M23 and Rwandan army committed war crimes, HRW report alleges

Lead

A new report by Human Rights Watch alleges that the M23 armed group and the Rwandan military committed war crimes in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, including forced recruitment, arbitrary detention, and abuse of detainees. The report, titled "'Death Was Everywhere': Arbitrary Detention, Killings, and Forced Recruitment by the M23 and the Rwanda Defence Force," documents widespread abuses in North and South Kivu provinces between mid-2024 and December 2025, according to the organization.

Coverage Comparison

The report has drawn contrasting reactions. Three of the five sources reviewed focus on the allegations themselves, detailing the scale of the abuses and HRW's methodology. One source, AllAfrica, highlights the Rwandan government's response, which dismissed the report as biased. Another AllAfrica article adopts a critical tone, using words like "rampant" and "abusive" to describe the findings.

Key Claims

HRW's report asserts that M23 fighters, backed by Rwandan military personnel, committed murder, torture, corporal punishment, and used forced labor and child soldiers. The organization interviewed 102 former detainees who escaped from the Rumangabo and Tshanzu training camps in North Kivu, as well as other witnesses and sources. Researchers also used geolocated videos, satellite imagery, and 3D reconstruction to corroborate accounts.

According to HRW, a systematic forced recruitment campaign began after the capture of Goma on January 30, 2025. The report states that hundreds of people died in the Rumangabo and Tshanzu camps during 2025, with witnesses reporting mass graves and satellite imagery detecting ground disturbances.

The report also accuses the Congolese government of backing armed groups responsible for serious abuses, including the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) and Wazalendo factions, which have been accused of violence, arbitrary detention, and extortion against displaced people around Goma.

Perspectives

Human Rights Watch

Clémentine de Montjoye, senior Great Lakes researcher at HRW, said: "The Rwandan-backed M23 is running so-called training camps in eastern Congo, where recruits have suffered abuse and torture, at times with deadly consequences. Regional bodies and partner governments should press Rwanda's authorities to stop these grave abuses and support accountability for those responsible."

Rwandan Government

In an official response, the Office of Government Spokesperson dismissed the allegations, accusing HRW of selective scrutiny that downplays abuses by Congolese forces while targeting Rwanda and the M23. The statement asserted that "Rwanda rejects HRW's attempt to collapse M23 and RDF into one actor. Alleged M23 conduct cannot be treated as RDF conduct." The government also criticized HRW's methodology, noting that "no investigator set foot in the places this report describes" and that there was "no site visit, no exhumation, and no forensic examination."

The response highlighted HRW's own findings on Congolese government support for armed groups, including the FDLR, and argued that HRW provided "no substantial findings on FARDC, FDLR, Wazalendo, or their chain of command."

Congolese Government

The report says neither Kigali nor AFC/M23 responded to requests for comment, according to Africa News. The Congolese government's position was not detailed in the provided sources.

Context

The conflict in eastern DR Congo has displaced hundreds of thousands of people. The report comes amid ongoing fighting between M23 rebels and Congolese government soldiers in the region. HRW's findings add to previous warnings about the humanitarian situation in North and South Kivu. The organization is calling on Kinshasa to cease all material support to armed groups and to open independent investigations targeting all parties to the conflict.