M23 rebels killed at least 131 civilians in eastern DRC, UN says
Al JazeeraNov 25, 2022
DR Congo: M23 Rebels Killed At Least 131 Civilians, UN Says
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Image copyright: AFP [via The East African]
The Facts
According to preliminary figures released Thursday by the UN peacekeeping mission (MONUSCO), M23 rebels killed at least 131 civilians in a campaign of "killings, rapes, kidnappings and looting" in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in late November.
Last week, Kinshasa accused the M23 of having killed more than 270 people in a massacre in the village of Kishishe in North Kivu province, raising the death toll from an earlier government estimate of 50. MONUSCO stated that the atrocities, if confirmed, could constitute "crimes under international humanitarian law."
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Despite one peace talk following another, DRC Pres. Tshisekedi keeps fueling the conflict to justify the postponement of the December 2023 elections. While Kinshasa directs the international community's focus exclusively on the allegedly Rwandan-backed M23, there are more than 400 other rebel groups in eastern Congo. As long as Kinshasa blames Rwanda for its security issues, it will be challenging for the international community to provide the required support needed to end this conflict.
Establishment-critical narrative
While the East African community and Kinshasa are constantly engaged in new efforts to finally end the conflict in eastern DRC, the West — which usually never tires of pretending to be committed to world peace — is obviously not very interested in this particular conflict. It's high time for the so-called international community to abandon its double standards and put credible pressure on Rwanda as well as Uganda to end their support for rebel groups operating in resource-rich eastern Congo.
