DR CONGO – The Human Rights Watch group released a report on Tuesday saying that the M23 rebels in DRC executed civilians in February.

In the report, the rights organization said the killings occurred on Feb. 22-23 and most likely many more people could have been killed in Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, which has been under rebel control since late January.

Citing witnesses, the HRW said in one incident on Feb. 22, M23 fighters executed seven people west of Katindo military camp, a former Congolese army barracks.

“The M23’s brutal control over Goma has created a climate of fear among those perceived to be allied to the Congolese government,” said Clementine de Montjoye, senior Great Lakes researcher at HRW.

“The mass killings don’t seem to be actions by rogue fighters, but rather the M23 leadership’s efforts to solidify their control by whatever means necessary.”

The HRW said it remotely interviewed 22 people, including witnesses to the killings, victims’ relatives, and medical workers between February and May.

It added that researchers reviewed media reports, and geolocated and analyzed photographs and videos sent directly by sources or found on social media.

However, Faustin Kashale, an official of a local NGO, the Manzi Foundation which focuses on human rights advocacy in eastern Congo, told Anadolu Agency that the “accusations may be part of a disinformation campaign.” He claimed Goma has found peace since the M23 rebels took control.

Last week, M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka rejected allegations of grave human rights violations allegedly committed at detention sites under their control in eastern Congo.

The accusations described by Kanyuka as baseless propaganda were contained in a report by Amnesty International.

The rebel group currently occupies significant territory in North and South Kivu provinces, including control over the provincial capitals of Goma and Bukavu.

About 1 million people have been displaced in the conflict since late January, according to the UN.