The Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group appears responsible for mass graves containing scores of bodies found in the village of Kishishe, North Kivu province in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Human Rights Watch said today. The bodies are believed to be those of villagers and captured militia members that M23 fighters executed between November 2022 and the armed group’s departure from Kishishe in April 2023.
The Congolese government should seek assistance from the United Nations, African Union (AU), and partner governments to conduct proper exhumations, return remains to families, and hold those responsible to account. The UN Security Council should add M23 leaders, as well as Rwandan officials who are assisting the group, to its existing sanctions list.
M23 fighters set fire to at least one house containing bodies, used three schools as bases, one of which was destroyed, and denied students safe access to education
“Congo, the United Nations, and the African Union need to address the mounting evidence that the M23 committed numerous killings in the village of Kishishe,” said Clémentine de Montjoye, Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. “There’s an urgent need for the proper gathering of evidence, impartial investigations, and informing families about the fate of their loved ones.”
Human Rights Watch documented the M23’s atrocities in Kishishe, with witness accounts, satellite imagery, photographs, and videos. In addition to executions, M23 fighters set fire to at least one house containing bodies, used three schools as bases, one of which was destroyed, and denied students safe access to education.
Congolese authorities, as well as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the UN Stabilization Mission in Congo (MONUSCO), have investigated events in Kishishe, but a more comprehensive, international investigation is needed after M23 forces withdrew.
Human Rights Watch reported in February that, on November 29, M23 rebels summarily killed at least 22 civilians in Kishishe following fighting with factions of Mai-Mai Mazembe, Nyatura, and the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda, FDLR). At the time, reliable information collected by Human Rights Watch indicated that the M23 killed at least another 10 civilians while searching for militia members. Further reports by the UN and others concluded that M23 fighters may have unlawfully killed many more people, including captured fighters.
In April and May, after the M23 withdrew from Kishishe, Human Rights Watch interviewed 21 people by telephone, including some who said they had witnessed executions or whom the M23 forced to bury bodies. Others had voluntarily buried bodies after the M23 left the area. Interviewees provided information on 14 mass graves though these appear to be only a fraction of total burial sites. All interviewees believed that the M23, which controlled Kishishe between late November and early April, executed the vast majority of the victims. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Human Rights Watch (HRW).
A High Court in Nairobi, Kenya, has frozen 45 bank accounts and 10 mobile money wallets belonging to a Nigerian-owned financial technology firm, Flutterwave
Justice Alfred Mabeya issued the orders on June 7, 2023, freezing the accounts of Flutterwave Payments Technology Ltd after a group of 2,468 Nigerians claimed the firm was used to defraud them of $12.04 million (Sh1.6 billion).
The Nigerian nationals have sued Flutterwave and named six financial institutions that hold the company’s funds as interested parties.
The institutions include five banks—United Bank of Africa, Access Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank, Equity Bank and Ecobank; and Safaricom, where Flutterwave operates 10 paybill numbers.
“The application is certified as urgent… The application will be served for directions on June 21. In the meantime, prayers two to nine (seeking freezing of bank accounts, bank keys and mobile money wallets) are granted for 14 days only,” Justice Mabeya ruled.
Justice Mabeya ordered the 2,468 Ponzi scheme victims to serve Flutterwave Payment Solutions and the six institutions holding their funds with the court papers.
The parties will appear before him on June 21 for further directions. The judge will also decide whether to extend the freezing orders.
While the court papers do not specify how much money is in the bank accounts and mobile money wallets, the Nigerians, who are seeking Sh1.6 billion, are confident they have billions
Flutterwave has appointed Mahmoud Gitau Jillo Advocates to represent it in the case. Aina Ojonugwa, THEWILL
GOMA, 13 JUNE 2023 – At least 46 civilians, including 23 children, were killed in an attack on a camp for displaced people in Ituri province in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) between Sunday night and Monday morning.
In response, Cecilia Thiam, Save the Children’s Humanitarian Director in the DRC, said:
“We are appalled and devastated by the senseless attack on a displacement camp in northeastern DRC, which claimed the lives of at least 23 children. Survivors have reported seeing bodies strewn across the camp. Child survivors, who escaped in the middle of the night in terror, will have seen things that no child should have to see. Some may have witnessed their parents, friends, and peers being killed.
“This incident is a grave reminder that children continue to bear the brunt of the conflict in northeastern DRC, with horrific violations being committed against them. Children are being killed, sexually assaulted, abducted, and forcibly recruited for use by armed groups. For the children who witnessed or were injured in this incident, their suffering may last for years.
“All parties to the conflict must ensure children are never targets – and the perpetrators of this violence must be held to account and brought to justice. Impunity for child rights violations feed into the narrative that these crimes are acceptable and can create cycles of violence.
“As the number of people injured and children separated due to these attacks continues to grow, Save the Children is calling on donors to immediately release additional funds to help survivors with urgent medical care, cooking supplies for those whose shelters were burned, and support for family tracing and reunification activities for children separated from their caregivers in the chaos.”
Over 26.4 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in the DRC – or about one in every four people - including 14.2 million children. Conflict has been raging in parts of the country for nearly three decades, with children paying the heaviest price.
Save the Children has been present in Ituri Province – one of the country’s most impacted by conflict – since 1998 and runs a range of life-saving programs including in nutrition, hygiene and child protection. Save the Children also runs primary health care through mobile clinics and an advanced health care approach to displaced people in Lala since the last attack on the site in January 2023. Save The Children
GARISSA, Kenya, June 13 (Xinhua) -- At least 12 people, including six soldiers, were killed Tuesday in two separate attacks linked to the al-Shabaab terror group in coastal and eastern Kenya.
The police said the attackers used improvised explosive devices (IED) to target security agencies as they moved on roads, also leaving dozens wounded.
In the first incident, al-Shabaab militants targeted a passenger bus in the eastern county of Mandera by shooting at it to force the driver to stop in vain, the police said. The driver sped off with a deflated tire, saving almost 50 passengers who were on board.
In the eastern county of Garissa, the police said the terror group targeted Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) troops with an explosive device, killing four of them after the vehicle ran over an IED.
The personnel were also attacked by guns, said the police officer, who declined to be identified. A team of National Police Reserve (NPR) that responded was met with resistance, leaving six of the NPR dead.
According to the police, another IED hit a KDF vehicle in the coastal county of Lamu, killing two troops, officials said, adding that the attacks happened almost simultaneously.
This brings the total number of security officers killed in the two terror attacks to 12.
The latest incidents marked the highest casualties so far this year as the terror group keeps moving into Kenya from Somalia where they have been facing onslaught from African Union Transition Mission in Somalia and Somali security forces.
In the recent past, there have been some attacks involving landmines, grenades, or other explosive devices in eastern Kenya. Most of these attacks occurred in eastern Kenya, mainly in Wajir, Garissa, and Mandera counties as well as along the Kenyan coast. - Xinhua
Dar es Salaam. Experts have cautioned about the upcoming signing of contracts under the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) between Tanzania and Dubai after Parliament approved the disputed pact yesterday.
Members of Parliament debated and approved a resolution approving the agreement, which will provide a framework for other specific contracts in port-related projects.
The agreement on economic and social cooperation to expand and improve Tanzania ports also gives the UAE-based DP World an exclusive right to discuss with the government of Tanzania about operating and developing some port projects.
According to the economists, the next step is the one that needs more attention because the agreements will kick-start the implementation of the deal that was struck in October last year.
The Parliament approved the resolution allowing the government to take on other procedures, including the concession agreement, before the commencement of a new cooperation chapter between the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) and DP World, a multinational logistics company based in Dubai.
Speaking to The Citizen yesterday, the executive director of an economic research think tank, Repoa, Dr Donald Mmari, said that the concerns of Tanzanians were given a chance to be heard and that it was important that the citizens were always given priority and listened to.
“The biggest area to increase attention is the signing of economic agreements for the implementation of specific projects in the port of Dar es Salaam. This should be done with great attention to the interests of our country,” said Dr Mmari.
The agreement created an uproar among members of the public, who demanded more explanations about the contract, which they termed vague.
An independent commentator, Mr Buberwa Kaiza, claimed that the adoption of the resolution made it directly recognised internationally, and thus it required great attention towards the next steps.
“The next venture can be greatly affected by this resolution that has been passed. If anything happens that we didn’t expect or weren’t aware of, we will not be able to take any action as a country until they consent to the actions being taken against them. Otherwise, it will not be possible,” he said.
“Small contracts cannot affect this big one, so more attention is needed given that the contracts may not be sent to Parliament for discussion,” he noted.
Chadema’s vice chairman, Tundu Lissu, described the contract as one of “the most dubious to be signed by the government since independence.”
“It is a contract that places itself above the laws and international contracts signed by Tanzania,” he told The Citizen’s sister newspaper, Mwananchi.
“It is the contract that cannot be revoked or terminated even after Tanzania has invalidated diplomatic relations with the UAE, when it has entered into a war or under any other circumstance,” he added.
Furthermore, he said the contract gives an important part of Tanzania’s land to another country and its economic institutions for an unspecified period of time.
Regarding the agreement, the parliamentary committee made recommendations, including that all the contracts that will follow in implementing the terms of the arrangement should be productive, and protect the broad interests of the country of Tanzania and its people.
On the Infrastructure Development Committee, Mr Moshi Kakoso said the agreement should accommodate views from important stakeholders in the sector in order to improve implementation scope.
“The committee insists that the validity of agreements and implementations to be signed should mention a specific execution time frame for projects for the broad interests of the country,” he said.
“The contracts should direct the partners to evaluate the implementation of investment projects and terminate the agreement amidst failure to honour the agreement,” he added when reading the committee’s recommendations. By Jacob Musenda, The Citizen
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