As the 80th UN General Assembly takes place in New York, the AFC/M23 group has expressed deep concern over the killings, ethnic discrimination and persecution continuing to be inflicted upon Tutsis and Banyamulenge in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

In an open letter addressed to the UN Secretary-General on September 19 and made public on September 24, Corneille Nangaa, who is in charge of the group’s political affairs, called for lifting the veil that the Congolese government places over crimes committed against civilians.

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AFC/M23 accuses the Congolese government of using deceptive rhetoric and supporting armed groups claiming to protect civilians, such as Wazalendo, CODECO, and others who have launched attacks on defenceless civilians.

They say the government ignores repeated messages from international organisations and testimonies from civilians about killings carried out against people because of their ethnicity.

Most affected are  Banyamulenge of South Kivu Province, where AFC/M23 says the population is subjected to isolation and killings, confined in the Minembwe area without food, water or medicine, while also being attacked by government forces, Wazalendo militias and Burundian soldiers.

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Letter states that children and women have already lost their lives . M23 also says that in Uvira, there are ongoing operations to hunt down and kill Banyamulenge, accompanied by hate speech publicly voiced by individuals backed by the government.

M23 Group accuses President Tshisekedi’s administration of fostering division, silencing truth-tellers, promoting a politics based on lies, and eliminating its opponents.