A new United Nations report accuses the Alliance Fleuve Congo and the March 23 Movement (AFC/M23) of systematically targeting civilian populations in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo during operations against the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). The document details a series of abuses in contested areas of North and South Kivu, undermining the rebel coalition’s claim that its military presence is solely aimed at fighting Rwandan Hutu combatants who have been on Congolese soil since the 1994 genocide.
Documented pattern of civilian targeting in the Kivus
UN investigators describe a recurring operational pattern. Rather than limiting themselves to direct clashes with the FDLR, AFC/M23 offensives have involved reprisals against villages suspected of sheltering or supporting the Rwandan armed group. Summary executions, forced displacement, and destruction of homes are among the violations recorded. These actions form part of a territorial occupation strategy that has drastically altered the security landscape in eastern Congo since hostilities resumed in 2022.
The report highlights the difficulty of distinguishing combatants from Congolese Hutu populations who are sometimes wrongly associated with the FDLR. This confusion fuels a cycle of communal violence that humanitarian actors are struggling to contain. UN agencies in Goma and Bukavu report a continuous influx of displaced people, even as humanitarian access remains hampered by fighting and restrictions imposed by the warring parties.
Kinshasa’s disarmament process under scrutiny
In response, Congolese authorities are defending a voluntary disarmament process for the FDLR, presented as the fundamental solution to the presence of the Rwandan armed group on their territory. Kinshasa argues that some fighters have already been cantoned and that repatriation mechanisms are being studied in coordination with the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and several regional partners.
This approach is fiercely contested by Kigali, which views the FDLR as an existential threat and accuses the Congolese government of de facto collusion with the group. Rwanda uses this argument to justify its support for AFC/M23 operations, which has been documented by previous UN expert reports. The latest report does not fundamentally change this equation, but it shifts the debate toward the human cost borne by Congolese civilians.
A regional impact beyond the Kivus
The UN findings come at a pivotal moment for regional diplomacy. The Luanda process, led by Angola, and the Nairobi process, sponsored by the East African Community, seek to link ceasefire, withdrawal of foreign forces, and neutralization of armed groups. The accusations against AFC/M23 complicate any prospect of political integration of the movement, a scenario nonetheless mentioned in some mediation tracks.
For the DRC’s economic partners, particularly in strategic mineral supply chains for coltan, cobalt, and tin, the persistent insecurity in the Kivus poses a major challenge. Traceability mechanisms promoted by the European Union and major technology companies clash with the reality of a war economy where supply routes remain controlled by armed groups. The detailed documentation of abuses by the UN could increase pressure on international buyers and neighboring states involved in cross-border flows.
The question of judicial follow-up remains. Previous expert panel reports have rarely led to prosecutions, despite regular referrals to the International Criminal Court regarding the Congolese situation. Human rights organizations are calling for the evidence gathered to feed concrete proceedings, both in Kinshasa and The Hague. The UN document is expected to be examined in the coming weeks by the relevant Security Council bodies.
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