Eastern DRC: Civil society and AFC/M23 report war crimes and civilian killings

Civil society groups and the AFC/M23 movement have reported significant violence against civilians in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. In the Walungu territory of South Kivu, local civil society leaders have accused AFC/M23 officer Charles Kagigi of establishing a regime of terror. Reported atrocities include the torture of teachers, extortion, and the summary execution of three civilians in Kaniola.

In North Kivu, the AFC/M23 reported that FDLR elements killed eight civilians and injured six others during an attack in Burungu, Masisi territory. Additionally, government coalition forces reportedly launched simultaneous attacks on densely populated areas in Minembwe using ground troops, mortars, and kamikaze drones. These attacks targeted regions inhabited by the Banyamulenge community.

Civil society organizations have called for the immediate removal of Colonel Kagigi and have appealed to international bodies, including MONUSCO and the ICRC, to address the ongoing human rights violations and war crimes in the region.