One Year After the M23 Takeover of Goma, Violations Are Increasing in Eastern DRC
One year after the M23 takeover of Goma, the human rights situation and the humanitarian and security context in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, particularly in North Kivu and South Kivu, remain extremely worrying.
Civilians continue to be victims of serious and repeated human rights violations, mainly attributable to the AFC/M23 armed group, supported by Rwandan forces. This group is involved in numerous cases of summary executions, sexual violence, torture, forced labour, forced recruitment, arbitrary arrests and detentions, and looting in the east of the country.
The situation is getting worse with the recent advance of this armed group into Masisi territory in North Kivu, as well as into the towns of Mwenga and Uvira in South Kivu, leading to more executions of civilians and large-scale population displacement.
The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) and their allies, notably the Wazalendo, have also been implicated in numerous human rights violations, sometimes in collaboration with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). Documented violations include sexual violence and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment and punishment.
In this context, it should also be noted that in September 2025, the Fact-Finding Mission of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the situation in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces concluded that all parties to the conflict had committed abuses that could constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity.
More recently, the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO) confirmed a significant increase in human rights violations, with a 28% rise between October and November 2025 in areas affected by armed conflict.
On the ground, our partner organisations are documenting:
- serious violations committed by all parties to the conflict, including summary executions, rape, torture, and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment or punishment, as well as arbitrary arrests and detentions;
- a parallel system of governance established by the AFC/M23, marked by forced labor, forced recruitment, systematic destruction of evidence, and targeted attacks against journalists and human rights defenders, aimed at silencing all critical voices.
Faced with this alarming situation, the United Against Torture Consortium (UATC) remains fully committed.
Through its response to the crisis, it continues its efforts to:
- Provide medical, psychosocial, and legal support to survivors of torture in eastern DRC.
- Protect and support the most vulnerable human rights defenders.
- Document serious violations in order to combat impunity and contribute to justice mechanisms.
About the Consortium: The United Against Torture Consortium pools the strengths and expertise of six leading anti-torture organisations (IRCT, OMCT, FIACAT, APT, Omega Research Foundation and REDRESS) in partnership with over 200 civil society organisations in more than 100 countries, to strengthen and expand the anti-torture movement. The European Union funds this project.
The present statement was issued by FIACAT