KINSHASA – Rwanda-backed rebels have killed at least 80 people in eastern Congo in recent weeks, Congolese authorities said, despite the ongoing Qatar-led peace process aiming to end the conflict.

The army said in a statement late Friday that it is “fiercely condemning a series of mass murders of civilians by the RDF/M23-AFC coalition” in South Kivu, including of 80 people on Aug. 4 in the village of Nyaborongo, and of six civilians, including two minors, on July 24 in the village of Lumbishi.

“In addition to this excessive criminality, the M23/AFC is engaged in the forced recruitment of young people, including minors, to join their illegal organization,” the statement said.

The continuing violence could threaten Qatar-led efforts to get Congo and the rebels to sign a permanent peace deal by the goal of Aug. 18. One of the deal’s conditions is the protection of civilians and safe return of millions of people displaced by the conflict.

There was no immediate comment from M23.

Earlier this month, the the U.N. human rights chief said that M23 killed 319 people over the past month in a different part of the region, describing the toll as one of the largest documented in such attacks since the M23 rebels resurfaced in 2022.

Citing firsthand accounts, U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk said in a statement that the rebels, backed by members of the Rwandan Defense Force, targeted four villages in North Kivu province’s Rutshuru territory between July 9 and July 21.

M23 denied the accusations and called the U.N. statement “unverified and politically motivated.”

“These allegations constitute a blatant manipulation of the facts, a violation of basic principles of impartiality, and a serious attack on the credibility of U.N. institutions,” said Lawrence Kanyuka, the spokesperson for the Congo River Alliance, an umbrella organization which includes M23. “We call for the opening of an independent investigation and hope that the organizations that published this report can participate in it.”

The M23 earlier this year seized two key cities in eastern Congo, in a major escalation with the help of neighboring Rwandan forces. Congo has long been wracked by deadly conflict in its mineral-rich east, with more than 100 armed groups active.

The two sides on July 19 signed a declaration of principles in Qatar to end the fighting and commit to a comprehensive peace agreement that would include the restoration of state authorities in key eastern cities controlled by the insurgents.