DR Congo: M23 denounces Congolese troops as reports of mistreatment and violence surface in South Kivu

Reports of violence, looting, and abuses by the Congolese army coalition, which includes the Wazalendo militia, have allegedly led to a worsening of the security situation in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

According to local sources, at least ten civilians have been killed in recent acts of violence and looting in the Bukavu, Kabare, Katana, and Kavumu areas by the FARDC, the Burundian army, and the Wazalendo militia.

Since then, Congolese officials have said that 84 FARDC troops are facing charges related to their alleged involvement in the murders of civilians and looting in Kavumu.

After the rebel organization declared its intention to march to Kinshasa, M23 fighters reportedly moved into position barely 8 kilometers from Kavumu Airport, a vital military and logistics center.

The M23 noted that it would defend its right to protect the civilians inside its occupied territories, even though it stated that it had no intention of capturing Bukavu.

The capital of South Kivu, DR Congo, is Bukavu.

The rebel group’s conflict with a government coalition reached its most significant escalation two weeks ago when they took Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, and asserted their authority over it from government forces. This occurred just over three years after the M23’s comeback in eastern DR Congo.

Religious authorities denounce mistreatment.

Congolese military’ actions have drawn harsh criticism from Metropolitan Archbishop François-Xavier Maroy Rusengo, who has denounced their abuse of defenseless citizens.

Rusengo expressed his alarm in a letter to the South Kivu governor over allegations that FARDC forces were stationing heavy weapons in civilian areas.

The Archbishop said, “There are reports of soldiers trying to set up their weapons on the properties of peaceful citizens as if to turn Bukavu into a battlefield. Some of our brothers returning from the front seem to equate us with their enemies, looting and killing us without reason.” They ought to think twice.

In response to the crimes, officials are reportedly thought to have enforced a nightly curfew in Uvira, the second-largest city in South Kivu, from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.

A related development was the appointment of William Amuri Yakutumba by the Congolese government to serve as the Wazalendo militia’s coordinator in South Kivu.

The Mai-Mai Yakutumba militia’s leader, Amuri, has been accused of attacking the Banyamulenge community and is still under EU and UN sanctions.

According to reports, Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Déby has received a message from President Félix Tshisekedi asking for military support.

Following the recent M23 rebel takeover of the DR Congo’s army (FARDC) in Goma, together with the Burundian army and militias like Wazalendo and FDLR, President Déby has been cited in the media as saying he supports his colleague.

The leader of North Kivu’s Beni territory’s Disarmament, Demobilization, Community Recovery and Stabilization Program (PDDRC-S), meantime, issued a warning about the rise of new armed militia organizations in the area.

In addition to the more than 250 armed organizations that existed in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo prior to 2022, more than 20 new groups have emerged in Beni’s area.

To combat M23, a large number of these groups have joined forces with the government under the Wazalendo banner.

“The spiritual front”

A “spiritual front” has been established by the Kinshasa government as a component of their larger plan to combat M23.

Influential preacher Mukuna recently demanded divine vengeance on Rwanda at a public prayer session that was attended by the Justice Minister.

In support of the cause, Congolese Minister of Communication Patrick Muyaya said that spiritual initiatives will enhance the nation’s media, legal, diplomatic, and military plans.

Local accounts indicate that although foreign actors continue to maneuver behind the scenes, the possibility of full-scale urban conflict in Bukavu remains very real.