DRC: convictions multiply after a massacre of civilians in North Kivu
A massacre of at least fifty civilians is said to have taken place in Kishishe in North Kivu (Illustration image).
ALEXIS HUGUET / AFP
Text by: RFI Follow
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The Congolese army reported and denounced Thursday, December 1 a massacre of fifty civilians in Kishishe, a town under M23 control located about a hundred kilometers from Goma.
Other local sources refer to a heavier toll.
The facts would have taken place on Tuesday, November 29 and the M23 fighters are suspected.
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With our correspondent in Kinshasa,
Patient Ligodi
Human Rights Watch was among the first organizations to alert.
Without giving figures, she reported credible reports of killings of civilians in Kishishe.
Describing an extremely volatile situation, she asked Monusco to deploy in the area and to make "
the protection of civilians a priority against new retaliatory attacks
".
For its part, Monusco did not put forward a precise assessment either, but evokes “
a large number of civilian victims
”.
She condemns these acts.
It also calls on all competent authorities to investigate the facts without delay and bring the perpetrators to justice.
The UN Joint Human Rights Office has been seized of the matter and stands, the mission said, ready to assist in these efforts.
A possible "
war crime
" for the representative of the EU
Condemnations also came from Western countries.
These actions could amount to war crimes, say for example the local representation of the European Union (EU) as well as the United States embassy.
For his part, Andrew Mitchell, British Minister of State for Development, called for a cessation of hostilities, a rapid investigation and sanctions against the perpetrators.
For his part, Nobel Peace Prize winner Denis Mukwege says he is horrified by these reports of, and I quote, mass murder, missing persons and forced recruitment of children.
He called for sanctions against what he calls “
the occupying forces
”.
►Also read: Resumption of fighting between the Congolese army and the M23 after five days of ceasefire
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