'They shot my neighbour in the head' - the lakeside city traumatised by war

Rebel fighters and Rwandan troops are accused of committing atrocities after capturing the DR Congo city of Uvira in December. DR Congo conflict: M23 and Rwanda accused of atrocities in Uvira Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Conflict in eastern DR Congo has caused a massive humanitarian crisis Women - described by Reuters as foreigners - walk on a road with their belongings after rebels seized Uvira city in December 'They shot my neighbour in the head' - the lakeside city traumatised by war Summary executions and rape were among the atrocities committed by the M23 rebel group and Rwandan soldiers during their weeks-long occupation of the lakeside city of Uvira in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, an investigation by a leading rights group has found. Human Rights Watch (HRW) says its investigators found evidence of the execution of 53 civilians - 46 men, one woman and six children - during door-to-door raids in the city's neighbourhoods after the rebels, widely believed to be backed by Rwanda, captured it in December. Rwanda has consistently denied supporting the M23 or that its own soldiers have been deployed to resource-rich eastern DR Congo. But HRW says many of the interviewees alleged witnessing atrocities committed by uniformed Rwandan soldiers as well as M23 fighters. "They [M23 fighters] shot my neighbour first in the head," said one of the 130 residents interviewed by HRW. Another said he saw four members of his family killed. "I wasn't hit so I just ran to the lake. I saw my brother, his wife, and two of his children fall," he was quoted as saying. The M23 and Rwandan government have not yet responded to a BBC request for comment. Warning: This article contains descriptions of sexual violence The M23 captured Uvira - which lies on the shores of Lake Tanganyika - days after US President Donald Trump brokered a peace deal between DR Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame in a bid to end the devastating conflict in the resource-rich region. The US and European powers accuse Rwanda - which borders eastern DR Congo - of supporting the rebel offensive. The US and European powers accuse Rwanda - which borders eastern DR Congo - of UN experts have said Rwanda had "de facto control" of the M23's operations. They said M23 recruits were trained under Rwandan supervision and supported by high-tech Rwandan weaponry. Government forces have regained control of some territory in eastern DR Congo following the withdrawal of rebel fighters A member of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) stands guard along a street after retaking control of multiple localities in the Ruzizi Plains, following the withdrawal of M23 rebels from Uvira territory, in Sange, South Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo May 12, 2026 The M23 withdrew from Uvira - the gateway to Burundi, a key military ally of DR Congo - in January following intense diplomatic pressure. The HRW report is the first detailed study of what happened in the city when it was under M23 control. Tens of thousands of people fled their homes when the group seized control of it. HRW says it documented eight cases of rape allegedly committed by the rebels and Rwandan soldiers during the occupation. "They took my clothes off completely, tied my arms behind my back with my clothes, and raped me," a woman is quoted as saying in the report. She added that when her husband attempted to intervene, he was shot dead. HRW says it wrote in April to both the Rwandan government and M23 leaders for a response to the allegations in its report, but, it adds, neither replied. A rape survivor was quoted in the report as saying that men in uniforms she identified to be from the Rwandan military told her: "If you don't do what I tell you, I will kill you." Another woman said: "The Rwandan man said they should kill me, but the Congolese said: 'No, rape her'." Life in resource-rich eastern DR Congo is blighted by conflict and poverty A displaced man accompanied by his child, returns from Kigubhe where he had sought refuge, as he passes a charred military vehichle in Luvungi on December 13, 2025 HRW says it believes the atrocities - which allegedly included abductions, enforced disappearances and forced recruitment - amount to war crimes. Its investigators also visited what is says were three mass graves in Uvira, including one at a site previously controlled by UN peacekeepers. The report says that children were also targeted and shot by rebels after being accused of being pro-government fighters. One 12-year-old boy survived despite being shot by M23 fighters who then "stabbed him in the leg with a bayonet to check if he was dead", HRW says. The HRW report is the latest to detail the scale of violence against civilians in eastern DR Congo. A separate report by the United Nation's Children Fund found more than 35,000 cases of sexual violence against children in the first nine months of 2025, with the majority in North and South Kivu provinces where the M23 occupies much territory. A separate report by the United Nation's Children Fund found more than 35,000 cases of sexual violence against children in the first nine months of 2025, with the majority in North and South Kivu provinces where the M23 occupies much territory. The persistent violence in eastern DR Congo has led nearly two million people in South Kivu alone to run away from their homes to seek safety. Map of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and neighbouring countries showing areas of control by the M23 rebel group and allies as of April 2026. M23-held territory is shaded red, extending along the western side of Lake Kivu from near the Ugandan border south past the city of Goma and toward Bukavu. Areas held by M23 allies are shaded orange, located further south near Uvira and close to the Burundi border. Major cities marked with black dots include Goma, Bukavu, Uvira and Bujumbura. Rwanda lies immediately east of Lake Kivu, with Uganda to the northeast and Burundi to the south. An inset map highlights the location within central Africa. A scale shows distances of 50 km (50 miles). Source: AEI Critical Threats Project, April 2026 More about the DR Congo conflict from the BBC: M23 fighters in fatigues and boots and holding guns sit on the back black of a pick-up truck - taken in 2023 The evidence that shows Rwanda is backing rebels in DR Congo A young boy, in a T-shirt in the colours of the US flag, stands by an artisanal mine holding a wire sifting tray behind his shoulders in Lumumbashi in DR Congo, December 2005. How Trump wants the US to cash in on mineral-rich DR Congo's peace deal A close up of a pair of hands holding five bullets. What's the fighting in DR Congo all about? A woman looking at her mobile phone and the graphic BBC News Africa Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent. for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica "If the people want me to have a third term, I will accept," Tshisekedi says, with him due to step down in 2028. The former leader has not responded to US accusations that he is aiming to destabilise the government. The youngest of those freed from an Allied Democratic Forces camp is a girl aged just 14, Uganda's army says. Former Power Minister Saleh Mamman was convicted last week - but the authorities do not know his whereabouts. The actor was recognised for his contributions to entertainment as well as his humanitarian efforts. A BBC investigation exposed how scammers posted social content of dogs in distress to dupe donors into giving money. The foreign minister says the "distressed" Ghanaians registered with the embassy in Pretoria to be evacuated. Two friends pedal in memory of a brother and return to a spot visited by a grandparent in 1963.