According to authorities in the territory of Rutshuru, at least 11 men were discovered dead in eastern DR Congo on Sunday. These sources blamed M23 rebels for the massive casualties.
They claimed that when the rebels left the area, the bodies were discovered in Bukombo, around 100 kilometres (62 miles) north of the regional capital Goma.
"I'm at the scene, and there are 11 corpses of civilians in front of me, some shot dead, others killed with knives," a local told AFP via phone. He declared, "There are no combatants among them.
Under the condition of anonymity, more sources in Bukombo corroborated this death toll.
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One civil society representative gave the figure 12, claiming that the rebels had fought "self-defence groups yesterday" and fled "with people they forced to carry their luggage."
When they arrived at Bukombo-center, they were slaughtered.
Since re-emerging from hibernation in late 2021, the Tutsi-led M23 rebel organization has taken vast swaths of land and driven about a million people from the area.
The rebels did not respond to any request for comment.
