At least 319 civilians, including 48 women and 19 children, were massacred by M23 fighters during coordinated raids on four villages in DR Congo’s Rutshuru territory between July 9 and 21, the UN Human Rights Office said on Wednesday.
UN rights chief Volker Türk called the attacks “intolerable,” urging an immediate halt to violence and swift prosecution of those responsible. The killings are the deadliest documented since the rebel movement re-emerged in 2022 despite a July 19 cease-fire declaration signed in Doha after a Washington-brokered peace deal.
M23 now holds swathes of the mineral-rich eastern province, including the strategic hubs of Goma and Bukavu. Kinshasa and the UN accuse neighbouring Rwanda of backing the group—an allegation Kigali denies.
Türk also condemned deadly assaults by other armed factions such as the Islamic State-linked Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) and the CODECO militia, pressing mediators to deliver tangible security for civilians still trapped in the conflict.