Kinshasa: At least 11 people have been killed in a surge of mob violence in the rebel-controlled city of Bukavu, located in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as residents take matters into their own hands following the withdrawal of government forces, witnesses and civil society activists reported on Thursday.
The attacks come as the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group seeks to consolidate control over Bukavu and other territories it has captured in eastern Congo. The group has been working to establish its own administration, including retraining hundreds of Congolese police officers to function under its authority.
Rise in Vigilante Justice
Human rights activist Amos Bisimwa, based in Bukavu, attributed the rise in vigilante violence to the absence of a functioning police force in the city.
“We were told that a police force had been sent for ideological training… We want to see this police force return to Bukavu so that it can continue to maintain public order and, above all, intervene in cases of mob justice,” Bisimwa said.
His organization, the Observatory of Parliamentary and Governmental Actions in the Democratic Republic of Congo, documented 11 deaths from mob attacks on Wednesday and Thursday. Victims were accused of various offenses, including theft, armed robbery, and even witchcraft.
Some of the lynching victims were set on fire, their bodies left in the streets, drawing large crowds.
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Moke Mwayuma, whose brother was burned alive after being accused of theft, condemned the killing, asserting his innocence.
“He is not a thief. What is his crime? We don’t know. We found the fire over there, and he was burning in it,” she said.
M23 Response and Security Concerns
Dunia Masumbuko Bwenge, the M23-appointed vice governor of South Kivu province, acknowledged the rising vigilante attacks but justified them as a reaction from a frightened population.
“There have been several cases of mob violence driven by the behavior of a population that feels threatened by these criminals—these thieves who kill, steal, and also commit sexual violence,” he said.
M23 forces advanced into central Bukavu on February 16 after the Congolese army retreated, marking the most significant escalation in the long-running conflict in eastern Congo in over a decade.
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The violence in the region is deeply rooted in the aftermath of the 1994 Rwandan genocide and the ongoing struggle for control over eastern Congo’s vast mineral wealth.
Congo, the United Nations, and Western governments accuse Rwanda of providing arms and troops to M23, an allegation Kigali denies. Rwanda maintains that its actions are defensive, citing threats from a Hutu militia allegedly fighting alongside the Congolese military.
