Kufre George
M23 rebels killed at least 131 civilians in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo late last month as part of a campaign of murder, rape, kidnapping and looting
Authorities in Kinshasa had earlier said more than 270 people were killed in the M23 attacks in North Kivu province.
In a preliminary investigation released yesterday into the November 29-30 massacres in the villages of Kishishe and Bambo, the UN peacekeeping mission and the Joint Human Rights Office found the killings were undertaken in retaliation for clashes between M23 and rival armed groups.
It said that 102 men, 17 women and 12 children were killed by bullets or other weapons.
Investigators interviewed 52 victims and direct witnesses, and various other sources in Rwindi, about 20 kilo-meters from Kishishe, where survivors and witnesses had taken refuge
M23, a mostly Congolese Tutsi group, has been leading an offensive in eastern DRC against the Congolese army.
The group, which has captured several towns near the borders of Rwanda and Uganda this year, has denied responsibility for the killings and asked for a full investigation.
