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DR Congo: Children executed in Bukavu, UN Human Rights office says
The UN Human Rights office, OHCHR, confirmed cases of summary execution of children by the Rwanda-backed M23 militia after they captured the provincial capital of Bukavu at the week-end.
At a scheduled press briefing in Geneva on Tuesday, Ravina Shamdasani, OHCHR spokesperson said that the sharp deterioration of the situation in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo was “resulting in serious human rights violations and abuses, such as summary executions, including of children, and conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence, attacks on hospitals and humanitarian warehouses, as well as threats against the judiciary”.
Confirming the reported execution of three children since the rebels took control of Bukavu, second major city in eastern Congo, Ms. Shamdasani said that the boys were between 11 and 15 years old and were allegedly using abandoned military uniforms and weapons. They were killed after apparently refusing to surrender their weapons to the M23 group, she said.
The UN human rights office has also documented cases of child and forced recruitment, inhumane treatment, conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence, intimidation and death threats. Ms. Shamdasani voiced concerns for journalists, human rights activists and members of civil society organizations who are seeking protection from reprisals by M23.
“We call on Rwanda and M23 to ensure that human rights and international humanitarian law are respected”, insisted Ms. Shamdasani.
During a special session on DRC on 7 February, the United Nations Human Rights Council launched a commission that will investigate atrocities, including rapes and killings that could amount to “summary executions” committed by both sides of the conflict since the beginning of the year.
Meanwhile, thousands of people fleeing the violence have arrived in Burundi.
According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), between 10,000 and 15,000 people have crossed into Burundi over the last few days. “The majority of those arriving are Congolese, mainly from the Bukavu area in South Kivu where the situation continues to deteriorate”, explained Matthew Saltmarsh, UNHCR spokesperson. A smaller number of Burundian nationals have also returned to their country fleeing the clashes.
There are also reports of thousands arriving through unofficial border points, including along the Rusizi River near Rugombo, where several individuals drowned. Conditions in the communities near the border are extremely dire, with a lack of shelter, water and sanitation facilities.
The fall of Bukavu in the hands of the M23 rebels, a major city of 1.3 million people, follows the seizure of Goma, 101 kilometres to the north last month, where at least 3,000 were reported killed and thousands displaced. The M23 is the most prominent of over 100 armed groups fighting for the control of eastern Congo’s mineral wealth that is needed for global technology.
“The situation in the eastern DRC remains extremely challenging, with recent clashes in South Kivu forcing more than 150,000 people to flee”, said Mr. Saltmarsh. “At least 85,000 of these individuals are living in newly created spontaneous sites for internally displaced people, where basic services such as water, shelter and access to health services are in short supply”, he added.
Once registered, refugees are relocated to transit centres, where UNHCR and its partners are providing life-saving supplies including food, clean drinking water and essential health services. “However, overcrowding in transit centres, with some currently hosting up to four times their initial capacity, is becoming a major concern as resources are stretched, heightening tensions among the arrivals”, explained Mr. Saltmarsh.
The new influx joins the 91,000 refugees and asylum-seekers Burundi already hosts, mainly from the DRC, many of whom have been in the country for decades.
The UN Refugee Agency launched an appeal of $226 million for 2025 to respond to the protracted emergency in the DRC. It is currently 10 per cent funded.
Ends
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