DR Congo military accuses M23 rebels of killing 50 civilians
- Congo’s army and the M23 have been locked in fighting in the country’s restive east
- The M23 described accusations of a massacre in Kishishe as baseless allegations
Democratic Republic of Congo’s armed forces accused the M23 rebels of breaching a ceasefire, saying that they killed at least 50 people in a massacre earlier this week and warning that the army would defend civilians from attacks.
The statement on Thursday came less than a week after regional leaders issued a ceasefire ultimatum at a summit in Angola, saying M23 also needed to withdraw from the towns it seized in recent months or else an East African regional force would intervene.
The UN peacekeeping mission known as MONUSCO said the violence took place Tuesday in Kishishe village “and included a high number of civilian casualties”. The community is about 70km from the regional capital, Goma.
A local civil society group said on Thursday that the death toll had risen after more bodies were discovered in a field near Bwito. It said other civilians were still reported missing after the attack.
In New York, the UN secretary general’s spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, said MONUSCO had received reports of fighting in the area between M23 rebels and Mai-Mai militias.
However, the Congolese military blamed the deaths in Kishishe village on Rwandan defence forces and the M23. Congo has long accused Rwanda of backing the rebels, an allegation Rwanda has repeatedly denied.