The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) have strongly refuted recent statements from leaders of the AFC/M23 politico-military movement concerning the security situation in the eastern DRC. These statements included allegations of persecution targeting the Banyamulenge (Tutsi) community, made during a press conference held last week in Goma, the capital of North Kivu province.
In a communiqué released on Monday, June 22, 2026, and endorsed by Lieutenant-Colonel Mak Hazukay Mongba, interim spokesperson for the FARDC, the Congolese army accused the rebel movement of orchestrating a “propaganda and disinformation campaign.” This campaign, the army contends, aims to discredit state institutions and divert attention from the AFC/M23 coalition’s documented responsibility in the ongoing aggression against the DRC, as well as its severe violations of international humanitarian law and human rights.
The FARDC asserts that claims of massacres, exterminations, or targeted persecutions against any Congolese community are “completely baseless.” The army believes these accusations are designed to conceal the coalition’s culpability in the conflict ravaging eastern DRC.
“The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo categorically reject accusations of alleged massacres, exterminations, or persecutions directed against any Congolese community. These allegations are entirely unfounded. They emerge despite numerous reports from the United Nations and international human rights organizations that have documented grave violations attributed to the RDF-AFC/M23 Coalition, including summary executions, civilian assassinations, abductions, forced recruitment, sexual violence, forced displacement of populations, and other serious breaches of international humanitarian law,” the FARDC statement declared.
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