Eastern DR Congo: 30 years after the Lemera massacre, Human Rights Watch denounces continued impunity and calls for an international judicial mechanism

Thirty years after the October 6, 1996 attack on Lemera hospital in South Kivu, Human Rights Watch recalls that Rwanda-backed AFDL rebel forces killed 37 people. Ida Sawyer, HRW’s director of crisis, conflict and arms, calls for stronger judicial action and an end to support for armed groups responsible for abuses. The attack is one of 617 incidents documented in the UN Mapping Report covering 1993 to 2003, while many alleged perpetrators—including Congolese, Rwandan and Ugandan political and military officials—have not been brought to justice. HRW also warns of continuing violence, including by the M23, which it describes as Rwanda-backed and in control of large areas of North and South Kivu since January 2025.