The humanitarian emergency in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has deteriorated sharply with serious human rights violations and abuses, including reported summary executions of children and generalised sexual violence.
n an alert on Tuesday, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, confirmed that three children were killed by Rwanda-backed M23 armed group in Bukavu, the city in South Kivu which fell to the fighters on Sunday.
“Our office has confirmed cases of summary execution of children by M23 after they entered the city of Bukavu last week. We are also aware that children were in possession of weapons,” said OHCHR spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani. “We call on Rwanda and M23 to ensure that human rights and international humanitarian law are respected.”
The OHCHR spokesperson also condemned attacks on hospitals and humanitarian warehouses as well as threats against the judiciary, directly linked to the rapid advance of the M23 fighters across North Kivu and South Kivu.
