By Staff Reporter
KINSHASA, April 11 — Michel was among the survivors who witnessed the worst-documented slaughter carried out by the M23 rebels in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Michel had hidden in the church’s outdoor restroom, hoping the rebels wouldn’t discover him. However, the rebels went on a door-to-door search, killing any men or boys they found. Approximately 170 people were killed in the assault on Kishishe on November 29, according to the UN. Since the M23 left the town, the scars from the occupation are still visible, and the citizens, who are on their own, are plagued by uncertainty. The town has yet to be secured by the Congolese army, UN troops, or soldiers from a combined East African military force stationed nearby.
The Tutsi-led M23 militia, which is supposedly supported by neighbouring Rwanda, has seized large portions of the North Kivu region in eastern Congo and has come dangerously close to the city of Goma. Over 900,000 individuals have fled its approach, according to the International Organization for Migration. The M23 has taken control of most of the highways leading to Goma and has secured key footholds throughout North Kivu, including lucrative border checkpoints. The town had long been a stronghold of the FDLR militia, a branch of the Rwandan Hutu extremist organizations responsible for the 1994 Tutsi massacre, making its seizure of Kishishe particularly significant.
Michel shared his account of the brutal assault with AFP, revealing how dozens of people attempted to seek sanctuary in the church, but to no effect. The 40-year-old farmer reported that “they started killing everywhere.” The M23 militants made him dig graves, and he claims to have seen 33 murders. While some figures are lower, the UN reported 171 fatalities in February. However, a local elder revealed that 120 people had passed away between November 22 and November 29. He had a handwritten list of names on three pages in his pocket. “They killed them even if they didn’t have a weapon if they found a 14-year-old boy or a man,” he claimed.
The precise number of fatalities in Kishishe is unknown, but the survivors who spoke with AFP have shared the horrific details of the M23’s attack. The rebels have been accused of human rights violations and war crimes, with the United States, numerous other Western nations, and unbiased UN specialists all concluding that Rwanda is supporting the rebels. The citizens of Kishishe are still plagued by uncertainty and are waiting for the Congolese army, UN troops, or soldiers from a combined East African military force to secure their town. – Namibia Daily News
