The AFC/M23 rebels on Thursday, January 8, buried and paid tribute to "innocent civilians cowardly massacred” during a series of drone attacks in North Kivu Province’s Masisi Territory, earlier this month.

A ceremony to pay homage to the victims was held at Stade de l’Unité, the main stadium in Goma, the provincial capital, before their burial in Mubambiro, in Masisi Territory.

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The first drone strike occurred on January 2 in Masisi Centre, the administrative capital of Masisi Territory, killing six people and injuring 41 others.

The rebel group accused Kinshasa’s military coalition—comprising large contingents of Congolese army forces (FARDC), Burundian troops, Congolese militias known as Wazalendo, the Kishasa-backed genocidal FDLR militia, and foreign mercenaries from Latin America and Europe—of carrying out the attacks.

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In total, 22 civilians were killed while 50 were injured in various parts of Masisi Territory in various drone attacks, in the past few days.

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In a post on X, rebel spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka said: "We bow in solemn reverence before the memory of the victims and express our deepest compassion to the families cruelly bereaved.

"These heinous crimes will neither be forgotten nor trivialized. The AFC/M23 firmly reaffirms its unwavering commitment to protecting civilian populations and defending their fundamental right to life, security, and dignity.”