“In the first half of 2024 alone, more than 150 attacks with explosive weapons were carried out, resulting in the death of at least 100 civilians and the injury of some 200 others. We call on both parties to immediately cease attacks on civilians and to stop using explosive weapons with a wide impact area in populated areas,” the report stated.
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A FARDC fighter preparing to fire RPG
A report by Amnesty International has revealed that more than 100 people have been killed and over 200 injured by explosives in North Kivu province, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), over the past seven months.
North Kivu has been plagued by the March 23 Movement (M23) insurgency, which began in March 2022 under the leadership of Bertrand Bisimwa and Emmanuel Sultan Makenga. The rebels claim to be fighting against corruption, xenophobia, and discrimination in the DRC's leadership. However, the DRC government has repeatedly accused Rwanda of supporting M23, allegations that both Rwanda and the rebel group deny.
According to the report released on Monday, fighters have used imprecise explosive weapons with a wide impact radius, such as rockets, mortars, bombs dropped from planes or drones, and missiles, in densely populated areas more than 150 times. These attacks, primarily occurring in the first half of 2024, have caused widespread devastation.
Jean-Mobert Nsenga, a researcher at Amnesty International, highlighted the indiscriminate nature of these weapons, stating that they are not designed to target specific military objectives, making their use in civilian areas a violation of international humanitarian law.
“In the first half of 2024 alone, more than 150 attacks with explosive weapons were carried out, resulting in the death of at least 100 civilians and the injury of some 200 others. We call on both parties to immediately cease attacks on civilians and to stop using explosive weapons with a wide impact area in populated areas,” the report stated.
The report comes amidst intensifying fighting in Masisi territory. On Sunday, about 20 shells struck civilian targets in Masisi center and Sake town, approximately 30 kilometers from Goma. One person was killed, and an unspecified number of civilians were injured, according to local sources.
Neither the M23 rebels nor the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) have responded to the report's findings. Amnesty International has called on all warring parties to end attacks on civilians and adhere to international humanitarian law.
