M23 journalist abuse put pressure on media freedom in DRC

Allegations that journalists were detained and tortured in shipping containers in Goma have intensified scrutiny of press freedom in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, after Actualite.cd reported RSF’s findings on March 24. RSF said the M23 rebel group used dark, unventilated containers to hold civilians and at least two journalists in inhumane conditions in areas under its control in Goma.

According to the report, some of the containers were located in the compound of the Goma Provincial Assembly, while another site was identified near the headquarters of the state broadcaster RTNC. Witness accounts gathered by RSF described prisoners being packed into metal boxes without light or ventilation, allowed out only briefly at dawn, and given limited food, while some former detainees alleged torture and deaths in custody.

The latest claims fit a broader pattern already flagged by rights groups. In May 2025, Amnesty International said that M23 detainees in Goma and Bukavu had been subjected to torture, unlawful detention and other inhumane treatment, with some abuses potentially amounting to war crimes.

Pressure on journalists in the region has also been documented by the Committee to Protect Journalists, which reported in March 2026 that journalists in eastern DRC were facing detention, intimidation and restrictions from multiple actors as the conflict deepened. CPJ said rebel forces occupying parts of the east had also taken over positions inside at least two broadcasters’ offices, further tightening control over information.

M23 denied the allegations. Quoted by RSF, AFC/M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka called the accusations unfounded and said the movement was not arresting journalists in areas it controls. But RSF said the media environment in eastern DRC has sharply worsened since Goma fell under rebel control, with many journalists forced to flee and others working under growing restrictions.

The case is likely to add to international concern over how armed control in eastern DRC is reshaping both security and access to information, especially ahead of RSF’s expected wider report on the situation of journalists in the Great Lakes region.