DRC Minister Reveals More Than 270 Villagers Killed In Massacre By Rebels

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Industry Minister Julien Paluku on Monday said about 300 people died in an attack on villagers blamed on the M23 rebel group in eastern part of the country last week, reported The Guardian.

During a press briefing on Monday, Paluku and government spokesman Patrick Muyaya laid out the new figures, citing data collated by civil society and an organisation grouping all the communities in the region.

“I cannot give details of the attack. An investigation has been opened by the attorney general and we are awaiting the results of the investigators,” said Muyaya. “What we do know is that children were killed in an Adventist church and a hospital.”

The DRC government had blamed the massacre on the M23 rebel group, which denied responsibility, calling the allegations that it targeted civilians baseless.

Muyaya added it was difficult to break down the data in full given the area was under M23 control.

Last week, the United Nations (UN) said it had received reports of a high number of civilian casualties that occurred during clashes between the M23 and local militias in Kishishe on November 29.

The UN’s peacekeeping mission in the DRC denounced reports of the atrocities saying they could amount to crimes under international humanitarian law if confirmed.

The DRC army and the M23 have been locked in fighting for months in the country’s eastern region, and the alleged attack will likely shatter a fragile ceasefire agreement in the region reached last month.

The UN has previously warned that the fighting has already displaced tens of thousands of people amid deteriorating humanitarian conditions.

In related news, South Sudan’s military on Monday said over 700 personnel will travel to eastern DRC to join a new regional force in trying to calm the latest deadly clashes there.