Following the alleged slaughter of civilians in the country’s east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) has declared three days of national mourning, with the government now putting the dead toll at “more than 100.”
The M23 militia, with whom the government is engaged in a protracted struggle, was accused by the government on Thursday of killing 50 people in Kishishe, a community located about 70 kilometers north of the city of Goma.
The M23 retaliated, calling the accusations “baseless” and disavowing any targeting of civilians.
President Felix Tshisekedi of the DRC “condemned in the greatest terms the slaughter of more than 100 countrymen in Kishishe” at a council of ministers meeting on Friday, according to government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya.
The president said that flags will be flown at half-staff across the nation because Tshisekedi had “instructed the administration to announce three days of national mourning.”
A televised fundraiser for the victims will take place on Monday to put an end to the time of sadness, according to Muyaya.
There have been increasing requests for an impartial probe ever since the atrocity was reported.
According to Muyaya, the president “ordered the minister of justice to immediately launch an internal inquiry and to simultaneously strive for an international probe to shed light on this war crime.”
The March 23 movement, or M23, is a long-dormant rebel organization made up primarily of Congolese Tutsis.
In June, it captured the town of Bunagana on the Ugandan border after picking up its weapons once more in November of previous year.
After a temporary pause, it resumed its onslaught in October, dramatically expanding the area it controlled and moving closer to Goma.
Kinshasa alleges that its smaller neighbor Rwanda is supporting M23, a claim that has also recently been made by US officials and UN experts. Kigali disputes the accusation.
