The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) have accused the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels of killing 17 civilians in Ngweshe chiefdom, South Kivu province.
In a statement released on Monday by Major General Slyvain Ekenge Bomusa Efomi, the FARDC spokesperson, the incident happened on Sunday at around 6:30 PM in the village of Munsinsi, Ngweshe chiefdom, Walungu territory.
According to the statement, the M23 rebels killed civilians after they attempted to attack FARDC positions in the area. FARDC condemned the act, saying that many similar incidents have been happening. M23 rebels had not released a statement about accusations by press time.
M23 rebels control most areas in North and South Kivu provinces, including Goma, Bukavu cities, Goma international airport and Kavumu airport. Since the resumption of the M23 insurgency in 2022, led by Bertrand Bisimwa and Emmanuel Sultan Makenga, the DRC government has repeatedly accused Rwanda of supporting M23, a claim that both Rwanda and M23 deny.
The rebels assert that their fight is against corruption, xenophobia and discrimination within the DR Congo’s leadership.