Walikale, DR Congo — The M23 rebel group, operating under the banner of Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC/M23), has pledged to “neutralize any threat at its source” following what it describes as escalating attacks and systematic human rights violations in areas it had previously vacated to facilitate peace efforts.
In a statement issued Thursday, April 10, via social media platform X, the rebels expressed deep concern over what they allege to be continued breaches of a unilateral ceasefire declared on February 22. The ceasefire, they say, was intended to support dialogue and address the underlying causes of conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The group accused the Congolese government forces—alongside allied militias including the FDLR, Mai-Mai/Wazalendo, and Burundi’s National Defense Forces—of occupying and looting the strategic town of Walikale after the rebels withdrew from it on March 19 as a gesture of goodwill.
“The coalition forces of the Kinshasa regime… have occupied and looted the town of Walikale after we repositioned our forces,” the statement alleged.
Beyond Walikale, the rebel movement also condemned what it termed as “coordinated attacks” targeting Banyamulenge civilians in Minembwe, South Kivu Province. The group claims that assaults launched on April 8 from areas such as “Point Zero” and “Bilalombili” posed direct threats to the Banyamulenge community in Mikenke.
This is not the first time the rebels have accused government forces of targeting civilians. In February, M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka alleged that the Congolese military had been conducting drone-assisted strikes on civilian populations in Minembwe, Uvira, and surrounding regions, with intelligence reportedly supplied by UN peacekeepers (MONUSCO).
Additional reports from Congolese lawyer Moise Nyarugabo cited persistent attacks throughout March on villages inhabited by unarmed Banyamulenge civilians.
In its latest communication, the rebel group reported renewed hostilities between April 8 and 10 in multiple regions, including Walikale, Masisi, Walungu, and rebel-controlled territories. The group described the assaults—allegedly launched from Rugezi—as bearing “genocidal character,” particularly those targeting Kivumu and Gahwera, which reportedly resulted in the destruction and looting of civilian property.
Despite mounting tensions, AFC/M23 reaffirmed its commitment to a peaceful resolution of the conflict, reiterating its responsibility to defend and protect civilians in eastern DRC.
