'Dem kill all dis young pipo' - BBC investigate alleged massacre for Congolese city wey rebel dey control

Na Freddy Mukuza friend witness im final moment. Di friend bin stand helpless, 50m (160 ft) away.

Wen im hear say M23 rebels shoot Freddy, im and oda pipo rush to di scene for Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

"Wen we arrive, we find say Freddy still dey breathe, and we bin wan take am away, but di M23 no allow us," di friend tok - (for di purpose of dis story, we call di friend Justin).

"Wen we insist, dem fire bullets for di ground as if to say: 'If una dare cross dis perimeter, we go kill una too."

So dem gatz to keep dia distance, as Freddy, 31, take im last breath. Na only den di M23 allow dem to approach and take im body away.

Shortly bifor di killing, three pick-up trucks wey rebel fighters full inside bin don come to Freddy neighbourhood - Kasika.

Na around 15:00 on Saturday 22 February - almost one month afta di rebel group bin capture Goma for one quick advance thru di east of di kontri.

Inside one hour or so, dem don kill betwin 17 and 22 pipo, mostly young men, according to our sources.

We don gather detailed accounts from residents, who we no fit identify sake of dia own protection.

We ask di M23 to respond to di allegation say dem dey carry out mass killing for di neighbourhood. Dem no reply.

Officials for Kasika neva release a death toll, and e no dey look like say dem go carry out any independent criminal investigation into wetin di residents dey call a massacre.

But di local pipo for dia insist say di M23 na di only armed group wey fit to dey operate freely, and shoot to kill for broad daylight in Goma.

Since dem take control of di city, di rebels dey in complete control. For di 18 days we bin spend on di ground, dia authority dey absolute.

Dem don dey accused in di past say dem dey carry out atrocities for oda areas.

Di heavily armed rebels no dey act alone. Dem dey get backing from neighbouring Rwanda, according to di UN and di US.

Rwanda dey deny dis, but dem no longer dey deny say dia troops dey on ground for inside DR Congo, as dem tok say dem dey dia for self-defence.

E dey believed say di M23 bin target Kasika bicos one Congolese army base bin dey for di area.

Dem don close dat base - di Katindo camp - now but some of di soldiers and dia families still dey for di district.

"No be all di bin dey able to run away," one local resident tok. "Some bin throw away dia guns and remain around di neighbourhood."

But Freddy Mukuza na civilian - a married man wit two children who just dey struggle to get by. Wen tins hard, e dey use im motorcycle to dey carry passengers to take dey earn a living.

Im na also activist and songwriter who bin don rap about di many problems for im homeland - a kontri wey dey rich for minerals but di pipo dey among di poorest for di world.

DR Congo dey known as a place of corruption and instability - and of conflict, wey don reach 30 years. Dat na wen if di kontri and dia suffering dey remembered at all.

Sexual violence dey endemic. Di govment dey weak, at best.

Freddy get plenty tins to rap about.

One of im songs na 'Au Secours' (Help in French), di lyrics dey full of questions wey neva dey answered:

"Who go come to di aid of dis people? Who go come to di aid of dis women wey dem rape? Who go come to di aid of dis men wey no dey employed?... Di pipo dey for danger, dem no get enough to eat. Dem [di authorities] dey buy jeeps."

On di day of im death, Freddy bin dey move into a new home wey im rent for Kasika. Im brother-in-law bin dey help am to put tarpaulin ova di roof.

Im sister-in-law bin dey dia too, getting di house ready for Freddy's family. Wen dem hear di shooting, dem bin dey inside and rush to close di door, but di M23 see dem.

Di rebels shoot and kill Freddy two in-laws, according to im friend Justin.

Since den, Justin neva fit leave di house, not even to earn money. Im family dey survive on vegetables and fruit. Tea na luxury wey dem no go fit afford.

E don stop im children from going to school, sake of fear say di M23 fit take dem by force and force dem to join dem.

"We believe say e dey more important for dem to stay alive," he tok.

Im entire world now na di four walls of im house. E dey always get dis fear say di rebels fit come bak to hunt for young men.

Just di sight of one of dia pick-up trucks for di street dey cause di locals to start running, e tok.

E dey rare dis days to see a group of young pipo wey dey talk together, e tell us, and neighbours no longer share dia complain about di authorities as dem bin dey do bifor di rebels take over.

"Bifor, we get bad governance, but we dey free," e tok. "We get embezzlement. We get mismanagement and we dey speak out about dat. We get di chance to go to court. Today, bad governance still dey, but we dey live in terror and silence."

Justin dey speak to us bicos e want make pipo remember im friend Freddy Mukuza, and e also want di outside world to know about life and death under di M23.

Since di killings, Kasika don dey shrouded in fear. Local journalists neva report di tori.

But somebody bin post one shaky video on top social media di next day, 23 February, wey appear to show some of di victims: 10 bodies dey visible - dem dump dem for heap, inside one uncompleted building. E no clear weda any of di dead pipo na soldiers.

None of dem wear uniform and no sign of any weapons show for di video.

For di background pipo dey scream and shout. One woman repeat over and over: "Dem dey 10 of them," as she dey move from body to body.

"Dem go finish us all," she tok. "Dem kill all dis young people. No be Junior be dat? I think say na im. E be house builder."

Witout di video, news of di killings fit no spread beyond di neighbourhood.

But di footage dey shocking even by di violent standards of DR Congo.

Our sources say e dey authentic. One confirm say di location of di video na inside Kasika.

E bin visit di place afta dem remove di bodies. And e bin recognise one of di pipo wey dey cry for di video, from around di neighbourhood.

Two of our sources say di youngest pesin wey die for Kasika na one boy wey dey about 13 to14. Di teenager bin dey inside im own home, hiding behind im sisters.

"Di M23 said: 'If dis boy no come wit us, we go kill all of una," one man tell us.

Dem later lead di boy away to im death.

Also, one young woman dey among di victims. She bin dey sell milk for di overcrowded streets.

Anoda pesin wey dem kill na anoda street vendor wey dey im twenties.

Wen di shooting bin start, im dey sit for im usual spot - for di pavement outside im own front door, selling airtime for mobile phones and home-made doughnuts.

Pipo hear as e dey plead wit di rebels: "I no be soldier.

"I just dey sell airtime. Look, dis na my tin - my airtime and my basket of doughnuts."

Den e run. One of im friends continue di story. We go call am John.

"I bin dey inside house, and I heard gunfire," John tell us. "Pipo dey say: 'Dem dey take young pipo by force.' I see as pipo dey run, including my friend, so I run wit dem.

"Wen we reach di main road, dem still dey shoot, and I hear gunfire behind me and somebody bin fall."

Dat na di doughnut seller.

Despite im age, e still dey secondary school, for im final year. Im na detrmined student but e bin start late bicos im family bin no fit not afford to educate him.

But John say: "Like all young pipo, e bin get dream." And im dream na to become engineer.

John say di rebels no dey care who dem kill.

"Dem no do any inquiry bifor shooting," he tell us. "Dem just dey shoot at evribody wey dey present, and pipo who bin ran away, for two different directions."

Wen di M23 captured Goma, dem bin announce say dem no get prisons. John say dem bin no need any more explanation: "Dat one mean say any body wey dem presume to be a govment soldier, or a thief, or anybody wey make mistake, dem go kill am - immediately."

Afta some weeks, few pipo don try to speak out. "No body want to be next," John tok.

Di bereaved families don hold small hasty burials - witout di usual mourning at home.

"Di rebels no want any funerals," one resident who we go Deborah tok. "Dem no even wan make pipo cry. We bin tink say dem dey come to bring peace, but instead dem come to kill us trowey. Dem bin take every body dem see for street."

As dem dey round up di men, she bin try to step outside. Di rebels order her to go back in, at gunpoint.

Denis Baeni bin dey on im way home wen di rebels arrive for Kasika. E rush into one small shop to hide wit a few odas, our sources tok.

Di primary school teacher bin get im ID card out of im pocket. He fit don tink say e go fit save am bicos na proof sy im be civilian.

One neighbour - wey get knowledge of wetin happen - tell us how e happen. We go call her Rebecca.

"Dem hear a voice from outside asking: 'E get soldiers hia?" Rebecca says. "Dem bin say no but di M23 take dem out of di shop."

Dem tell di men to walk a short distance to a half-built house where they were "assembled for execution".

"Di gunfire plenty," she tok. "Dem dey so close. Dem bin kill 21 pipo at once from our neighbourhood. Many bin just dey pass by."

Rebecca insist say all of dem na civilians. "E no get even one soldier among dem," she tok.

Denis leave behind im two children, who im bin dey raise alone.

Death no be di only danger for hia. Locals dey also face di risk of being recruited to fight - willingly or otherwise.

"Nowadays di men gatz dey house by 5:30 pm," Rebecca tok. "By 6pm e don already dey dark, and dem fit take you very easily."

As families for Kasika dey forced to stifle their grief, di M23 dey continue dia sweep thru eastern DR Congo.

Afta Goma, dem take control di city of Bukavu in mid-February. Dem don threaten to go all di way to di capital, Kinshasa, 1,600km away.

Dem claim say dem be revolutionaries battling a failed state, and defending di rights of minority Tutsis.

Human rights groups paint a very different picture.

Dem don accuse di armed group of plent of abuses since dia foundation in 2012 - including systematic shelling of civilian areas, gang rape and "summary executions". Di allegations don dey documented in a series of reports.

For one recent BBC interview, I ask di rebel leader, Corneille Nangaa, for a response. He na di head of a coalition of political parties and militias wey di name na di Congo River Alliance - wey include di M23.

"I bin no see di reports," e tok. "I no go fit respond for a report wey I no read". He also say e no dey worried by di allegations.

Wen we ask am why e neva read di reports, he say: "Give me one (reason why) I go read am."

Nangaa, na former head of DR Congo's electoral commission, e dey change betwin combat fatigues and smart suits.

Dem dey present am as di unarmed and unthreatening face of di rebels, but di Congolese government dey offer a $5m reward for information wey go lead to im arrest.

Di rebels no dey alone for having a history of brutality. Di same apply to di Congolese army, and to many of di oda armed groups for eastern DR Congo.

But di M23 now na di only authority for many parts of di east, and millions of Congolese dey for dia mercy.

As we bin dey speak to one resident of Kasika, im wife call am and tell am to come quickly to take dia eight-year-old son from school.

Panic dey spread bicos of reports say di M23 dey take children from dia classrooms by force.

E carry im child home safely but e still dey fear for future.

"We all still dey traumatised. Dem say dem come to liberate us," e tok. "But now e be like say na dem dey take us hostage. "







Some Goma residents have said they are living in "terror and silence" following the city's capture by the M23



Corneille Nangaa tell BBC say e no know anytin about past abuses wey pi say di M23 bin don dey commit.