UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Wednesday condemned the escalation in deadly attacks by the Rwandan-backed M23 and other armed groups against civilians in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo over the past month.
According to first-hand accounts received by the UN Human Rights Office, at least 319 civilians were killed by the M23, backed by members of the Rwanda Defence Force, between 9 and 21 July in four villages in the Rutshuru territory, in North Kivu Province – one of the largest documented death tolls in such attacks since the M23’s resurgence in 2022. Most of the victims, including at least 48 women and 19 children, were local farmers camping in their fields during the planting season.
“I am appalled by the attacks on civilians by the M23 and other armed groups in eastern DRC amid continued fighting, despite the ceasefire that was recently signed in Doha,” said Türk. “All attacks against civilians must stop immediately, and all those responsible must be held to account.”
Türk also condemned attacks against civilians by other armed actors. The UN Human Rights Office documented multiple such attacks in the North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri Provinces in July, including by the ‘Allied Democratic Forces’ (ADF) and ‘Coopérative pour le développement du Congo’ (CODECO) armed groups.
ADF members killed at least 40 Christian worshippers in an attack during Sunday prayers in Komanda village, Ituri Province, on 27 July – among them 13 children – and burnt down at least 27 shops and four homes, as well as three cars. The group had earlier killed six men, one woman and a boy, in an attack in Ituri’s Otmaber village on 12 July, during which it also set multiple homes on fire. On 9 July 2025, ADF fighters killed at least 70 civilians in Pikamaibo village, also in Ituri.
CODECO members killed three civilians and injured another on 21 July in Lopa village, in Ituri. And eight women were raped by members of the Raia Mutomboki/Wazalendo armed group in Busolo village, in South Kivu, on 27 July.
The High Commissioner renewed his call on all parties to the conflicts in eastern DRC to protect civilians from harm, and to uphold all their obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law. He also urged all parties to the recently signed declaration of principles to commit to the peace process in good faith and to act decisively to end the cycles of recurring violence.
The DRC Government and the M23 group signed a declaration of principles in Qatar on 19 July 2025, agreeing to a ceasefire and to further negotiations towards a comprehensive agreement. This was preceded by the signing of a peace agreement between the DRC and Rwanda in Washington D.C., on 27 June. Yet meaningful progress on the ground remains limited, leaving affected communities in a state of deep uncertainty.
“I urge the signatories and facilitators of both the Doha and Washington agreements to ensure that they rapidly translate into safety, security and real progress for civilians in the DRC, who continue to endure the devastating consequences of these conflicts,” said Türk.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations: Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
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