A report released by Amnesty International on August 20, 2025, documents multiple cases of rape and abuse in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces.
One 40-year-old woman told Amnesty that in late March this year, she was stopped by 10 Wazalendo fighters travelling in a vehicle. They demanded money from her, speaking in the Tembo language.
“I was terrified. I kept begging them, ‘Please, forgive me.’ They refused. Six of them dragged me into the forest while four stayed in the vehicle. They tore off my clothes, tied me up, and raped me. They beat me and covered my mouth with cloth,” she recounted.
She explained that her right hand was tied to one tree, the left to another, before being forced to kneel and assaulted. “All six of them raped me, one after another,” she said.
Afterwards, the fighters abandoned her, and she was rescued by passersby who took her to hospital. Although she received treatment and has since returned to work, she still suffers physical pain from the ordeal.
Another woman, a mother of four living in a camp in southern Masisi territory, said that in January 2024, she returned to her farmland to gather food for her children, where she was captured by three fighters from APCLS, a militia allied with the FDLR.
“They told me if I tried to run, they would shoot me. One said, ‘Instead of killing her, let us use her body.’ They pinned me to the ground and stripped me. I could not resist, my children would have been left without their mother and father. I accepted it to save them,” she said.
After raping her, the fighters warned her never to speak of what happened or they would kill her if they saw her again. “What I wish is that they too, may one day suffer what I went through. Only God knows the punishment they deserve,” she said.
In North Kivu, another woman, referred to as “Safia” for her safety said she encountered four armed men while collecting cassava leaves in her field. She suspected they were from Nyatura and FDLR, describing them as filthy, poorly dressed, and smoking marijuana.
“They told me I could not return home, then slapped me when I tried to respond. They accused me of working with the M23, saying that was why they had to rape me. I screamed for help, but no one came. They told me I was only calling for M23 to hear me, but even if they did, they would do nothing,” she explained.
She recalled how two of the men carried weapons while the others held her down, tearing off her clothes before raping her. “When they finished, I was left naked. I hid, waiting for someone to pass by and give me something to cover myself so I could return home,” she said.
“Safia” added that after people in her community learned of the assault, she was ostracised, and even her husband abandoned her because of what had happened. Ashamed, she decided never to return to her church.
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In February 2025, as M23 fighters advanced to capture the city of Bukavu, soldiers of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) and members of the pro-government Wazalendo militia fled towards Uvira territory, leaving behind a trail of atrocities.
A 28-year-old woman from Bukavu recounted that on the night of February 12, while she was sleeping with her husband and children, FARDC soldiers forcefully entered their home.
“They banged on the door, demanding that we open immediately or they would shoot. When they entered, they saw my husband and asked, ‘What are you still doing here?’ They started beating him. There were three of them, speaking Lingala. Two took my husband outside and continued beating him,” she said.
She described how one of the soldiers dragged her into the living room and threatened her life.
“They asked me, ‘Do you want to die or do you want us to spare you?’ I started crying and pleading. One soldier pushed me to the ground. I told him, ‘I am pregnant.’ He replied, ‘I don’t care.’ While one handed his weapon to another, he raped me. When he finished, a second soldier took his turn. I screamed loudly,” she explained.
Her family has since called on the DRC government to investigate FARDC officers implicated in war crimes and gross human rights violations committed during the ongoing conflict in North and South Kivu.
“The time has come for President Félix Tshisekedi of the DRC to honour his pledge of justice and accountability, to ensure that Wazalendo fighters who committed these crimes face prosecution, and that others are reintegrated into civilian life.”
