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(Kinshasa) – Democratic Republic of the Congo Authorities should expand their investigation into security forces responsible for killing dozens of people in eastern Congo a year ago, Human Rights Watch said today. The government should also provide prompt and adequate compensation to the victims or their families.
On August 30, 2023, Congolese security forces killed at least 57 people in Goma, the capital of North Kivu province. Most of them were members of the mysterious religious group “Natural Judaism and Messianic Faith to the Nations” (Foi Naturelle Judaique et Messianique vers les Nations), who were preparing to protest against the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). Expert Panel Human Rights Watch found that the actual death toll was likely much higher. In October, a military court found four soldiers, including a commander, guilty of murder, but no further investigation appeared to have taken place and no victims were compensated.
“A year later, Congolese authorities successfully prosecuted several suspects in the 2023 Goma massacre, but the investigation was severely limited and no compensation was paid to the victims,” Lewis MarchHuman Rights Watch Central Africa Director. Command responsibility Appropriate penalties for all those responsible are essential to prevent similar violations from occurring in the future.”
On July 30, 2023, the leader of the mysterious religious movement, Ephraim Bisimwa, announced that a protest against the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Congo would be held on August 30, demanding that the UN mission withdraw by the end of the year because it was unable to stop the long-term fighting in the eastern region.
On August 23, the mayor of Goma issued a Communiqué Protests are banned. Bisimwa cancelled the demonstration and asked his members to meet at his church on the morning of August 30. UN team Reported Reports have come through the military and police chain of command that the group’s protests are linked to a rumored plan by the M23 rebel group and its Rwandan supporters to destabilize the city. Rwandan-backed M23 rebels Committed unlawful killings, rape and numerous other serious crimes in eastern Congo.
Between 3 and 4 a.m. on August 30, Congolese soldiers raided a radio station affiliated with the movement in the N’Dosho community of Goma. Bisimwa was at the station and informed his members of the raid via WhatsApp messages. After the soldiers led Bisimwa and eight others out of the station, his members arrived. The soldiers opened fire, killing six members outside the station, and left with Bisimwa and a colleague. “They took us to the[Republican Guard]base, tied us up, made us lie on the ground, and then they poured water on us and beat us with sticks,” Bisimwa later told Human Rights Watch.
After the deadly attack, members of the group captured a police officer, tied his hands, and took him back to the group’s headquarters, commonly referred to as the “group’s temple.”
In the ensuing chaos, police shot and killed some members of the group, killing Bisimwa’s son. Some members then returned to the temple and killed the abducted policeman. Video footage verified by Human Rights Watch showed the policeman lying on the floor, his hands tied, huddled in a ball, while people beat him with sticks and threw stones at him, killing him.
The soldiers arrived at the temple at around 7 a.m., followed by the Republican Guard. Colonel Mike Mikombe, the Republican Guard commander in Goma, took over negotiations with the growing crowd. An officer present later told Human Rights Watch that tensions quickly escalated once Mikombe arrived.
Human Rights Watch verified a video shot at the scene around 7 a.m. that showed Mikombe and Republican Guard Special Forces Commander Major Peter addressing members in an alley near the temple, flanked by Special Forces personnel. The soldiers in the video were heavily armed and carrying weapons. Witnesses said at least four drones were flying overhead.
The shooting began minutes after the Republican Guard commander arrived. “I don’t know what the Republican Guard colonel saw that gave the order to shoot us,” one member said. Several witnesses reported that Mikombe raised his pistol and ordered the Republican Guard soldiers to shoot. One man said Mikombe shouted, “They swore!” (“Open the way!” in Lingala.) Human Rights Watch research, including interviews with national army officials, suggests that members of the movement are unarmed.
Soldiers opened fire with military-style assault rifles at protesters and bystanders, killing and wounding dozens and sending others into hiding. Many took shelter in neighboring homes or in a temple around the corner. The gunfire continued for several minutes. Human Rights Watch verified a video shot at the scene that showed dust filling an alley as automatic gunfire rang out. Walls of surrounding homes and temples were hit, killing and wounding people hiding inside. Human Rights Watch examined bullet holes in the walls of many homes at the scene.
A woman who was hiding in her home with her brother said a woman and a boy were killed in her yard as they sought shelter in the yard. “I didn’t know them and they didn’t seem to know each other,” she said. “They came to hide when the shooting started.”
Some people hiding in their homes filmed the aftermath of the shooting on their mobile phones. Several videos showed dozens of bodies on the street. A man who witnessed the killings at a house near the temple said soldiers moved among the bodies, checking to see if anyone was still alive. “They would shoot the wounded and kill them once and for all,” he said.
Once the gunfire stopped, soldiers loaded the bodies onto at least one military truck. Video footage verified by Human Rights Watch showed soldiers dragging bodies along the street, pulling on their legs or arms in insulting ways. Other videos showed them throwing bodies onto trucks, piling them on top of each other. Several wounded people were also forced onto the same trucks.
Soldiers rounded up dozens of people, including children, in the temple grounds. Many were later arrested. Video footage verified by Human Rights Watch showed Republican Guard members leaving on streets near the temple with looted goods, furniture, and livestock. Between 9:30 and 10 a.m., Republican Guards and other soldiers set fire to the temple. Human Rights Watch verified a video showing the burning temple.
In September and October, a military court tried Mikombe and five other soldiers. Three were sentenced to ten years in prison, while two others, including Mikombe’s deputy, were acquitted. On October 2, Mikombe was found not guilty. Guilty of murder And was sentenced to death.
The case against Mikombe does not address the role of senior military officers who may have ordered or otherwise been criminally responsible for the crimes committed. Authorities have not established an exhaustive count of the number of people killed. They have not investigated allegations that soldiers executed the wounded or burned temples. Final ReportLater, a UN expert group questioned the findings.
Human Rights Watch said further investigations should be conducted to determine whether senior Mikombe officers were responsible for the crimes.
As North Kivu province is under military rule, a military court is hearing Bisimwa and 63 other members of the movement The killing of a police officer carries a sentence of 10 years or more in prison or the death penalty. The UN panel said there was no evidence at trial that the defendants were directly involved in the killing of the police officer. Bisimwa had been detained by the military for several hours before the killing.
The government commuted all death sentences to life imprisonment.
Human Rights Watch said victims or their families should receive adequate compensation immediately. A movement member whose wife was killed said: “I hope we can get compensation to make up for the losses we have suffered. It is very difficult for me to take care of seven children without a mother. We need help.”
In addition to expanding investigations into those responsible for government killings and providing reparations to victims, Congolese authorities should address their crowd control measures. The military should generally not be used for law enforcement, and the police are well trained to do so. Any security forces used for crowd control should be properly trained, equipped, and supervised. The Congolese government should seek international support to ensure that its security forces adhere to regional and international standards on the use of force.
“The victims of the Goma massacre are still waiting for accountability,” March said. “All perpetrators, regardless of rank or status, should be prosecuted and the victims should receive prompt and fair compensation.”
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