The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) have issued a firm response to statements by leaders of the politico-military movement AFC/M23 concerning the security situation in eastern DRC and allegations of persecution against the Banyamulenge (Tutsi) community. Those accusations were made during a press conference held last week in Goma, the capital of North Kivu province.
In a statement released on Monday, June 22, 2026, signed by Lieutenant Colonel Mak Hazukay Mongba, interim spokesman for the FARDC, the Congolese army accused the rebel group of waging a “propaganda and disinformation campaign” aimed at discrediting the Republic’s institutions and diverting attention from the coalition’s role in the war of aggression against the DRC, as well as from the serious violations of international humanitarian law and human rights regularly attributed to it.
According to the FARDC, allegations of massacres, exterminations, or persecutions directed against any Congolese community are “completely unfounded.” The army believes these accusations are intended to conceal the responsibilities of the AFC/M23 coalition in the conflict that has been devastating eastern DRC.
“We categorically reject allegations of alleged massacres, exterminations, or persecutions targeting any Congolese community. These allegations are utterly baseless. They come at a time when multiple United Nations reports and international human rights organizations have documented grave violations attributed to the RDF-AFC/M23 coalition, including summary executions, civilian killings, abductions, forced recruitment, sexual violence, forced displacement, and other serious breaches of international humanitarian law,” the FARDC declared.
The FARDC views these “false” and “cynical” accusations as an attempt to distort reality and protect the coalition from accountability. They also strongly denounce what they call an effort by the RDF-AFC/M23 coalition to manipulate community identities and linguistic affiliations in order to foment division among Congolese citizens.
According to the Congolese military, this campaign specifically aims to artificially pit the populations of eastern DRC against their compatriots in other provinces, weakening national cohesion and serving the political and military interests of the coalition.
“This campaign aims to artificially oppose Congolese populations living in the east of the country to their compatriots from other provinces, in order to weaken national cohesion and serve the coalition’s political and military objectives. The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo recall that they are a national, republican, and inclusive army, composed of Congolese men and women from all provinces of the country,” the statement added.
Furthermore, the FARDC notes that the primary victims of the war of aggression waged by the RDF-AFC/M23 coalition are the Congolese populations in the eastern provinces. For years, these communities have suffered the direct effects of insecurity, forced displacement, abuses, and human rights violations linked to the coalition’s activities and its allies.
The army stresses that the suffering of these people cannot be exploited for a disinformation campaign or to set them against their compatriots from other provinces. It emphasizes that it continues its operations precisely to ensure their protection, guarantee their security, and preserve the territorial integrity of the nation, in line with its constitutional mandate.
“The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo warn against any propaganda, disinformation, or hate speech campaign that could compromise national cohesion, the security of the population, and the peace restoration efforts in areas affected by the aggression,” the FARDC warned.
“The FARDC remain fully committed to fulfilling their constitutional mission of defending territorial integrity, protecting the population, and neutralizing any hostile force that threatens national sovereignty. They will not be distracted by disinformation campaigns or manipulation attempts aimed at weakening the nation’s resolve in the face of aggression,” the document further stated.
This latest statement from the FARDC comes amid persistent tensions between Kinshasa and the AFC/M23, as well as continued hostilities in eastern DRC. On June 18, during a press conference in Goma, movement leaders accused the Congolese government of repeated ceasefire violations and highlighted a dire humanitarian situation in several localities in the Hauts-Plateaux region of South Kivu province.
AFC/M23 coordinator Corneille Nangaa specifically blamed President Félix Tshisekedi’s regime. He claimed that military operations in the area were designed to exterminate the Banyamulenge community through the use of armed drones and reflected an intention to challenge their belonging to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
