Human Rights Watch (HRW) has published a detailed report accusing M23 rebels and Rwandan forces of committing widespread atrocities during a month-long occupation of Uvira, a city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo that sits on the shores of Lake Tanganyika and serves as a key gateway to neighbouring Burundi. The report, based on more than 120 interviews conducted in March and April, documents at least 53 summary executions, eight cases of rape, and 12 enforced disappearances between December 10, 2025, and January 17, 2026, when M23 forces controlled the city.

Witnesses described door-to-door raids in which fighters targeted men and boys suspected of links to the Wazalendo, a pro-government militia. "They shot my neighbour first in the head," one of 130 residents interviewed told HRW. Another described losing four family members in a single incident: "I saw my brother, his wife, and two of his children fall." Children were also reportedly among the victims — one 12-year-old boy survived after being shot and then stabbed with a bayonet by fighters checking whether he was dead. Survivors of sexual violence had almost no access to medical care during the occupation, including treatment to prevent HIV infection.

Rwanda has consistently denied supporting the M23 or deploying its own soldiers to eastern DR Congo, a mineral-rich region that has suffered decades of conflict involving dozens of armed groups. However, UN experts have previously stated that Rwanda held "de facto control" of M23's operations and that recruits were trained under Rwandan supervision using advanced Rwandan weaponry. Several witnesses interviewed by HRW specifically identified uniformed Rwandan soldiers as perpetrators. HRW says it wrote to both the Rwandan government and M23 leader Bertrand Bisimwa in April seeking a response to the allegations; neither replied. The M23 and Rwandan government had also not responded to media requests for comment at the time of reporting.

M23 ultimately withdrew from Uvira in January following intense diplomatic pressure, including a peace deal brokered by US President Donald Trump between Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame. In March, the United States imposed sanctions on the Rwandan army and several of its commanders over their alleged role in the city's capture. HRW is now calling for independent investigations, prosecutions, and stronger international support for UN-led accountability efforts.

The report is described as the first systematic study of what took place in Uvira during the occupation, and comes amid a broader humanitarian emergency. In South Kivu — the province where Uvira is located — nearly two million people have been displaced by persistent violence. "Victims and their families in Uvira seek justice and an end to the impunity that drives these crimes," said Philippe Bolopion, HRW's executive director. "Congo's supporters need to step up to support these efforts." HRW has characterised the documented abuses, which also include abductions and forced recruitment, as war crimes.