Masisi : over 70 women raped in MPATI, abandoned by their families

SOS Médias Burundi

Goma, September 29, 2025 – The town of MPATI, located in the Bashali chiefdom, Masisi territory, has been the epicenter of fighting since April 2023 between the Congolese armed forces, supported by local Wazalendo militias, and elements of the M23, affiliated with the Congo River Alliance (AFC), a politico-military movement hostile to Kinshasa. In this context, more than 70 women, mostly girls aged 14 to 20, were victims of sexual violence.

This violence affected this part of North Kivu province, as well as the neighboring province of South Kivu, exacerbating the trauma of local communities.

Chilling testimonies

The women interviewed by SOS Médias Burundi on September 21, 2025, recounted acts of barbarism perpetrated by the NYATURA militias and the Collective of Movements for Change – People’s Defense Forces (CMC-FDP).

M. N., a resident of MPATI, testified :

“Almost all the women here were raped during the war. I myself suffered barbaric acts at the hands of General Guidon’s men. I lost my home because my husband could no longer bear me after this trauma.”

S. O., 17, recounts :

“I was in the field looking for vegetables. Two men in military uniform stopped me and forced me to undress to have sex. When I hesitated, one of them fired three shots to scare me. For more than three hours, I suffered this unrelenting violence and fainted. A few minutes later, an old woman came to pick me up and took me to the MPATI health center. Since then, I can no longer go out or greet people because everyone calls me ‘military wife.’ I ask women’s rights organizations to help us, because we are suffering from these blunders.”

An alarming situation

According to Safari Mbarushimana Jean de Dieu, chief of the MPATI locality :

“Between April and October 2024, at least three women were raped every day. They were forced to submit to the military in inhumane conditions. Even the leaders of these militias could not prevent their elements from using force to harm the lives of Congolese women. The total number of victims now stands at more than 70 women.”

Residents report that the violence ceased when M23 elements, affiliated with the AFC, took control of MPATI and a significant portion of the Bashali chiefdom.

Emmanuel N. R., administrator of the Masisi territory under the AFC M23, explains :

“Pleadings continue to see if non-governmental organizations can intervene in the Bashali chiefdom, particularly with women victims of sexual violence, who are often abandoned by their families.

An alarming number of victims, according to MSF

According to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), nearly 40,000 victims of sexual violence were treated in North Kivu province in 2024, a record number. Since January 2025, consultations have continued at an alarming rate in MSF-supported facilities in this part of North Kivu province, as well as in South Kivu.

Since the beginning of the year, M23 rebels have controlled the provincial capitals of North and South Kivu, as well as several other strategic mineral-rich areas. Congolese authorities accuse Rwanda of supporting these rebels, a charge Kigali firmly denies.