The AFC/M23 movement has denounced what it called unverified and politically motivated allegations by United Nations human rights agencies accusing its members of killing hundreds of civilians in Rutshuru territory, North Kivu province. ALSO READ: AFC/M23 leader says Kinshasa attacks threaten Doha peace process Rebel spokesperson, Lawrence Kanyuka, dismissed a joint report by the UN Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO) and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), which alleged that member of the AFC/M23 were responsible for the killing of 319 civilians and an additional 169 others across four villages in Rutshuru between July 9 and 21. A statement issued on Thursday, August 7, Kanyuka described the allegations as “a blatant misrepresentation of facts, a violation of impartiality, and a serious breach of UN institutional credibility.” On August 6, UN human rights chief Volker Turk said most of the victims were farmers who had set up camp in their fields during the planting season. He condemned the killings and blamed M23 along with other local armed groups. ALSO READ: Rwanda completes rehabilitation of damages caused by DR Congo shelling While the UN claims the report is based on first-hand accounts, the AFC/M23 insists that the allegations are unverified and politically driven. The rebels said they “categorically reject the unfounded allegations,” arguing that the UN claims lack factual backing, are methodologically flawed, and reflect unjustifiable bias. “The areas cited in the report, Kanyakiri, Kigaligali, Dubai, Katanga, Lubumbashi, Kasave, Kakoro, and Busesa are within Virunga National Park, a protected zone where agricultural activity is strictly prohibited,” the statement read. “How could farmers have been massacred in nonexistent farmlands? This glaring inconsistency proves that the UNJHRO relayed unverified information, violating its investigative standards,” Kanyuka said. The movement accused UNJHRO’s Kinshasa-based office of relying heavily on “regime-aligned sources” and publishing the report without independent verification. ALSO READ: Rwanda-DR Congo joint security mechanism meets for first time M23 further claimed that the report ignored alleged atrocities committed against the Banyamulenge in South Kivu and the Hema community in Ituri by the Congolese government and its allies. The group also condemned drone attacks by Kinshasa, calling them direct violations of the international humanitarian law. The rebels criticised the UN report’s use of conditional language such as “allegedly” and “reportedly,” asserting that it was based on uncorroborated testimonies. They also accused the UNJHRO of fueling disinformation that was “uncritically” echoed by the press, further advancing what they termed a “malicious defamation campaign.” According to M23, the UN report’s sources include Wazalendo, the FDLR, a Rwandan genocidal group and RUD-URUNANA, among other militias which are “unreliable.” The group called it “shameful” for a UN body to rely on such sources. “How can organisations with no presence in the liberated areas (territory under rebel control) provide credible information? We call for an independent investigation and invite the organisations that issued the report to take part in it,” Kanyuka said. They called for the immediate retraction of the report and a public apology. They also demanded an end to UN institutional bias, ensuring impartial scrutiny of all violations, including those committed by the Kinshasa regime.
