A new report by the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Office says on Friday, September 5, 2025, that the M23 rebels, the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC) and allied militias, may have committed war crimes.
According the M23 rebels, FARDC and the allied militias committed serious abuses in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo that may amount to war crimes.
In report, the UN fact-finding mission documents what it considers to be gross violations of international humanitarian law since renewed fighting in North and South Kivu late last year.
According to the UN Human Rights chief, Volker Türk
“The atrocities described in this report are horrific.”
The report revealed that the ethnic Tutsi-led M23 carried out summary executions, torture, enforced disappearances and systematic sexual violence, including gang rapes, largely targeting women, with the intent to degrade and punish.
According to the report, M23 received training and operational support from Rwanda’s Defence Forces and cites credible allegations of covert RDF personnel within M23.
Kigali has repeatedly denied backing the rebels, saying its forces act in self-defence against Congo’s army and Hutu militias linked to the 1994 genocide. M23 has also denied committing atrocities.
According to the report, FARDC troops and pro-government Wazalendo militias also committed grave violations, including gang rapes, deliberate killings of civilians and looting.
M23 seized Goma, eastern Congo’s largest city, in January before advancing across parts of North and South Kivu, the report notes. The fighting has killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands this year, raising the risk of a wider war in a region rich in tin, gold and coltan. While UN and rights groups have long alleged gross abuses by parties to the conflict, the mission says this is the first UN report in the current escalation to conclude those acts may constitute crimes against humanity.
Mediation led by Qatar produced a July 19 declaration of principles between Kinshasa and the rebels, with both sides pledging to begin peace talks in August. The deadline passed without negotiations.
Source:Africa Publicity