KAMPALA, May 29, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Twelve African countries, including Rwanda, on Wednesday condemned the M23 armed group for setting up "parallel administrations" in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Kigali's condemnation of a group that it supports militarily comes as the M23 stands accused of human rights violations in the region, where it has seized large areas since January.

The United Nations has notably denounced the M23 for summary executions of suspects, some of them minors, while on Tuesday, Amnesty International accused it of killing and torturing civilians that it was holding illegally.

The group denies the charges.

In a joint statement, the 12 African countries said they "condemn the territorial advances and installation of parallel administrations" by the M23 and the Congo River Alliance (AFC) of which it is a part.

The DRC also signed the declaration at a regional meeting in Entebbe, Uganda.

Two analysts recently told AFP that Rwanda had begun to question its support for the M23 because of the financial and diplomatic cost.

Belgium, the former colonial power in the DRC and Rwanda, has been vocal in the international community in criticising Kigali for its support of the M23.

The text signed in Entebbe also calls for all other "foreign armed groups" active in restive eastern DRC to be dismantled and to "lay down their weapons without conditions".

They include the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), which was founded by former Rwandan Hutu leaders of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis.

The M23 accuses Kinshasa of supporting the FDLR and maintains that its offensive in the mineral-rich region is justified to neutralise the group.

Another group is the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) of Ugandan-origin rebels, who swore allegiance to the Islamic State and are behind massacres that have killed thousands.

Congolese troops are fighting the ADF, backed by Ugandan troops, who are also helping the DRC against the Cooperative for the Development of Congo (CODECO), a community-based militia.

Also urged to lay down its arms is the Resistance for the Rule of Law in Burundi (RED-Tabara), which has been less active in recent years but has conducted attacks on Burundian soil.

Burundi has sent more than 10,000 soldiers since October 2023 to help the Congolese army fight the M23 and other armed groups.