Rebels in Congo used containers to hold journalists in brutal conditions

A rebel group in eastern Congo has detained civilians, including two journalists, in metal shipping containers without light or ventilation, an advocacy group said on Tuesday.

Reporters Without Borders, or RSF, said the Rwanda-backed M23, which controls parts of eastern Congo, used the containers in the city of Goma as makeshift detention cells under “inhumane” and “degrading” conditions.

Using witness accounts, satellite imagery and photos collected in 2025, RSF said at least two journalists were among those detained in the containers, which were installed at the compound of the province’s legislative assembly in Goma.

Witnesses’ identities have been withheld for security reasons. As many as 80 detainees at a time were placed inside a container, without light or ventilation and allowed out only once a day. Witnesses said they received minimal food, while some reported routine beatings. According to the testimonies, conditions were extreme - suffocating heat by day and cold at night - with deaths reported. Survivors were often held for weeks before being transferred to other locations.

The M23 did not immediately respond to a request by The Associated Press for comment.

The rebels’ takeover of Goma last year has worsened conditions for journalists operating in eastern Congo, where threats and attacks were already widespread.