Democratic Republic of Congo's M23 rebels allegedly executed scores of villagers and militia members between November and April and buried their bodies in mass graves, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Wednesday, accusing Rwanda of backing the group.
Last year, the United Nations accused the group of executing at least 131 people in November in retaliation for clashes between M23 and rival armed groups. The UN's human rights office then later said that 171 civilians were executed in the last 10 days of November.
In April and May, after the group withdrew from Kishishe, HRW used photos, videos, testimonies, and satellite images to establish the presence of 14 mass graves in the village.
The M23 denied the allegations in a statement and accused the watchdog of seeking to tarnish its image.
Congo and Rwanda have both taken part in talks mediated by other African leaders to try to resolve the resurgent conflict. Ceasefires have been agreed to and a regional force was announced in April to fight militia groups, but fighting has continued.
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