Amnesty International Accuses M23 Rebels of War Crimes in DR Congo Mines, Calls for US and EU Action
Amnesty International has released a report detailing severe human rights abuses by the M23 rebel group in the eastern provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The report, titled 'We Did Not Come to Play: M23 Abuses in Artisanal Mines and Trafficking of Gold and Coltan to Rwanda,' alleges that M23 fighters have committed war crimes, including the summary execution of 18 artisanal miners. The investigation, based on eyewitness interviews and victim testimonies, documents physical abuse, forced labor, arbitrary detention in underground cells, torture, corporal punishment, and ransom demands. These abuses occurred primarily at coltan mines near Rubaya and a gold mine in Lomera. Amnesty International also found evidence of gold and coltan being trafficked from M23-controlled areas into neighboring Rwanda through smuggling routes. The M23 rebels, who are reportedly backed by Rwanda, control numerous artisanal mines in these mineral-rich regions, where tens of thousands o...
