UN Human Rights Chief Condemns Explosive-Weapons Use in South Kivu Amid Escalating FARDC-M23 Fighting

July 9, 2026 — UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk condemned intensifying fighting between the DRC's FARDC forces and M23 rebels in South Kivu's Fizi and Mwenga territories, where both sides deployed armed drones, heavy artillery, and other explosive weapons in populated areas. Türk called for an end to the use of weapons 'with wide-area effects' near civilians, underscoring continued strain on the Doha-mediated ceasefire framework and its verification mechanism even as diplomatic channels between Kinshasa and Kigali remained nominally active.