Mass Atrocities in Eastern Congo: A Tragic Toll

Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have been accused of killing at least 319 civilians, including 48 women and 19 children, in eastern Congo last month, according to Volker Turk, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights. These allegations, derived from first-hand accounts, cast a harsh spotlight on the escalating violence in the region.

The tragic events unfolded in the Rutshuru territory of North Kivu province, with the death toll marking one of the largest documented in such attacks since the M23 group re-emerged in 2022. Reuters reported the massacre in late July, referencing information from the U.N. Joint Human Rights Office that initially put the number of fatalities at 169.

M23's leader Bertrand Bisimwa told Reuters that the group would launch an investigation into the reports, yet he suggested that they might be part of a "smear campaign." Efforts to reach spokespeople for both M23 and Rwanda's military for comments on these allegations were unsuccessful as of Wednesday.

(With inputs from agencies.)