M23 Rebels Kill 140+ Civilians in DR Congo’s Rutshuru

At least 140 civilians were killed in July by Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), HRW reported on August 20, 2025. The group warned the real death toll may exceed 300, aligning with UN findings.

Despite ongoing peace efforts—including a U.S.-brokered deal on June 27 and Qatar-hosted talks—the massacres unfolded across 14 villages in Rutshuru territory, near Virunga National Park.

Survivor and Witness Testimonies Reveal Horror

Survivors offered harrowing accounts. One woman said she and about 70 women and children were marched to a riverbank, then shot—she escaped only by falling into the water.

Another witness described finding a man and his four teenage children brutally slain in a field. “We found him in his field with his head cut off,” he recalled, adding they were “all killed with machetes.”

A third survivor recounted crossing open land with others through the day toward the meeting of two rivers. “If a child cried, they threatened to kill them,” she said, describing how they were told to sit by the water’s edge—only to be shot. She survived because she slipped into the river before the firing began.

What’s Behind the Violence?

These attacks appear to be part of a targeted military campaign against the FDLR, a Rwandan Hutu militia. Most victims were ethnic Hutu, with some Nande. Satellite imagery and witness evidence show M23 blocked escape routes and executed civilians in fields and near rivers.

The UN estimates around 319 civilians were killed in Rutshuru between July 9 and 21—one of the highest death tolls since M23’s resurgence in 2022. Many victims were farmers camping in their fields during planting season.

Despite denunciations and peace accords, violence continues unchecked. HRW and UN calls for accountability have so far gone unheeded.