Seven bodies found mutilated in east DR Congo
Men in military uniform as well as civilian dress kidnapped the people from their homes on Monday night.
What you need to know:
- Patrick Ntamugabumwe, a chief at Rumangabo in North Kivu province, said that men in military uniform as well as civilian dress kidnapped the people from their homes on Monday night.
Seven people were found dead with their throats slit in conflict-torn eastern Democratic Republic of Cong on Tuesday, officials and residents said.
Patrick Ntamugabumwe, a chief at Rumangabo in North Kivu province, said that men in military uniform as well as civilian dress kidnapped the people from their homes on Monday night.
A medical official working in the area, who requested anonymity, said the victims later had their throats slit.
Their bodies were found near Rumangabo, 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of the provincial capital Goma, the official added.
AFP was unable to independently confirm the details of the killing.
However, a resident contacted by phone said that the seven victims were mostly "traditional chiefs who worked with the M23".
M23 rebels have seized swathes of North Kivu since late 2021, winning a string of victories over the Congolese army and edging towards Goma.
Direct confrontation between the Rwanda-backed rebels and the army has been limited in recent months.
But in since October clashes pitting the M23 against Congolese soldiers and allied militia groups have increased.
Rumangabo, where the corpses were discovered, is under the nominal supervision an East African regional force which deployed to the region last year to ease tensions and act as a buffer.
M23 rebels have remained in the area, however, maintaining control over the passage of goods and people on the main highway towards Goma.
In a social media post on Tuesday, M23 president Bertrand Bisimwa accused the DRC's army and its allies of "atrociously massacring" six civilians.
Guillaume Ndjike, a Congolese army spokesman, blamed the M23.
At least 20 civilians have been killed since the uptick in fighting in eastern Congo, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
At a news conference in the capital Kinshasa on Monday evening, DRC government spokesman Patrick Muyaya hailed the actions of "compatriots" fighting the M23, in a reference to state-aligned militias.
"It is the duty of every Congolese person to defend every centimetre of the national territory," he said.
