Regional

DRC: HRW’s obsession with M23 stirs conflict more

2023-06-23 05:20:00

Close to three decades, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been subject to insecurity and violence stemming from a complex mix of local and foreign armed groups. These terror groups have led to the death and displacement of millions of Congolese.

Amid all the chaos created by the more than 130 armed groups, Human Rights Watch (HRW) chooses to single out one rebel group, M23, and publish made up reports about atrocities the rebels allegedly committed.

Titled “DR Congo: Mass Graves Tied to Rwanda-Backed M23”, the report published on June 14, alleges that the M23 rebel group appears to be responsible for mass graves containing scores of bodies found in the village of Kishishe, North Kivu, believed to belong to villagers and captured militia members that M23 fighters executed between November 2022 and April 2023.

On top of these allegations, HRW found a way to continue its unrelenting attacks on Rwanda's leadership with allegations that the country is supporting the rebel group; but that is unsurprising considering HRW's sinister agenda.

But perhaps the most appalling element of the ‘report’ is HRW urging Congolese authorities, with the assistance of international partners, to ‘ensure a prompt and impartial investigation’ into killings and other crimes perpetrated in Kishishe since November 2022.

This statement only leaves more questions. Why is HRW only focusing on the M23 rebels, despite other armed groups operating in eastern DRC, committing more recent atrocities and killings? Why has HRW not requested for investigations to be made?

Since the mid 1990s the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) has been operating in eastern DRC. Formed in 1995 by a coalition of rebel forces – including the Uganda Muslim Liberation Army and the National Army for the Liberation of Uganda – to fight against the Ugandan government, ADF has since pledged allegiance to ISIL and wages frequent deadly raids on villages in DRC and Uganda.

They are accused of massacring thousands of civilians. In March 2023, UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, put at 485 the number of civilians killed between December 1 and March 14, by the terrorist group. In the same month, Congolese authorities confirmed that the ADF was responsible for the death of 44 people, including women, children and the elderly.

Despite all these atrocities committed by these terrorists, HRW has chosen to ignore them and instead focuses on a rebel group that is fighting for its community’s rights. They also decided to spare their judgment on the genocidal FDLR.

Formed by individuals responsible for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, FDLR is responsible for thousands of deaths in DRC. It also killed Italian Ambassador to DRC Luca Attanasio.

On top of that, HRW is aware of their collaboration with the Congolese army, FARDC, where Congolese army officers provide it with direct support, but the American organization prefers to forget all these facts.

When it comes to local armed groups in DRC, HRW turns a blind eye on the violence they perpetuate. For instance, the Cooperative for the Development of the Congo (CODECO) is one of the armed groups operating in the restive mineral-rich region.

In February, and April 2023, CODECO fighters killed at least 32 and 40 civilians, respectively. The militants reportedly carried out these assaults in at least three villages in Djugu Territory, located north of Bunia.

However HRW has never asked Kinshasa or the international community to ensure that those who are responsible be ‘fairly prosecuted’, or that investigations of their crimes be conducted, preserved, and made public.

As the crisis in eastern DRC rages, there is an escalation of hate speech and incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence nationwide – and specifically against Kinyarwanda speakers. On two different occasions the UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Alice Wairimu Nderitu, issued statements warning about these escalations.

The abuses in eastern DRC, including the targeting of civilians based on their ethnicity or perceived affiliation to the warring parties must be halted, the Special Adviser said.

But in all of HRW’s lengthy statements, they fail to condemn this hate speech, and constantly fail to address the obvious Genocide against the Congolese Tutsi.

Reports by HRW only aim to slow down efforts to find a lasting solution to the DRC crisis.