By Rorisang Modiba
- M23 rebels expelled families from Goma, accusing them of being Rwandan and claiming their documents were fake.
- Witnesses said women and children were among those rounded up and sent to Rwanda without their identity papers.
M23 rebels expelled families from Goma, accusing them of being Rwandan and claiming their documents were fake.
Witnesses said women and children were among those rounded up and sent to Rwanda without their identity papers.
Armed M23 rebels forced thousands of people out of Goma, claiming they were illegal immigrants from Rwanda.
M23 spokesperson Willy Ngoma on Monday showed off a group of 181 people and said they were Rwandan nationals who had no right to be in the country.
Witnesses said the group was rounded up and loaded onto trucks. Their Congolese identity documents were burnt, with M23 claiming the papers were fake.
Among those removed were women and children, believed to be family members of the accused.
Most of the expelled families are originally from Karenga in North Kivu, an area that was once controlled by the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). The FDLR has a violent history in the region.
M23 and the Rwandan government both blame Congo’s leaders for backing the FDLR.
Many of the families had been staying at a displacement camp in Sake, near Goma, before they were taken.
The United Nations refugee agency said 360 people were sent back to Rwanda on Saturday. Spokesperson Eujin Byun confirmed their removal.
Eastern Congo is rich in minerals but has suffered decades of fighting between government forces and armed groups. M23 is one of the most active rebel groups in the area and, according to UN experts, is backed by around 4,000 Rwandan troops.
Pictured above: Rebels.
Image source: File
