Rwanda‑backed M23 rebels kill more than 80 people in eastern Congo

Rwanda‑backed rebels have killed at least 80 people in eastern Congo in recent weeks, according to a Congolese official. The army said 80 civilians were massacred on Aug. 4 in the village of Nyaborongo in South Kivu, while six others, including two minors, were murdered in Lumbishi on July 24. The killings come despite a Qatar‑led peace process intended to end years of conflict.

A statement from Congo’s military “fiercely condemning” the violence blamed an alliance of the M23 rebel group and the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC), backed by Rwanda’s army. It warned that the coalition has also been forcing young people, including minors, to join their ranks. There was no immediate response from M23. Rwanda’s foreign minister, Olivier Nduhungirehe, when asked for comment, said he could not speak on “any stupidity coming from DRC.”

The recent massacres follow another wave of attacks in July. United Nations human rights chief Volker Türk said rebels killed 319 people between July 9 and July 21 in four villages in North Kivu’s Rutshuru territory. He called the toll one of the largest documented for such attacks since M23 resurfaced in 2022. M23 denies the accusation; spokesman Lawrence Kanyuka described the allegations as “a blatant manipulation of the facts” and said they violated the impartiality of U.N. institutions

M23, named after a 2009 accord that ended a Tutsi‑led revolt, says it fights to defend Congolese Tutsis. Congo’s government and U.N. experts call it a proxy for Rwanda, accusing Kigali of supplying troops and weapons despite official denials. A separate U.N. group of experts reported that Rwanda has deployed thousands of troops and heavy weapons to aid M23 in recent years.

Earlier this year, M23 fighters, aided by Rwandan forces, seized major towns in North Kivu, underscoring their reach.

The violence threatens to undermine a cease‑fire that Congolese authorities and M23 leaders signed in Doha on July 19. That Declaration of Principles committed both sides to negotiate a comprehensive peace agreement and restore state authority in rebel‑held areas.

The parties aimed to finalise a deal by Aug. 18, but continued killings could derail those plans. Eastern Congo has been the site of dozens of conflicts, with more than 100 armed groups operating in its mineral‑rich hills.

President Félix Tshisekedi’s government says it is working to defend civilians while pushing for peace. Officials have urged the international community to sanction Rwanda and the rebels, arguing that only external pressure will end the attacks. As diplomats prepare for further talks, the dead in Nyaborongo and Lumbishi highlight the human cost of a war that refuses to fade.