DRC army refutes extermination charges, warns against AFC/M23 identity politics

The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) have issued a sharp response to recent declarations by the AFC/M23 politico-military movement regarding the security crisis in the nation’s east. The statements, which included allegations of persecution against the Banyamulenge (Tutsi) community, were made during a press conference in Goma, the capital of Nord-Kivu province, last week.

In a communiqué released this Monday and signed by interim FARDC spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Mak Hazukay Mongba, the Congolese army accuses the rebel group of orchestrating a “propaganda and disinformation campaign.” The military contends this campaign aims to discredit state institutions and divert attention from the coalition’s responsibility for the war of aggression against the DRC, as well as the severe violations of international humanitarian law and human rights frequently attributed to it.

The FARDC asserts that claims of massacres, exterminations, or persecution targeting any Congolese communities are “entirely baseless.” The army views these accusations as a tactic to conceal the AFC/M23 coalition’s own culpability in the conflict devastating eastern DRC.

“The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo categorically reject accusations of alleged massacres, exterminations, or persecutions targeting any Congolese community. These claims are completely unfounded. They surface while numerous reports from the United Nations and international human rights organizations have documented grave violations attributed to the RDF-AFC/M23 Coalition, including summary executions, civilian killings, abductions, forced recruitment, sexual violence, forced displacement of populations, and other serious breaches of international humanitarian law,” the statement denounced.

The FARDC describes these accusations as “deceitful” and “cynical,” designed to distort the facts on the ground and help the coalition evade its responsibilities. The military also strongly condemns what it calls an attempt by the RDF-AFC/M23 coalition to exploit community identities and linguistic ties to sow division among the Congolese people.

According to the national army, this campaign specifically seeks to create an artificial conflict between the populations of the eastern provinces and their fellow citizens elsewhere, with the goal of undermining national unity to advance the coalition’s political and military agenda.

“This campaign particularly aims to create an artificial opposition between Congolese populations living in the east and their compatriots from other provinces of the Republic, with the goal of weakening national cohesion and serving this coalition’s political and military objectives. The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo reiterate that they are a national, republican, and inclusive army, composed of Congolese men and women from every province in the country,” the FARDC affirmed.

Furthermore, the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo stress that the primary victims of the aggression led by the RDF-AFC/M23 coalition remain the Congolese populations in the eastern provinces. They note that for years, these people have borne the direct impact of insecurity, forced displacement, atrocities, and human rights abuses linked to the coalition and its allies.

The FARDC insists that the suffering of these communities cannot be manipulated to fuel a disinformation campaign or to set them against their compatriots in other parts of the Republic. The army emphasizes that its ongoing operations, conducted under its constitutional mission, are precisely for the purpose of ensuring their protection, guaranteeing their safety, and preserving the nation’s territorial integrity.

“The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo warn against any propaganda, disinformation, or hate speech campaign that could jeopardize national cohesion, the security of the population, and peace restoration efforts in areas affected by the aggression,” the document stated.

It adds:

“The FARDC remains fully committed to fulfilling its constitutional mission of defending territorial integrity, protecting the population, and neutralizing any hostile force threatening national sovereignty. They will not be distracted by disinformation campaigns or manipulation attempts designed to weaken the national resolve against this aggression.”

This latest statement from the FARDC is set against a backdrop of persistent tensions between Kinshasa and the AFC/M23, alongside ongoing hostilities in eastern DRC. On June 18, during a press event in Goma, the movement’s leaders accused the Congolese government of repeated ceasefire violations and highlighted a grave humanitarian crisis in various localities in the High Plateaus of South Kivu province.

The coordinator of the AFC/M23, Corneille Nangaa, placed the blame for this situation squarely on President Félix Tshisekedi’s administration. He claimed that military operations in the area, involving the use of armed drones, were aimed at exterminating the Banyamulenge community and reflected a desire to challenge their citizenship in the Democratic Republic of Congo.