DRC: M23 rebels executed at least 21 civilians in Goma, Human Rights Watch says

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused Rwanda-backed M23 rebels of executing at least 21 civilians in eastern Democratic Republic Congo.

In a report published on Tuesday, the NGO said the abuses took place on 22 and 23 February in Goma, the capital of North Kivu province.

HRW said dozens of M23 fighters arrived ni Goma's Kasika neighbourhood on 22 February. They shot seven people in the head near the Katindo military camp, a former Congolese army barracks.

The bodies of 11 more people, including a boy, were found at a construction site about 100 metres from the camp.

The next day, M23 fighters rounded up about 20 men near a sports field in the city, and accused them of belonging to the Congolese army. Sources also told HRW they believed the men were being forcibly recruited. Three men who tried to escape were killed.

Witnesses interviewed by Human Rights Watch said M23 was responsible for the killings.

Human Rights Watch said M23 targeted the Kasika neighbourhood of Goma because of reports of activity by the Congolese army in the area.

“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, senior Great Lakes researcher at HRW.

“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", she added.

The overall toll in Goma could be much higher, with over 50 bodies reported by medical workers over the two-day period.

The decades-long conflict in eastern Congo escalated in January, when M23 seized Goma, followed by Bukavu in February. The escalation has killed thousands of people and forced hundreds of thousands to flee.

M23 has often been accused of targeting civilians.

Amnesty International made similar claims in a report published on 27 May. The NGO accused M23 rebels of killing, torturing and forcibly disappearing civilian detainees in Goma and Bukavu.

"These acts violate international humanitarian law (IHL) and may amount to war crimes", the NGO said.

M23 and the Congo River Alliance released a report to deny all allegations of human rights violations on 30 May.

The International Criminal Court is currently investigating alleged crimes against civilians in North Kivu.