KINSHASA, Congo. Prominent human rights group Amnesty International accused the Congolese army and a rebel group of bombing densely populated areas in attacks that “probably constitute war crimes.”
Both the Congolese armed forces and the M23 rebel group fired unguided rockets and other explosives into densely populated areas in eastern Congo more than 150 times between January and July last year, Amnesty said in a report published on Sunday. The attacks killed more than 100 civilians and injured hundreds more.
Amnesty International called on the International Criminal Court to investigate the attacks as war crimes.
“The devastating escalation in the use of explosive weapons is a new and dangerous development in a three-decade conflict that is already plagued by violations of human rights and humanitarian law,” said Agnès Callamard, general secretary of Amnesty International.
The human rights group’s report comes at a time of increased fighting between the Congolese army and various rebel groups in the east of the country.
More than 237,000 people have been displaced by fighting since the beginning of this year, the United Nations refugee agency said in a report on Monday.
The M23 is one of approximately 100 armed groups that have been competing to gain a foothold in Mineral-rich eastern Congo near the border with Rwanda, in a decades-long conflict which has created one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world. More than 7 million people have been displaced.
Congo and the UN accuse neighboring Rwanda of supporting the M23. Rwanda denies the claim, but in February admitted it has troops and missile systems in eastern Congo to safeguard its security, pointing to a buildup of Congolese forces near the border. UN expert estimate There are up to 4,000 Rwandan forces in the Congo.
The M23 has made significant gains in eastern Congo in recent weeks. After capturing the key mining town of Masisi In North Kivu province earlier this month, fighting intensified over the weekend around Lumbishi, another strategic town in neighboring South Kivu province.
