A Human Rights Watch report released on August 20, 2025, alleges that Rwanda-backed M23 rebels killed at least 140 people, predominantly ethnic Hutus, in farming communities near Virunga National Park in North Kivu province, eastern Congo, in July. The killings are described as "summary executions" and part of M23’s ongoing military campaign against the Hutu-led Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). Many Hutus fled to Congo after the 1994 Rwandan genocide, and tensions have persisted since.

Witnesses reported that M23, supported by Rwandan soldiers, ordered bodies to be buried immediately or left unburied, thwarting funeral rites. One survivor recounted a mass shooting of about 70 civilians. M23 denied the accusations, calling them propaganda. The UN has termed the conflict in eastern Congo as one of the most complex humanitarian crises. A separate Amnesty International report revealed that both M23 and Congolese militias committed atrocities, including gang rapes. Amnesty called for accountability from both Rwanda and Congo.