AFC/M23 movement deputy coordinator, Bertrand Bisimwa has condemned what he describes as the “indifference” of peace mediators amid large-scale attacks on civilians in Minembwe and other areas of South Kivu province. ALSO READ: DR Congo crisis: Ceasefires 'will be in vain' if Kinshasa continues attacks Bisimwa's remarks come after the movement's spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka issued a statement on Thursday, February 19, reporting “daily, systematic, and unpunished massacres” of civilians in Minembwe, Mikenge, Karingi and across the Hauts Plateaux. Bisimwa linked the reported violence to what he considers a failure by guarantors of the peace process to enforce commitments on the ground. “The horrific massacres carried out by the Kinshasa regime’s coalition in the highlands of Minembwe are of indescribable scale and gravity,” Bisimwa wrote in a Thursday post on X. “The indifference of the guarantors of the peace process reflects hypocrisy and complacency. The unacceptable has quickly come to pass.” In the statement posted on X, Kanyuka said the AFC/M23 was alarmed by “the persistent, deliberate, and sustained silence of the international community” in the face of atrocities committed by coalition forces aligned with Kinshasa, including FARDC, Rwandan genocidal militia FDLR, foreign mercenaries, and Wazalendo militias. “These shocking acts of extreme brutality, currently inflicted upon innocent and defenceless civilian populations... shatter and extinguish the hopes and legitimate aspirations of the Congolese people for a peaceful and lasting resolution to the crisis,” Kanyuka said. He alleged that the crimes were planned by the Kinshasa regime, “primarily targeting women, children, and the elderly,” adding they constitute a violation of the International Humanitarian Law. “This silence, inaction, and complacency in the face of such grave crimes reflect a heavy moral and political responsibility, for which history will inevitably demand accountability,” Kanyuka said. ALSO READ: Nangaa rejects Tshisekedi's attempt at peace talks in Luanda AFC/M23 has also maintained that Tshisekedi sought to fragment peace efforts as he pursues a military solution. The rebels said the talks in Luanda and proposed ceasefire, which came at Tshisekedi's request could divert attention from his failure to implement commitments made during the Doha peace talks, which began launched in April 2025. Under the Doha track, the parties signed a mandate establishing a structured mechanism to implement and monitor a formal ceasefire. On February 2, they agreed on modalities to be overseen by the UN peacekeeping mission in DR Congo (MONUSCO), in coordination with the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) through its Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism. ALSO READ: MONUSCO boss arrives in Goma to advance ceasefire monitoring Kanyuka said the latest attacks constitute “flagrant and tragic violations of the ceasefire, deliberately and cynically trampling upon the commitments undertaken under the Doha and Washington agreements.”
