July 1, 2026

The African Tribune

Bold, independent reporting on Africa's most important stories, in English, every day.

Un report reveals afc/m23 as leading perpetrator of human rights abuses in eastern drc

A United Nations Group of Experts has unequivocally identified the AFC/M23 as the primary non-state armed group responsible for the vast majority of violations against international humanitarian law in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. This damning assessment comes from their final report, made public on June 11, 2026.

The catalog of atrocities attributed to the AFC/M23 is overwhelming. It includes systematic executions, the wholesale destruction of villages, and the torching of vital livelihoods across the Bwito and Bwisha chiefdoms in Rutshuru. Furthermore, the report details a critical humanitarian blockade imposed on Minembwe, effectively cutting off the Banyamulenge population from essential goods and services.

Alarmingly, conflict-related sexual violence, with the AFC/M23 cited as the chief perpetrator by the UN, has escalated to