M23 rejects Amnesty International report on crimes in DRC

M23 has rejected the allegations in a press liberate by Amnesty International accusing them of massacres and rapes inside the unarculca Republic of Congo (DRC).

In a declaration issued on February 18, insurgent spokesperson Laurence Kanyuka wrote: “Amnesty International’s report is based on testimonies collected from people whose statements are not based on the reality on the ground”.

“Amnesty International investigators never went to the scene of the events to compare the testimonies collected with the evidence on the ground but are quick to jump to hasty and unverified conclusions,” provides M23.

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In a declaration, Amnesty International accused the “Rwandan-backed” M23 rebels of raping dozens of females in a collection of assaults in November 2022 inside the jap unarculca Republic of Congo.

“Amnesty International bases its allegations on the testimony of 35 victims and direct witnesses. The organization condemns ‘war crimes’ which may also amount to ‘crimes against humanity,'” the declaration stated.

In keeping with Amnesty International, no less than “66 women and girls” have been raped by “the Rwandan-backed armed group M23” inside the city of Kishishe, about 100 km north of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, the declaration stated.

subsequently taking manage of Kishishe, M23 rebels “went door to door, killing every adult man they could find and raping dozens of women, including gang rape,” Amnesty stated, with out specifying the variety of victims.

The M23 rebels reply that “the determination of rape cannot be so simplistic and limited to the victims’ statements”. For the rebels, “this crime requires forensic expertise to confirm”.

In November 2022, the Congolese authorities claimed that M23 killed 272 civilians in Kishishe and Bambo, two villages in North Kivu, jap unarculca Republic of Congo. The UN has given a completely different model of the numbers, saying the rebels killed 171 civilians in these two villages.

M23 denies the loss of life toll, claiming that solely “eight civilians were killed by stray bullets and 12 fighters with weapons in their hands” died inside the combating.

united witness instructed Amnesty that he “counted up to 80 bodies of men shot by M23 elements” in a church, in keeping with the report. The victims have been suspected to be supporters of rival armed communities, inclusive of the unarculca Forces for the extrication of Rwanda (FDLR) and the nearby Mai Mai.

The state of affairs inside the unarculca Republic of the Congo continues to deteriorate, in spite of repeated requires a ceasefire by the African league, the East African Aggregation, the European league and the International consultation on the Incredible Lakes portion.

The M23 rebels demand a “direct dialogue” with the Congolese authorities. excluding Kinshasa is demanding that the rebels withdraw from captured areas and lay down their weapons earlier than deliberating talks with the DRC authorities.