Goma, May 10, 2025 , Rwandan soldiers (RDF) carried out violent sweeps across several neighborhoods in Goma, including Ndosho, Kyeshero, and others.
Their target: Anyone suspected of being Rwandan , men, women, children, and youth indiscriminately arrested without any evidence.
The result: Over 100 people abducted.
Some of them have reportedly been forcibly conscripted into the M23 rebel group, subjected to degrading and inhumane conditions used as expendable manpower, many likely to be executed.
Others remain missing. Some are believed to have already died, while others are facing forced repatriation to Rwanda, in blatant violation of international refugee protection laws.
Names of some of the abducted individuals:
- Nirere Agnès
- Mukaniheri Alphonsine
- Tuyishime Marie Shukuru
- Akuzwe Justin
- Kwizera Dorcas
- Uwikunda Diane
- Tuyishime Olive
- Quivin
This is no longer just a tragedy. It is a deliberate campaign of persecution. The deafening silence of the international community amounts to complicity.
Rwandan refugees are being handed over to their persecutors defenceless, voiceless, and without justice.
Ethnic Cleansing Of Hutus In Eastern Drc
Reports further reveal that Hutu populations in eastern DRC both Rwandan refugees and Congolese Hutus are facing an escalating threat of extermination by the M23–RDF–AFC coalition.
Under the false pretext of “fighting FDLR rebels,” the RDF-M23 alliance indiscriminately labels all Hutus as enemies, thereby justifying their persecution, forced disappearances, or killings. Even Congolese Hutus are being wrongly identified as Rwandans to facilitate ethnic cleansing.
This campaign is part of a deliberate plan to eliminate native Hutu populations and replace them with groups loyal to Paul Kagame’s regime.
The marginalized and poor Hutu communities are being scapegoated as FDLR, serving as the justification for a calculated and accelerating campaign of ethnic extermination.
These developments are not isolated incidents , they constitute crimes against humanity, and in some cases, may amount to genocide. The international community can no longer afford to remain silent. Immediate and coordinated action is essential.
The international bodies such as the United Nations, the African Union, and human rights organizations must intervene to ensure that justice is served and that those responsible face consequences.
Moreover, it is imperative that the UNHCR fully upholds its mandate, ensuring that no refugee is subjected to forced return or persecution. This includes actively monitoring and responding to the alarming cases of forced repatriation and disappearances.
Finally, the gravity of these acts requires the International Criminal Court (ICC) to open a formal investigation. Patterns of ethnic targeting, forced recruitment, and disappearances must not go unpunished.