The March 23 Movement/Congo River Alliance (M23/AFC) rebels have vehemently rejected fresh allegations of grave human rights violations reportedly committed in territories under their control in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
On Tuesday, May 27, 2025, Amnesty International released the findings of a recent investigation accusing M23 rebels of murder, torture, enforced disappearances, hostage-taking, and inhumane detention conditions in Goma and Bukavu cities.
The report is based on testimonies from 18 former civilian detainees interviewed between February and April 2025.
All the men recounted harrowing experiences, including overcrowded and unsanitary detention facilities, inadequate access to food, water, sanitation, or healthcare, and prolonged incommunicado detention without legal access or contact with family members.
Eight detainees claimed to have witnessed fellow inmates die due to torture or severe conditions in custody.
Others spoke of being detained without charges, subjected to beatings, or released only after their families paid large ransom amounts, reportedly ranging from a few hundred to over US$2,000.
Amnesty further documented testimonies from four family members of three detainees who were tortured while in detention and died shortly after release, and one relative of a detainee who reportedly died while still in custody.
In several cases, families had to negotiate directly with M23 fighters for weeks in attempts to secure the release of their loved ones.
“M23’s public statements about bringing order to eastern DRC mask their horrific treatment of detainees. They brutally punish those who they believe oppose them and intimidate others, so no one dares to challenge them,” said Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa.
Chagutah called on the M23 to immediately release arbitrarily detained civilians, disclose the whereabouts of forcibly disappeared individuals, and allow independent monitoring bodies access to all detention sites.
However, in a response released on Saturday, M23 political spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka dismissed the report as baseless propaganda.
“Amnesty International’s report is a disinformation campaign led by the Kinshasa regime and certain international actors,” Kanyuka stated.
He insisted the AFC/M23 remains committed to lasting peace, rooted in justice, coexistence, and respect for all citizens’ rights.
He urged the international community to adopt a balanced stance, emphasizing dialogue and mediation to resolve the long-standing conflict in eastern DRC.
M23 rebels currently hold significant territory in North and South Kivu provinces, including control over Goma and Bukavu cities, Goma International Airport, and Kavumu Airport.
Since the group’s resurgence in 2022 under the leadership of Bertrand Bisimwa and Emmanuel Sultan Makenga, the DRC government has repeatedly accused Rwanda of supporting M23—a charge both Rwanda and the rebels continue to deny.
M23 claims its rebellion seeks to end corruption, xenophobia, and discrimination within the Congolese government.