Rwanda-backed M23 forces forced recruitment of thousands in eastern Congo

Human Rights Watch released a 78‑page report documenting a campaign by the Rwanda Defence Force and the M23 rebel group to forcibly recruit and detain thousands of civilians, captured combatants, police and militia members in North and South Kivu, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

The report details abusive conditions at the Rumangabo and Tshanzu training camps, describing beatings, lack of food and water, summary executions and the use of child soldiers as young as 12. Interviews with 102 former detainees and satellite imagery were used to estimate the scale of the round‑ups, which intensified after M23 seized large swaths of territory in 2025. The investigators say the abuses constitute war crimes and potentially crimes against humanity, and call on regional bodies and partner governments to press Rwanda to end the violations and ensure accountability.