M23, Congolese forces may have committed war crimes in Congo, UN rights report finds

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By Olivia Le Poidevin

GENEVA (Reuters) -The Rwandan-backed rebel group M23, Congolese armed forces and other armed groups have committed serious rights violations in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, some of which may amount to war crimes, the U.N. Human Rights Office said on Friday.

M23, Congolese armed forces and other groups have been responsible for gross violations of international humanitarian law since late last year when fighting began in North and South Kivu, a new report by the U.N. Human Rights Office’s Fact-Finding Mission said. 

“The atrocities described in this report are horrific,” said U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk in a statement, calling for accountability on behalf of the victims.

The governments of Rwanda and Congo and pro-government militia fighters known as Wazalendo were not immediately available for comment.

M23 leader Bertrand Bisimwa told Reuters the U.N.’s allegations were fabricated and represented an unprofessional attempt to turn public opinion against the group. M23 has also denied past allegations it has committed atrocities.

M23 seized Goma, eastern Congo’s largest city, in January and went on to make gains across North Kivu and South Kivu provinces. The fighting has killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands more this year, while escalating the risk of a full-blown war in a region rich in tin, gold and coltan. 

While multiple human rights bodies and the U.N. have accused parties in the Congo conflict of gross atrocities, this is the first U.N. report to find that those abuses may have constituted crimes against humanity and war crimes.

The report found the ethnic Tutsi-led M23 carried out summary executions, torture, and enforced disappearances – which may amount to crimes against humanity, as well as war crimes including wilful killing and the taking of hostages.

SYSTEMATIC SEXUAL VIOLENCE

The group also used systematic sexual violence, including gang rape, largely against women, with an intent to “degrade, punish, and break the dignity of victims,” the report stated.

M23 received training and operational support from the Rwandan Defense Forces, and there were credible allegations of the covert presence of RDF personnel within M23, the report said. 

Rwanda has repeatedly denied backing M23 and says its forces act in self-defence against Congo’s army and ethnic Hutu militiamen linked to the 1994 Rwandan genocide. 

The report also found that the DRC armed forces and affiliated armed groups, such as the Wazalendo, had committed grave violations, including gang rape, the deliberate killing of civilians, and looting. 

The report investigated whether repeated rapes by specific Congolese armed units in January and February amounted to crimes against humanity, but it could not determine if these acts were state policy.

It said that certain Wazalendo members and leaders may have committed the war crime of conscripting or enlisting children under the age of 15 and using them in the fighting.

“This report should drive home the importance of accountability and justice for these violations,” the chief spokesperson for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ravina Shamdasani, told reporters in Geneva.

The OHCHR has called for adequate financing so a Commission of Inquiry into violations in eastern Congo, which has been stalled due to funding shortages, can proceed.

Following mediation by Qatar, Congo and the rebels signed a declaration of principles on July 19 in which they vowed to start negotiating a peace deal in August. However, the two sides missed the deadline. 

(Reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin; Additional reporting by Congo newsroom; Editing by Robbie Corey-Boulet and Sharon Singleton)