The M23 movement has killed 29 civilians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Human Rights Watch said in a report released yesterday that at least 29 civilians have been extrajudicially killed by M23 rebels in areas controlled by the movement in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo since mid-June. M23 is a former Tutsi-dominated rebel movement that was defeated by the army in 2013. It restored peace late last year by accusing Kinshasa of failing to comply with an agreement to demobilize and reintegrate its fighters. The Democratic Republic of the Congo accuses Rwanda of supporting the rebels, which the latter denies. The report states that “M23 rebels illegally killed at least 17 civilians on June 21, including two young men accused of informing the Congolese army of their whereabouts and hideouts” on June 21 in Rufumo. On July 1, four eyewitnesses reported that the rebels dragged them to a house in the village of Ruski under the pretext of “protection from shelling.” “One of the gunmen started shooting at us shortly after,” said one of the survivors. Human Rights Watch has confirmed that the M23 movement killed at least nine civilians in this house.