The East African Community Regional Force (EACRF) deployed in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has said it will send a verification mission to investigate crimes allegedly committed by the M23 rebels, media has reported.
According to the reports, 11 men were killed in Rutshuru territory, about 100 km north of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province in eastern DRC. It was noted that the bodies were found after the rebels withdrew from the area. Earlier, the group reportedly clashed with other armed groups there.
In response to the allegations, spokesman for the M23 group Lawrence Kanyuka denied any involvement in the killings, highlighting that it had already handed over the territory to the EACRF.
Last summer, amid deteriorating security in the eastern part of the country where the M23 group started an uprising against the government, member countries of the East African Community (EAC) set up a regional force with a mandate to secure peace and stability. Burundi, Kenya, South Sudan and Uganda have so far deployed their contingents to eastern DRC.
Since their deployment in the region, there has been a fragile ceasefire between the M23 and the regular Congolese forces. In May, East Africa's leaders decided to prolong the mandate of the regional military force until September. In a statement, the EAC pointed to its "tremendous progress in its efforts to restore peace and stability in the eastern DRC."
The regional bloc said the EACRF will continue to ensure the ceasefire and will also monitor the withdrawal of armed groups that have handed over most of the areas under their control to the EACRF.