Democratic Republic of Congo

Congo Accuses Rwanda of Killing Over 1,500 in M23 Offensive

Is Rwanda worsening an already dire humanitarian crisis in violation of the U.S.-backed peace accords, or is Kinshasa inciting anti-Tutsi violence?

Published JAN 2

Congo Accuses Rwanda of Killing Over 1,500 in M23 Offensive

Story

Above: A group of M23 soldiers travel in a truck as M23 rebels retained control of the city on January 31, 2025 in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo. Image credit: Daniel Buuma/Getty Images

The Facts

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has accused Rwanda of killing more than 1,500 civilians in eastern Congo since early December, when the M23 militia launched a fresh offensive. Congolese authorities described the attacks as "a clear act of aggression against national sovereignty."
Africanews
Firstpost
AFP News Agency on X
Kinshasa claimed the death toll was linked to Rwanda’s use of "bombs and kamikaze drones" in the region, saying that "three new Rwandan battalions" had entered South Kivu since early December, with intentions toward the strategic Kalemie axis in the southeastern mining province of Tanganyika.
TRT World
New Vision
M23 rebels took control of the strategic city of Uvira in South Kivu province in early December, causing tens of thousands of people to flee across the border into Burundi. The offensive occurred just days after the DRC and Rwandan governments signed a U.S.-brokered peace deal on December 4.
X
Al Jazeera
FOX News
U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Mike Waltz, accused Rwandan forces of providing "logistics and training support to M23" and of fighting alongside the rebels in eastern Congo. Rwanda rejects accusations of backing M23, though it acknowledged last year that it has deployed troops in eastern Congo.
New Vision
guardian
Firstpost
Major General Sylvain Ekenge, spokesperson of the Congolese army, was suspended after making controversial remarks against the Tutsi community during a televised broadcast on December 27. The Congolese army general staff condemned the remarks as contrary to republican values.
The New Times
the Africa Project
Ministère de la Communication et Médias/RDC on X
Rwandan President Paul Kagame said Kigali is ready to fully implement the peace agreement signed with the DRC, while warning that any "threat to the peace and security" of Rwandans will not be tolerated. He praised the U.S., Qatar and African institutions for supporting the peace process.
Amjambo Africa
Rwanda Dispatch News Agency

Sources Split

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CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

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ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

Rwanda's military aggression in eastern Congo has killed over 1,500 civilians since December through coordinated drone strikes and ground operations, directly violating the U.S.-brokered peace agreement signed just days earlier. Kigali deployed thousands of troops and backed M23's seizure of strategic cities, including Uvira, displacing over half a million people and triggering a massive humanitarian catastrophe across the region.

Al Mayadeen English

Al Jazeera

New Vision

Narrative B

Genocidal rhetoric from Congolese officials targeting Tutsi communities has reached alarming levels, with military spokesmen echoing the same dehumanizing language that preceded the 1994 Rwandan genocide. The Tshisekedi regime openly collaborates with FDLR genocidaires while promoting hate speech that labels Tutsis as "cockroaches" and "viruses," creating imminent danger for Congolese Tutsi populations who face systematic persecution and violence.