Amnesty International raised concerns on Tuesday regarding the ongoing human rights abuses in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Since the Rwandan-backed rebel group, M23, captured the city of Goma in January, violence has continued to escalate. The organization called for the international community to take action and pressure all actors to comply with International Humanitarian Law (IHL).

Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s regional director for East and Southern Africa, said:

Since taking control of Goma, the M23 has instilled a climate of fear and vicious reprisals among the local population. The alarming scale and frequency of abuses in eastern Congo should shock the world. The violence has been enabled by decades of impunity for serious abuses and human rights violations

On February 28 and March 3, M23 raided hospitals and kidnapped more than 130 people. According to Amnesty International, patients, caregivers, and members of the Congolese army were taken to a stadium where they were subjected to torture. However, many civilians remain missing after the raids. The UN Human Rights Office condemned the hospital raids, calling it “deeply distressing.” Both the UN and Chagutah call for the immediate release and return of all wounded and caregivers.

Amnesty International has also documented instances of human rights defenders, and activists who M23 has recently detained, with reports of torture or subjected to threats in detention centers. Many defenders have fled the DRC, yet continue to receive threats. Earlier this month, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders expressed concern for the activists. She stated, “They are living in fear and the risks are real. Recently a defender informed me that the M23 rebels had drawn up lists of human rights defenders to apprehend in areas under their control.” 

Additionally, there is a concerning increase in sexual violence by the rebels and the Congolese army. Deputy Director of UNHCR, Patrick Eba, stated sexual violence remains rampant with “A staggering 895 cases of rape were reported to humanitarian actors in the last two weeks of February alone … an average of more than 60 a day.” Chagutah asserts that “M23 and the Congolese army, which are bound to international humanitarian law, must be held to account for the rapes. The world must not ignore the crimes taking place in eastern DRC.”

The Geneva Conventions and their additional protocols provide that IHL must be respected during armed conflict. IHL protects civilians, the wounded, and prisoners of war. Under IHL, torture and inhumane treatment are regarded as war crimes. The DRC is party to the Geneva Conventions and therefore required to punish those who commit war crimes.

M23 has launched a series of military offenses throughout DRC since 2021, leading to mass civilian casualties and displacement. An ongoing International Criminal Court (ICC) case is investigating the alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the eastern DRC. Furthermore, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution in February urging the Rwanda Defence Forces, who support M23, to withdraw from the DRC.