Amnesty International has accused Rwanda-backed March 23 Movement (M23) fighters of committing severe human rights abuses against artisanal miners while systematically trafficking gold and coltan into neighboring Rwanda.

The rights group documented widespread atrocities across M23-controlled mining sites, including summary executions, forced labor, arbitrary detentions, and torture. The report focused on coltan mines in Rubaya, North Kivu, and gold mining operations in Lomera, South Kivu, detailing the summary killings of at least 18 artisanal miners and the use of underground detention cells to beat workers.

Amnesty International Secretary General Agnès Callamard stated that the Rwanda-backed M23 is committing horrific human rights abuses against artisanal miners, which may amount to war crimes. She added that these abuses are intended to punish and instill fear among miners as minerals are trafficked across the border into Rwanda, allowing the country to profit from Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) mineral wealth.

Evidence gathered by researchers shows sacks of mineral-rich soil being loaded onto boats at Lake Kivu ports in South Kivu and transported directly to Kamembe in Rwanda, with the participation of Rwandan operatives.

Amnesty International warned that the systematic plunder of Congolese mineral resources by M23 fighters and Rwandan actors likely constitutes the war crime of pillage. The organisation called on international states and tech corporations to halt purchases of coltan and gold originating from Rwanda until the Rwandan government provides concrete proof that the illicit mineral trade has ended.

Neither M23 representatives nor officials from the Rwandan government responded to requests for comment prior to the report’s publication.

–ChannelAfrica–