Two separate investigations by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have revealed devastating human rights abuses in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, particularly in areas controlled by the M23 rebels. The reported atrocities include executions and gang rapes of civilians. While M23 has been accused of perpetrating many of these crimes, Congolese state forces have also been implicated. The United Nations has described the decades-long conflict in eastern DR Congo as “one of the most protracted, complex, and serious humanitarian crises on Earth.”