South Kivu authorities say families in Katogota have been forced to abandon their homes and land since October 30, 2026. The provincial government is seeking international investigations, humanitarian assistance and the safe return of displaced residents.
KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of the Congo — November 2, 2026 — The South Kivu provincial government has accused the Rwandan army and its allied M23 armed movement of forcibly displacing civilians from Katogota, in Uvira territory, describing the reported operations as potential war crimes and calling for international action.
In a statement reported on November 1 by the Agence Congolaise de Presse (ACP), provincial authorities said the displacement began on the evening of Friday, October 30. They accused elements of the reorganized M23 movement of compelling civilians to leave their homes and said the fighters were operating in support of the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF).
The statement was also republished by Genocide Watch. The available accounts describe the provincial government's allegations; they do not independently establish the number of people affected or the precise circumstances of the reported removals.
Families Reportedly Forced From Their Homes in Katogota
Katogota is located in the Itara-Luvungi grouping of Uvira territory, in South Kivu's Ruzizi Plain. The provincial government alleges that residents have been compelled to abandon their houses, agricultural land and belongings, joining other families uprooted by prolonged insecurity in the region.
As ACP's November 1 report recounts, provincial officials condemned the alleged expulsions and expressed solidarity with families affected by the latest violence. They called attention to the loss of shelter, livelihoods and access to land that forced displacement can cause.
The statement did not provide a verified displacement total, identify all destinations to which residents were taken, or describe an independent assessment of conditions in Katogota. Establishing those facts will be essential to determining the full humanitarian consequences of the reported operation.
Katogota Still Bears the Memory of a 2000 Massacre
In condemning the latest allegations, the South Kivu government recalled the massacre of civilians in Katogota on May 14, 2000, during the Second Congo War.
JUSTICE & CRIME
Rwanda Accused of Deporting Congolese Civilians in South Kivu
Nov 2, 2026
Nov 2, 2026
7 min read
Published
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South Kivu authorities say families in Katogota have been forced to abandon their homes and land since October 30, 2026. The provincial government is seeking international investigations, humanitarian assistance and the safe return of displaced residents.
KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of the Congo — November 2, 2026 — The South Kivu provincial government has accused the Rwandan army and its allied M23 armed movement of forcibly displacing civilians from Katogota, in Uvira territory, describing the reported operations as potential war crimes and calling for international action.
In a statement reported on November 1 by the Agence Congolaise de Presse (ACP), provincial authorities said the displacement began on the evening of Friday, October 30. They accused elements of the reorganized M23 movement of compelling civilians to leave their homes and said the fighters were operating in support of the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF).
The statement was also republished by Genocide Watch. The available accounts describe the provincial government's allegations; they do not independently establish the number of people affected or the precise circumstances of the reported removals.
Families Reportedly Forced From Their Homes in Katogota
Katogota is located in the Itara-Luvungi grouping of Uvira territory, in South Kivu's Ruzizi Plain. The provincial government alleges that residents have been compelled to abandon their houses, agricultural land and belongings, joining other families uprooted by prolonged insecurity in the region.
As ACP's November 1 report recounts, provincial officials condemned the alleged expulsions and expressed solidarity with families affected by the latest violence. They called attention to the loss of shelter, livelihoods and access to land that forced displacement can cause.
The statement did not provide a verified displacement total, identify all destinations to which residents were taken, or describe an independent assessment of conditions in Katogota. Establishing those facts will be essential to determining the full humanitarian consequences of the reported operation.
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Katogota Still Bears the Memory of a 2000 Massacre
In condemning the latest allegations, the South Kivu government recalled the massacre of civilians in Katogota on May 14, 2000, during the Second Congo War.
According to the provincial account reproduced by ACP, families in the community commemorate 375 victims of that massacre. The authorities attributed the killings to Rwandan troops and their allied forces and said the new allegations have revived the community's historical trauma.
The figure of 375 is the number cited in the provincial statement. The 2026 allegations and the historical massacre concern distinct events and should be investigated on their respective evidence.
Earlier Human Rights Watch Findings Provide Important Context
The allegations from Katogota emerge against a background of previously documented forced transfers in territory controlled by M23.
In a June 18, 2025 investigation, Human Rights Watch reported that the Rwanda-controlled M23 armed group had deported more than 1,500 people from occupied eastern Congo to Rwanda. It documented how fighters rounded up as many as 2,000 people in Sake on May 12, 2025, transferred them to Goma, and subsequently sent many across the border.
The organization said the transfers violated the Geneva Conventions and assessed that Rwanda's effective control over parts of eastern Congo, through its forces and M23, appeared to meet the legal standard for belligerent occupation.
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These Human Rights Watch findings relate to separate incidents in 2025, not the reported October 2026 events in Katogota. They establish that forced displacement has previously been documented in M23-controlled areas, but cannot by themselves verify the new allegations.
Why the Allegations Raise Questions Under International Law
The South Kivu government argues that forcibly removing civilians from Katogota may violate the rules governing occupied territory.
Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits forcible transfers and deportations of protected civilians from occupied territory. It permits narrowly limited temporary evacuations where civilian security or imperative military reasons require them, subject to safeguards and the return of residents as soon as conditions allow.
The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court separately provides that unlawful deportation or transfer may constitute a war crime. Deportation or forcible transfer may also constitute a crime against humanity when carried out as part of a widespread or systematic attack against civilians and the other required legal elements are met.
South Kivu authorities describe the reported removals as grave violations and are urging international investigators to examine the facts. Whether particular acts constitute international crimes, and who may be criminally responsible, requires evidence and a competent legal determination.
Government Demands Rwandan Withdrawal and an End to Parallel Rule
The provincial government has also linked its demands to UN Security Council Resolution 2773, unanimously adopted on February 21, 2025.
Under Resolution 2773, the Security Council called on the Rwanda Defence Force to stop supporting M23 and withdraw from Congolese territory without preconditions. It also demanded that M23 end hostilities, leave territory under its control and reverse the creation of parallel administrations.
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In its Katogota statement, the South Kivu government renewed its call for those demands to be implemented. It holds Rwanda and its allied armed groups responsible for the reported displacement and argues that protection of civilians requires an end to coercive practices in occupied communities.
The resolution provides the international framework for those demands. It does not, on its own, establish the facts of the alleged October 30 incident.
Calls for Humanitarian Assistance and International Investigations
South Kivu authorities have demanded an immediate end to the reported forced removals and the free, safe and dignified return of families to Katogota.
They also urged the United Nations and humanitarian organizations to deliver assistance to affected residents. According to ACP's coverage, the provincial government asked investigative mechanisms established by the UN Human Rights Council and the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to examine the allegations and identify those who may bear responsibility.
An effective response would require verifying how many people have been displaced, where they are located, what assistance they need and whether they can return without renewed threats.
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