Freddy Mukuza’s final moments were witnessed by a friend, who stood helpless, 50m (160 ft) away. When he heard that Freddy had been shot – by M23 rebels he was told – he and others rushed to the scene in Goma, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. “When we arrived, we found Freddy still breathing, and wanted to take him away, but the M23 did not allow us,” says the friend, who we are calling Justin.
“When we insisted, they fired bullets into the ground as if to say: ‘If you dare cross this perimeter, we will kill you as well.'” So they had to keep their distance, as Freddy, 31, took his last breath. Only then did the M23 allow them to approach and take away his body.
Shortly before the killing, three pick-up trucks full of rebel fighters had come to Freddy’s neighbourhood – Kasika. It was around 15:00 on Saturday 22 February – almost a month after the rebel group had captured Goma in a rapid advance through the east of the country. Within an hour or so, between 17 and 22 people had been killed, mostly young men, according to our sources.
We have gathered detailed accounts from residents, who cannot be identified, for their own protection. We asked the M23 for a response to the allegation that they carried out a mass killing in the neighbourhood. They did not reply.
Officials in Kasika have not released a death toll, and there is little or no prospect of an independent criminal investigation into what residents are calling a massacre. But locals insist.
