Rebels in Congo used containers to hold journalists in brutal conditions, advocacy group says

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DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — A rebel group in eastern Congo has detained civilians, including two journalists, in metal shipping containers without light or ventilation, an advocacy group said Tuesday.

Reporters Without Borders, or RSF, said the Rwanda-backed M23, which controls parts of eastern Congo, used the containers in the city of Goma as makeshift detention cells under “inhumane” and “degrading” conditions.

Using witness accounts, satellite imagery and photos collected in 2025, RSF said at least two journalists were among those detained in the containers, which were installed at the compound of the provincial legislative assembly in Goma. Witnesses' identities have been withheld for security reasons.

As many as 80 detainees at a time were placed inside a container, without light or ventilation and allowed out only once a day. Witnesses said they received minimal food, while some reported routine beatings. According to the testimonies, conditions were extreme — suffocating heat by day and cold at night — with deaths reported. Survivors were often held for weeks before being transferred to other locations.

M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka accused RSF in a post on X Tuesday of “spreading unfounded reports” and “disinformation.”

The rebels' takeover of Goma last year has worsened conditions for journalists operating in eastern Congo, where threats and attacks were already widespread. Reporters Without Borders said the M23 has tightened control over media coverage, including imposing restrictions on the language used to describe its presence.

The mineral-rich eastern Congo has been battered by decades of unrest as government forces fight more than 100 armed groups, the most potent being M23. Its fighters made an unprecedented advance into the region early last year, seizing key cities as they quickly expanded their presence.

The conflict, which has raged on despite a truce brokered by the United States and Qatar, has sparked a huge humanitarian crisis, with at least 7 million people displaced.