Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported on Thursday that the armed group M23 committed human rights abuses against civilians in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) during its month-long occupation of the city of Uvira starting in December 2025, calling for a criminal investigation into these acts to ensure that all those responsible are held accountable.
The report documents human rights abuses committed between December 10, 2025, days after the signing of a US-brokered peace agreement, and the M23 withdrawal on January 17, 2026. It finds that M23 members, backed by Rwandan forces, perpetrated multiple grave rights violations, including killings of civilians, summary executions, rape, and enforced disappearances. Survivors further stated that they had almost no access to health care services during M23’s occupation of Uvira, the second largest city in South Kivu province, worsening the impact of diseases spread among victims of sexual violence.
HRW called on the Congolese government to collaborate with international bodies, particularly the Independent Commission of Inquiry on the Human Rights Situation in the South and North Kivu Provinces, to conduct transparent investigations into these violations, and to prosecute all responsible parties. Additionally, the rights group emphasized that the government should take the necessary measures to facilitate investigations by independent human rights monitors, including measures to protect witnesses and preserve evidence. Lastly, it urged the international community to impose sanctions on M23 and Rwandan commanders implicated in these abuses, as well as to review their security assistance and cooperation with Rwanda to ensure that such support does not contribute to the conflict in the DRC.
The UN has previously reported human rights abuses that amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by warring parties in the DRC, including the Rwanda-backed M23, especially targeting civilians and human rights defenders. These crimes included targeted killings, executions, abductions, torture, the forced displacement of thousands of Congolese citizens, and the destruction of health care facilities. Despite the signing of a peace agreement between the DRC and Rwanda in 2025, and announcement of a subsequent commitment to implement serious steps to promote peace and security in March 2026, the interim head of the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC expressed concerns about the security and political situation in the country, amid continued violence between armed groups and a worsening humanitarian crisis.
