate security measures.