AFC/M23 Deputy Coordinator Bertrand Bisimwa has condemned the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) over the ongoing civilian killings in the Minembwe plateaus, South Kivu.
“The horrific massacres perpetrated by the Kinshasa regime’s coalition in the Minembwe highlands are of indescribable scale and gravity,” reads part of his X post.
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According to him, the atrocities reflect the “indifference of the peace process’s guarantors, which signals hypocrisy and complicity,” noting that “the unacceptable has quickly escalated.”
Bisimwa’s comments follow a statement by the movement’s spokesperson, Lawrence Kanyuka, issued Thursday, February 19, reporting “daily, systematic, and unpunished massacres” of civilians in Minembwe, Mikenge, Karingi, and across the Hauts Plateaux.
“These intolerable acts of inhumanity are carried amid an indifference that is both shocking and unacceptable on the part of humanitarian actors, human rights, organizations, and institutions that claim strong diplomatic influence,” reads the statement.
AFC/M23 emphasized that the ongoing crimes, primarily targeting women, children, and the elderly, amount to “massive, repeated, and well-documented violations of humanitarian law (HL).”
In the meantime, Banyamulenge, whom reports called them refugees in Kenya organized demonstrations denouncing drone attacks on civilians in eastern DRC, within areas under M23 control.
“Sometimes it hurts to see people being killed, to see the whole nation ignore when our people are dying,” one refugee told the local television station. “No one has access to the hospital, and wounded people cannot get treatment.”
AFC/M23 claims that the massacres in Minembwe are part of a broader act of violence orchestrated by the Kinshasa regime, alleging that these acts violate the Doha Agreement signed—by two parties to establish a ceasefire. Kinshasa rejects the accusations and, in turn, blames AFC/M23 for the violence. This exchange of blame makes the situation more complicated.
Below are the condemnation statements issued by AFC/M23 and the FARDC.
