As the M23 armed group advanced farther into the country, the UN voiced alarm on Friday about the pervasive bloodshed in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, warning of mass rapes and summary murders.
In a region where there has been decades of war between various armed factions, the group’s capture of the majority of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, earlier this week signaled a dramatic escalation.
Credible allegations that Rwandan-backed M23 rebels were moving south from Goma to Bukavu, the capital of neighboring South Kivu province, profoundly alarmed the UN on Thursday.
Since the start of the conflict, bombs have damaged at least two locations housing internally displaced people (IDPs), killing civilians, according to Jeremy Laurence, spokesman for the U.N. rights office.
In Geneva, he told reporters, “We have also documented summary executions of at least 12 people by M23 between 26 and 28 January.”
He asserted that M23 had captured hospitals and schools in South Kivu’s Minova district, driven IDPs from camps, and subjected the civilian populace to forced labor and conscription.
He asserted that in Kalehe territory, the rights office had recorded instances of sexual violence committed by the army and affiliated Wazalendo rebels throughout the battle.
He said, “We are confirming reports that Congolese troops raped 52 women in South Kivu, including alleged gang rape reports.”
Separately, he referenced accusations from DRC officials that at least 165 women were sexually assaulted by male convicts during the January 27 escape of over 4,000 criminals from Goma’s Muzenze prison, which was attacked by the M23.
Laurence told the audience that for decades, violent strife in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo has been characterized by horrific sexual abuse.
According to UN human rights chief Volker Turk, he is especially worried that this most recent escalation could significantly increase the likelihood of sexual assault associated to conflicts.
Laurence cautioned that the hazards were being made worse by the extensive proliferation of weaponry in Goma.
Additionally, he asked investigators to guarantee accountability and bring the offenders to justice.
This week, Ruth Maclean, the head of the New York Times’ West Africa bureau, told CBS News that the surge in violence in Goma was especially alarming because, for months, residents of the nearby countryside had flocked to the city to escape the conflict.
Maclean claims that a large number of the displaced people were at risk since they were living outdoors.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo, the United Nations, and numerous Western governments all charge Rwanda’s government with backing M23 in an effort to seize and exploit the enormous mineral resources of their much larger eastern neighbor, intensifying a conflict that has been raging for years across numerous international borders.
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