Amnesty International has condemned both M23 rebels and the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) army for the use of explosive weapons in densely populated areas of the country’s eastern provinces. The human rights organization emphasized that these attacks must cease immediately.
According to Amnesty’s report, explosive weapons with wide-area effects have been deployed over 150 times in recent months, resulting in dozens of civilian casualties. These actions, the organization argues, violate international humanitarian law and could constitute war crimes.
Amnesty has called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to launch an investigation into the incidents. The report’s release comes as violence escalates between M23 rebel forces and the Congolese army, with both sides reportedly using heavy artillery in populated regions.

The United Nations has warned that the conflict has displaced more than 100,000 people since the beginning of 2025, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian crisis in the region.