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Warning: This article contains descriptions of sexual violence.
Rebels and Rwandan soldiers accused of executions and rape
A Human Rights Watch investigation has uncovered evidence of summary executions, sexual violence, and other atrocities committed by the M23 rebel group and Rwandan soldiers during their occupation of Uvira, a lakeside city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The report, released Thursday, documents the killings of 53 civilians, including six children, during door-to-door raids in December.
Witness accounts describe targeted killings
HRW interviewed 130 residents who recounted harrowing experiences under M23 and Rwandan control. One witness described seeing his neighbor shot in the head, while another fled after watching four family members killed. "I saw my brother, his wife, and two of his children fall," the survivor told investigators. The report also details the execution of a 12-year-old boy who survived being shot and stabbed with a bayonet.
Sexual violence and mass graves documented
HRW documented eight cases of rape allegedly committed by M23 fighters and Rwandan soldiers. One woman recounted being stripped, bound, and raped after her husband was shot for intervening. Another survivor said Rwandan soldiers threatened to kill her before Congolese rebels ordered her rape instead. Investigators also visited three mass graves in Uvira, including one at a former UN peacekeeper base.
"If you don't do what I tell you, I will kill you."
Rwandan soldier to rape survivor, per HRW report
Rwanda denies involvement as UN accuses de facto control
Rwanda has consistently denied supporting M23 or deploying troops in DR Congo. However, UN experts previously accused Rwanda of having "de facto control" over M23 operations, including training recruits and supplying advanced weaponry. Neither the Rwandan government nor M23 leaders responded to HRW's April request for comment on the allegations, nor to a BBC inquiry.
Conflict escalates despite diplomatic efforts
The M23 seized Uvira days after a December peace deal brokered by then-US President Donald Trump between Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame. The rebels withdrew in January following diplomatic pressure, but the HRW report highlights the occupation's brutal toll. Tens of thousands fled their homes during the weeks-long control.
Broader crisis in eastern DR Congo
The violence in Uvira reflects a wider humanitarian catastrophe. A UNICEF report found over 35,000 cases of sexual violence against children in North and South Kivu provinces in the first nine months of 2025, where M23 holds territory. Nearly two million people in South Kivu alone have been displaced by persistent fighting.
HRW calls for accountability
The rights group asserts the documented atrocities-including abductions, enforced disappearances, and forced recruitment-constitute war crimes. HRW urged international actors to press for independent investigations and hold perpetrators accountable.
