DR Congo: UN Accuses M23 of Executing Armed Minors in Bukavu

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2 days ago

Above: Weapons and military attire lie abandoned and burned on the ground in Goma on Jan. 28, 2025. Image copyright: Contributor/AFP via Getty Imagesstory last updated 2 days ago

The Facts

The UN human rights office said Tuesday that the Congolese anti-government March 23 Movement (M23) militia summarily executed three boys aged 15 or under after they refused to put down guns picked from an abandoned army camp in Bukavu, prompting an alliance to which M23 belongs to blame other armed minors.
This comes as the M23 — with alleged support from Rwanda troops — seized the provincial capital of South Kivu and second-largest city in mineral-rich eastern Congo over the weekend, further expanding their control after capturing Goma, the most important city in the region.
According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), 26 bodies had been collected in Bukavu as of Monday and at least 179 people are hospitalized in the city, including 39 with gunshot wounds. Radio Okapi reported that at least 10K people fled the province to Burundi.

The Spin

Establishment-critical narrative

There's a new major war in the making in the DRC, and the West is ultimately to blame for it due to its complacency toward its ally, Rwanda. It's unacceptable that evidence of Rwandan support for ethnic Tutsi insurgencies has been played down for so long. Now, time is running short to prevent even worse consequences.

Guardian

Pro-establishment narrative

It's undeniable that the international community must help find a political solution for this armed conflict before it's too late. That said, it's misguided and overly simplistic to point fingers at the West when deep-rooted regional tensions and the weakness of the Congolese Army are actually to blame.

AllAfrica.com