FPP, MRG, CEDH and ERND denounce the extrajudicial killing of Batwa women and children in the Democratic Republic of Congo

An abridged version of the statement below was delivered by Richard Badosa on behalf of MRG, CEDH, ERND and FPP to the UN Human Rights Council’s 61^st Session, under Item 10, the Enhanced ID on report of the High Commissioner on the Democratic Republic of Congo, on Tuesday 25^th March 2026.

Joint statement by organisations defending the rights of the Batwa Indigenous Peoples regarding the targeted killings of members of the Batwa Indigenous community in Kalehe territory, and a call for independent investigations and urgent protection of civilians.

The organisations Forest Peoples Programme (FPP), Minority Rights Group (MRG), Centre d'espoire pour les droits humain (CEDH), and Environnement, Ressources Naturelles et Developpemennt (ERND), which are committed to the protection and promotion of the rights of Batwa Indigenous Peoples in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, express their deep outrage and strong condemnation following the extremely serious attack that took place on 5 March 2026 in the locality of Mihonga/Mirenzo, Kalehe territory, in South Kivu province.

According to consistent reports gathered from credible local sources, two women from the Batwa Indigenous community, identified as FURAHA KADAKALA and NEEMA KASONGO, accompanied by three children, identified as TABENI MANDANDA, MITUME MALIBUKO, and MALIYETU MALIBUKO, were on their way to the market in Katasomwa when they were intercepted in the village of Murangu by a group of armed men believed to belong to the AFC/M23 movement.

According to witness accounts, the two women were subjected to sexual violence before being shot dead at point-blank range. The three children accompanying them, including their own children and the son of Mr Fabrice Katengura, were also shot dead during this extremely brutal attack.

These acts constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law and human rights, notably the killing of civilians, the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war, and the execution of children. They take place against a backdrop of persistent vulnerability among the Batwa Indigenous Peoples, particularly in the areas surrounding Kahuzi-Biega National Park, where this community regularly suffers violence, discrimination and forced displacement.

The organisations FPP, MRG, CEDH and ERND consider that these crimes appear to form part of a pattern of targeted violence against members of a particularly marginalised indigenous minority in order to control their land and resources, which compounds the gravity of these acts.

The organisations FPP, MRG, CEDH and ERND express their deep solidarity with the families of the victims and with the entire Batwa indigenous community in the territory of Kalehe.

The Batwa indigenous peoples have the right to life, dignity, security and justice, just like all citizens of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In light of this alarming situation, the organisations FPP, MRG, CEDH and ERND call on the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to:

1. Initiate without delay an independent, impartial and transparent investigation to identify those responsible and bring them to justice, ensuring that they are held accountable for their actions in accordance with Congolese law and international standards.
2. To put in place adequate reparations for the victims’ families.
3. To urgently strengthen measures to protect civilian populations, in particular the Batwa Indigenous Peoples living around Kahuzi-Biega National Park (PNKB).

To the armed groups operating in the region:

Immediately cease attacks targeting civilians in general, and the Batwa Indigenous communities living in the Kahuzi-Biega forest in particular, and ensure strict compliance with international humanitarian law. To the international community — notably the United Nations, the European Union, the African Union, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and humanitarian partners:

* To support the establishment of independent investigations into these crimes;

* To strengthen protection mechanisms for Batwa Indigenous communities exposed to armed violence in eastern DRC in general, and in particular those living on the outskirts of Kahuzi-Biega National Park.

Signatories:

Forest Peoples Programme (FPP)

Minority Rights Group (MRG)

Centre d'espoire pour les droits humain (CEDH)

Environnement, Ressources Naturelles et Developpemennt (ERND)