AFC-M23 rebel movement coordinator Bertrand Bisimwaz speaking this Friday at Serena Hotel, Goma
Goma, DR Congo – The M23 rebel movement has pushed back strongly against international accusations of massacres in eastern Congo, insisting instead that it is the government in Kinshasa, not the rebels, that should be investigated for human rights violations and large-scale corruption.
Speaking at a press conference in Goma, AFC-M23 coordinator Bertrand Bisimwa dismissed recent reports accusing the rebels of targeted killings of Hutu civilians as “grand manipulation.”
He argued that while people are being killed daily in Ituri and other regions, the UN Security Council was being convened to debate “fabrications.”
The Council is meeting Friday afternoon in New York to review allegations of atrocities blamed on the group.
Bisimwa said the Congolese government, led by President Félix Tshisekedi, is guilty of “economic crimes and pillaging” the country’s wealth, alleging that the president and his family have siphoned off “billions” of dollars.
“DR Congo is the only country in the world where people steal $100 million and nothing happens to them. Instead, it is Swahilophones who are filling the prisons,” he added, flanked by top leaders from the group.
The rebels accused Kinshasa of recruiting children and indoctrinating them with hate speech before sending them to kill Tutsi civilians.
At the press conference, M23 officials displayed images they said proved the government’s complicity in using child soldiers.
In an attempt to show commitment to accountability, AFC-M23 announced it had established a 13-member commission mandated to investigate and punish any human rights violations in areas under its control in North and South Kivu.
The commission, they said, would issue regular reports on its actions.
Bisimwa also touched on the ongoing Qatar-hosted talks in Doha, clarifying that the dialogue with Kinshasa was strictly about securing a ceasefire and the release of what he described as 700 political prisoners.
“Full stop—nothing else. It is only after these are implemented that other issues will be addressed,” he stressed.
Responding to Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International reports accusing M23 of killing more than 300 civilians in Rucuru, Bisimwa rejected the claims as unfounded.
“Hutus are the majority ethnic group in AFC-M23. How can it be possible that they are being used to kill fellow Hutus as alleged? These reports are based on no evidence,” he said, calling for an independent investigation.
The rebel group also released a detailed report accusing the Congolese army (FARDC) of working hand-in-hand with the ADF and CODECO armed groups to commit atrocities in Ituri Province.
The report cited a shocking case from February 19, 2024, when 16 Hema people were buried alive in Ituri.
According to M23, these killings were conducted under the orders of Ituri governor Lt. Gen. Luboya N’Kashama Johnny, whom they accused of collaborating closely with President Tshisekedi to monopolize the region’s mineral wealth.
Once celebrated as a breadbasket rich in farming, livestock and mineral resources, Ituri has become synonymous with bloodshed. Local militias such as CODECO, allegedly armed and supported by the Kinshasa government, have repeatedly targeted Hema communities, particularly women and children.
M23 declared that these attacks amount to acts of genocide, carried out with the complicity of the Congolese state.
As the UN Security Council meets to discuss alleged rebel atrocities, M23 insists that the real crimes are being committed by those in power in Kinshasa.
The group has demanded that international investigators turn their focus to President Tshisekedi’s government, which they accuse of both mass killings and systemic looting of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Bisimwa said while Kinshasa Government was preaching hate, AFC-M23 wants a unified Congo, a message which is resonating across the country.
“Very soon you will see a big surprise,” he said, “There are thousands upon thousands of FARDC troops who have come to join us. They will soon be passed out at Rumangabo. We will invite you the media to see and tell the world.”
