Rwandan-supported M23 rebels have reportedly kidnapped a minimum of 130 sick and injured individuals from two hospitals in a major city in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), according to a statement from the United Nations on Monday.
On February 28, M23 combatants launched an assault on the CBCA Ndosho hospital and the Heal Africa hospital in Goma, a strategically important city they captured earlier this year, as noted by Ravina Shamdasani, a spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office.
The rebels abducted 116 patients from CBCA and 15 from Heal Africa, targeting those they believed to be Congolese army personnel or affiliated with the pro-government Wazalendo militia.
“It is profoundly troubling that M23 is removing patients from their hospital beds in organized raids and detaining them in undisclosed locations,” stated Mr. Shamdasani, who urged for their immediate release.
Since the beginning of the year, M23 rebels have advanced through eastern DRC, taking control of significant towns and resulting in approximately 3,000 fatalities, marking the most severe escalation of the conflict in over a decade.
In a rapid three-week campaign, M23 seized Goma, the principal city in eastern DRC, and captured Bukavu, the nation’s second-largest city. This region is abundant in gold and coltan, a mineral crucial for manufacturing capacitors used in various consumer electronics, including laptops and smartphones.
According to U.N. experts, the rebels are supported by around 4,000 troops from neighboring Rwanda and have occasionally expressed intentions to advance towards the DRC capital, Kinshasa, located over 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) away.
Rwanda has accused the DRC of enlisting ethnic Hutu fighters linked to the 1994 genocide against Tutsis and moderate Hutus.
The M23 asserts that it is defending Tutsis and Congolese of Rwandan descent from discrimination and aims to transform the DRC from a failed state into a modern nation. Analysts, however, have dismissed these claims as mere justifications for Rwandan involvement.
Recently, at least 11 individuals lost their lives and many others were injured due to explosions at a rally organized by M23 leaders in Bukavu.
