Congo Rebels Imprisoned Journalists in Metal Containers, Rights Group Reports

An international advocacy organization says Rwanda-backed rebels in eastern Congo confined civilians, including two journalists, inside shipping containers without proper lighting or air circulation. Reporters Without Borders documented the harsh detention conditions using witness testimony and satellite images from 2025.

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — An international human rights organization reported Tuesday that armed rebels in eastern Congo imprisoned civilians, including two media workers, inside shipping containers lacking proper lighting and air circulation.

The press freedom organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) documented how the M23 rebel group, which receives backing from Rwanda and controls territory in eastern Congo, converted the metal containers into temporary jail cells under what the group described as “inhumane” and “degrading” circumstances in Goma.

Through witness testimony, satellite photographs, and images gathered in 2025, RSF verified that no fewer than two journalists were among those confined in the containers, which had been positioned at the regional legislative assembly building in Goma. The organization protected witnesses’ names for safety concerns.

Up to 80 prisoners were crammed into single containers simultaneously, deprived of light and fresh air, with permission to exit only once daily. According to witness accounts, detainees received inadequate food portions, while some described regular physical abuse. The testimonies revealed extreme circumstances — sweltering heat during daytime hours and frigid temperatures at night — with fatalities occurring. Those who survived typically endured weeks of confinement before relocation to different facilities.

M23 representatives had not provided a response to Associated Press inquiries by publication time.

The rebel organization’s seizure of Goma in the previous year has deteriorated working conditions for media professionals in eastern Congo, where intimidation and violence against reporters were already common. Reporters Without Borders noted that M23 has strengthened its grip on news reporting, including dictating specific terminology for describing the group’s activities.

Eastern Congo’s resource-abundant territory has endured continuous violence for decades while government troops battle over 100 different armed factions, with the Rwanda-supported M23 being the most formidable. The organization launched an extraordinary offensive into the area in early 2024, capturing strategic urban centers while rapidly expanding territorial control.

The ongoing warfare, which continues despite peace negotiations facilitated by the United States and Qatar, has created a massive humanitarian emergency, forcing no fewer than 7 million individuals from their homes.