M23 rebels are accused of killing, torturing, and disappearing civilians in secret Congo prisons, says Amnesty International. These are war crimes.
May 27, 2025 at 1:32:35 PM
May 15, 2026 at 7:03:26 PM
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An M23 soldier guards FARDC fighters at Stade de l’Unité in Goma, May 10, 2025. (Photo: Jospin Mwisha / AFP)
A new Amnesty International investigation has exposed shocking crimes committed by the Rwandan-backed rebel group M23, including killings, torture, enforced disappearances, and hostage-taking in Goma and Bukavu. These actions, Amnesty says, violate international humanitarian law and may amount to war crimes.
M23’s public statements about bringing order to eastern DRC mask their horrific treatment of detainees... They brutally punish those who they believe oppose them," Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International's Regional Director
The Hidden Prisons of Goma and Bukavu
Between February and April 2025, 18 former detainees told Amnesty how they were unlawfully held in horrific conditions. Many were tortured, denied legal help, and kept away from their families.
The detention sites included:
Chien Méchant (ANR compound)
RTNC compound on Mount Goma
Provincial Assembly building
34th Military Region HQ
Bagira military camp in Bukavu
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