AFC/M23 Accuses HRW of Smearing Its Struggle and Shielding FARDC and FDLR
The Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC/M23) coalition has once again accused the international human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) of bias and of using its reports to serve the political interests of the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The group claims that HRW continues to tarnish its image and spread what it describes as unsubstantiated allegations aimed at discrediting it internationally.
These accusations came after HRW published a report on May 14, 2026, alleging that AFC/M23 fighters were involved in killings of civilians, rape, and abductions in the Uvira area between December 2025 and January 2026.
According to the report, the findings were based on testimonies collected from 120 individuals, including officials from both the DRC and Burundian governments, particularly members of the military and intelligence services, some of whom were interviewed by telephone.
In a statement released on May 15, 2026, AFC/M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka said the HRW report appeared to have been written from offices in Kinshasa, arguing that it merely repeated accusations that President Félix Tshisekedi’s administration has long used to discredit the coalition.
He stated: “AFC/M23 reminds Congolese citizens and the international community that this is not the first time Human Rights Watch has acted in this manner. There is substantial evidence showing that this organization has for years maintained close cooperation with the Tshisekedi administration.”
Kanyuka further argued that instead of defending truth and human rights impartially, HRW had chosen to engage in politically motivated narratives aligned with Kinshasa’s interests, aimed at turning the international community against AFC/M23 and accusing it without sufficient evidence.
AFC/M23 also claims that HRW continues to remain silent on serious allegations directed at the Congolese army (FARDC) and armed groups allied with it, including the FDLR, Wazalendo militias, and other factions accused for years of committing abuses against civilians in eastern DRC.
According to the coalition, many residents of North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri continue to provide testimonies describing how FARDC soldiers and their allies allegedly enter civilians’ homes to loot money, livestock, and valuable property, while in some cases assaulting or killing residents.
The group further alleges that there are areas where massacres, abductions, and violence against civilians committed by militias allied with the Congolese government have been reported, but AFC/M23 argues that HRW does not give such incidents the same attention it places on allegations against the movement.
The coalition says that the security measures it has implemented in territories under its control have allowed many civilians to regain confidence in conducting trade, farming, and travel activities safely after years of insecurity marked by looting and killings.
This is not the first time Human Rights Watch has accused M23 or AFC/M23 of human rights violations. Over the years, particularly since the M23 rebellion resumed fighting in 2021, HRW has released several reports accusing the movement of killings, abductions, and sexual violence against civilians.
On the other hand, M23 has consistently argued that many HRW reports rely heavily on information from Congolese state institutions or individuals linked to the Kinshasa government, and therefore fail to present what it considers a complete picture of the conflict.
AFC/M23 also continues to insist that the root cause of the conflict in eastern Congo lies in the DRC government’s failure to dismantle armed groups such as the FDLR, which is composed of individuals accused of participating in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, as well as their supporters.
The coalition claims that continued cooperation between FARDC and groups such as the FDLR and Wazalendo remains one of the major drivers of insecurity and ethnic tensions in the region.
AFC/M23 maintains that it is a coalition committed to protecting civilians and combating corruption, killings, and abuses affecting communities in eastern Congo.
The group further states that mechanisms aimed at protecting civilians and their property have been established in areas under its control, while accusing FARDC soldiers and allied militias of being responsible for many acts of looting, theft, and abuses against civilians.
In concluding its statement, AFC/M23 argued that bias and the dissemination of what it considers unreliable information by certain international organizations are causing both civilians and the international community to lose confidence in their reports, especially when such organizations remain silent on abuses allegedly committed by parties supported by the Kinshasa government.
The coalition said it would continue calling on the international community and global organizations to conduct impartial investigations into the crisis in eastern DRC rather than relying on what it describes as politically motivated narratives and propaganda promoted by the Congolese government.
