Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of the Congo executed at least 21 civilians over two days in February in the eastern city of Goma, Human Rights Watch has said.
The report, published on Tuesday, covers incidents on February 22-23 in a Goma neighbourhood, offering a snapshot of the violence during the latest escalation of the decades-long conflict.
“Commanders and combatants who directly ordered or carried out abuses should be held criminally accountable,” Human Rights Watch said in the report.
M23 rebels have seized eastern DRC’s two largest cities, Goma and Bukavu, in an offensive that began in January. The unprecedented advance has killed thousands of people and forced hundreds of thousands to flee.
The 21 slain civilians included six men and one woman shot in the head near Katindo military camp in Goma on February 22. HRW said M23 were responsible, citing a witness.
In a separate incident, M23 killed people and dumped their bodies at a construction site less than 100 metres away from the camp. These included a 15-year-old who was taken from his home and later found dead at the site, HRW said, citing a relative and a neighbour.
Goma's Kasika neighbourhood was targeted because it had previously housed DRC army barracks, HRW said.
Five-fold surge in rape cases
The violence continued in the neighbourhood a day later on February 23 when M23 rounded up around 20 young men at a nearby sportsfield.
A witness told HRW the rebels accused the young men of being members of the army. Three that tried to run away were shot.
The overall toll in Goma is likely to be higher, HRW said, with medical workers reporting that over 50 bodies were collected from the Kasika area over the two-day period.
Other organisations have previously reported grievous crimes committed in eastern DRC since M23 seized swaths of territory.
Amnesty International in March said rebels had raided hospitals in Goma for wounded DRC soldiers and taken 130 people including caregivers. Many were tortured and some are still missing.
UNICEF reported a five-fold surge in rape cases treated across 42 health centres in eastern DRC, in February, describing it as the worst sexual violence seen there in years. Almost a third of the victims were children, UNICEF said.
In one example, a mother reported that her six daughters, the youngest just 12 years old, were raped by armed men searching for food.
The conflict in eastern DRC is rooted in the spillover of 1994 genocide against Tutsis in Rwanda and the struggle over DRC's vast mineral resources.
Rwanda denies UN allegations that it backs the M23, saying its forces are acting in self-defence against DRC's army and allied militias.
