DR Congo conflict: M23 rebels killed 140 civilians despite peace process, Human Rights Watch says

Attacks were carried out in more than a dozen villages last month, Human Rights Watch says.

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This is despite a peace process, brokered by the US and Qatar, to end the conflict in the region.

Witnesses told the advocacy group that the Rwanda-backed rebels "summarily executed" local residents, including women and children, largely from the Hutu ethnic group in the Rutshuru area, near the Virunga National Park.

The rebels denied the allegations, accusing HRW of "falsifying" its report and being an "instrument of propaganda" for the government.