The AFC/M23 rebels in eastern DR Congo have stressed that their troops operate in strict compliance with international humanitarian law and dismissed allegations that their forces are attacking hospitals and other forms of civilian infrastructure. ALSO READ: Former Belgian senator tours Goma, challenges Western version of events The rebels noted that the misinformation disseminated by some media outlets as well as “the erroneous interpretation relayed” by Vivian Van De Perre, the deputy special representative for protection and operations within the UN peacekeeping mission in DR Congo (MONUSCO), “are the result of deliberate manipulation aimed at tarnishing our movement’s image.” VIDEO: Bukavu residents relieved as M23 secures city, battles genocide ideology We hereby confirm, with the utmost firmness, that our organisation has never attacked hospitals, churches, schools, or any other civilian institution, neither in the past nor during the security stabilisation operations in liberated areas, reads part of a statement released, on March 5, by rebel spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka. “Under no circumstances have we attacked hospitals. On the contrary, our forces have secured these facilities to ensure access to medical care for those in urgent need.” https://x.com/LawrenceKanyuka/status/1897250180652786173 The rebels acknowledged conducting an operation in medical facilities but maintained that their objective was to neutralize rogue Congolese army (FARDC) combatants who infiltrated hospitals masquerading as patients. ALSO READ: M23 says will ‘not passively watch’ as DR Congo bombs, massacres Banyamulenge The operation conducted against 130 FARDC elements hiding in hospitals was carried out in a rigorously peaceful manner and in full compliance with international humanitarian law, the statement read. The rebel group said the Congolese army had endangered patients and medical staff by engaging in crimes such as rape and theft. According to the rebels, the operation was undertaken with the consent of the heads of the affected medical units after multiple reports of criminal activities by FARDC elements. The rebel movement reiterated its commitment to upholding the Geneva Conventions and additional protocols, which protect civilian infrastructures, including hospitals. ALSO READ: M23 are no terrorists, the Congolese army is – say Bukavu residents Kanyuka’s statement recalled the tragic events at Munzenze prison, in Goma, where women were reportedly raped and murdered, and cells set ablaze just two days before it seized the city on January 27. These acts, committed in an establishment under MONUSCO's supervision, cannot in any way be attributed to our organisation, the statement explained, emphasizing that such incidents were falsely linked to rebel activities to create misleading narratives of massacres and forced recruitment. The rebels accuse the Kinshasa regime of spreading propaganda to distract the Congolese people from their true aspirations for peace. The lies and propaganda disseminated by the Kinshasa regime must not distract the Congolese people, who aspire to peace through the constitutional revolution desired by the entire nation,” the statement adds. It also reaffirmed the rebels’ commitment to international humanitarian law and warned against any misrepresentation of its actions. Any interpretation suggesting that we have violated these rules is not only unfounded but also constitutes an intentional distortion of facts designed to damage our reputation, undermine the lives of millions who believe in our actions, and violate the dignity of the affected populations. The rebel group urged the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to reject what they described as erroneous and malicious claims. Be vigilant against fraudulent solicitations and fake news spread by the Kinshasa regime.” Following his tour of Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu, Alain Destexhe, a former Belgian senator, said that he found the city to be peaceful as inhabitants went about their businesses in normalcy. In a long post shared on X, Destexhe said that since the fall of Goma into the hands of the rebels, a new order has been instated allowing restoration of life activities, with significant improvements in most cases, far beyond the “chaos” before the capture of the city. https://x.com/Destexhe/status/1896891233995534824 The war between the Congolese government army coalition that includes FDLR, over 10,000 Burundian troops, 1,600 European mercenaries, and South Africa-led SADC forces, against M23 rebels started in 2021. M23 is now part of a larger rebel coalition, Alliance fleuve Congo (AFC), created in December 2023. Since January, the rebels advanced across North and South Kivu provinces, liberating swathes of territory, after repulsing a vast Congolese army coalition that included hundreds of European mercenaries, FDLR, Wazalendo, Burundian armed forces, South African-led SADC forces, as well as UN peacekeepers. Following heavy fighting triggered by constant violations of the Congolese army coalition, of an earlier set ceasefire, on January 27, the rebels captured Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province, and quickly moved to secure and stabilise the situation and restore order there. As the security situation in South Kivu deteriorated amid reports of violence, looting, and abuses propagated by the Congolese army coalition, the rebels moved again. They quickly captured the strategic airport of Kavumu, before moving south to capture the regional capital, Bukavu, on February 15. Before then, people were urging them to quickly move in, and secure the entire city. People in rebel-controlled areas in North and South Kivu provinces are relieved that the Congolese army coalition is not disturbing their peace. But violence in the Hauts-Plateaux of South Kivu, particularly Minembwe and surrounding areas, the homeland of the Banyamulenge, continues. Villages inhabited by unarmed Banyamulenge civilians are targeted and destroyed by the drones, Sukhoi fighter jets, and mortars of the DR Congo army coalition in South Kivu Province, Bertrand Bisimwa, the AFC/M23 rebellion’s deputy coordinator, said on March 4. He added: “The reason for these attacks is that these villages are heavily inhabited by Banyamulenge populations that the regime assimilates to Rwandans. “These massacres targeting unarmed civilians are unacceptable and condemnable. If the world has chosen to remain silent on the criminal underworld of the Kinshasa regime babysat by certain states, the AFC/M23 will not passively witness the massacres of innocent civilians, we will take our responsibilities.”
