According to a statement, rebels from the Congo River Alliance-March 23 Movement (AFC/M23) organized and carried out coordinated operations of systematic looting in the city and its surroundings, despite announcements of withdrawal.

“The South Kivu provincial government condemns these criminal acts in the strongest possible terms; it urges the international community, the United Nations, the African Union, the International Criminal Court, and human rights organizations to document these events and initiate legal proceedings without delay,” the statement said.

The statement added that silence, inaction, and complicity in the face of these crimes is a grave moral and legal responsibility, as such acts deliberately exacerbate the food crisis and increase the vulnerability of the population.

It noted that the vast majority depend on agriculture and livestock farming, but are being denied access to their fields and deprived of their herds, which amounts to a form of collective punishment.

The text asserted that the systematic destruction of livelihoods, widespread looting, economic exploitation, and deliberate food starvation are part of a planned criminal strategy, liable to be classified as war crimes and crimes against humanity.

jdt/jav/mem/kmg