DRC accuses Rwanda of killing 1,500 civilians in past month

The Democratic Republic of Congo has accused Rwanda of killing more than 1,500 civilians in the Congolese east since early December, when the Kigali-backed M23 militia launched a fresh offensive.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Congolese government attributed this figure to civil society, confirmed by humanitarian sources and state services.

Congolese authorities described the new wave of attacks as “a clear act of aggression against national sovereignty” and a “serious and repeated violation of international law.”

M23 rebels took the key eastern city of Uvira in South Kivu early last month, causing tens of thousands of people to flee across the border into Burundi.

M23 launched this new offensive ust days after the Congolese and Rwandan governments signed a US-brokered peace deal on 4 December.

The Congolese government has also accused Kigali of sending “three new Rwandan battalions” into South Kivu, with an eye to advancing towards the mining province of Tanganyika.

About 500,000 people have been displaced by the recent surge in fighting in South Kivu, according to the United Nations.