The Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group on Thursday organized a symbolic burial for 22 civilians killed in a drone strike earlier this month in North Kivu province, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Twenty-two coffins were laid out before residents of Goma and grieving relatives, underscoring the human toll of a conflict that continues to claim lives and force mass displacement. The ceremony was marked by scenes of anguish, with women weeping and shouting as they stood before the coffins.
“We lost comrades, friends, and loved ones. My little sister also died. She had gone to Masisi for work, and that is where she was killed,” said Mireille Kasole, whose sibling was among the victims.
M23, which has controlled large parts of eastern Congo for more than a year with alleged backing from Rwanda, accused the Congolese government of carrying out the drone strike.
“President Félix Tshisekedi and his tribal regime have killed,” said Corneille Nangaa, an M23 coordinator. “He killed without seeing, without hearing the cries, and without distinguishing between the enemy and innocent civilians.”
The Congolese government has not confirmed responsibility for the attack.
Eastern Congo remains plagued by violence, with more than 100 armed groups competing for control of the region’s mineral-rich territories near the Rwandan border, among them the M23 movement.
The prolonged conflict has triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, displacing more than seven million people, according to the United Nations refugee agency.
Despite the signing of the Washington agreement and ongoing talks under the Doha process, fighting continues on multiple fronts in eastern DRC, resulting in further civilian and military casualties.
