UN concerned about situation in DR Congo and reports thousands of deaths: what is happening

The head of the UN Human Rights Office, Volker Türk, said that the worst could be ahead in the escalation of the crisis in eastern DR Congo after the escalation of confrontations between armed groups, including M23, and government forces, which led to numerous casualties, massive human rights violations.

This is reported by Reuters.

Türk said this at an emergency meeting of the UN Human Rights Council to investigate the massive human rights violations, which it accuses of the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels, who have captured the city of Goma and are moving further. He said that he expects an increase in sexual violence, including cases of rape and sexual slavery.

"If nothing is done, the worst could be yet to come, both for the people of eastern DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) and beyond. All those with influence must act urgently to put an end to this tragic situation," he stressed.

Türk said he was "horrified" by the many reports of rape, gang rape and sexual slavery that are emerging.

"Under the current circumstances, the situation could get worse," he said.

As a reminder, the eastern part of the DRC is rich in minerals and other natural resources, but has been plagued by conflict for decades. More than 100 armed groups are reported to be operating in the area.

According to the UN, thousands of people have been killed, including women and children, and hundreds of thousands have been forced to flee their homes.

“We also see a constant threat from other armed groups, both Congolese and foreign. All of this is leading to a huge loss of life,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

He highlighted countless reports of human rights violations, including sexual and gender-based violence, forced recruitment and the obstruction of life-saving assistance. According to him, the humanitarian situation in and around Goma is dire.

Hundreds of thousands of people are also on the move, with many of the previous shelters north of the city now looted, destroyed or abandoned.

In addition, health facilities are overcrowded and other basic services, including schools, water, electricity, telephone and internet, are severely limited.

More than 150 female prisoners were raped and burned to death during a prison break last week when male escapees set fire to a prison in Goma, UN human rights spokesman Seif Magango told CNN.

Most of the 165 female prisoners who were raped by male escapees were killed in the fire, he said, with between nine and 13 female prisoners, "all of whom were also raped", surviving the fire.

The male prisoners, some of whom were killed by prison guards, planned the mass escape on January 27 as the M23 rebel alliance fought Congolese forces in Goma for control of the city.

Reuters reported that Rwanda’s ambassador rejected accusations that it was responsible, saying he had evidence of a planned major attack by its western neighbor.

Dozens of countries condemned human rights abuses in the country at an emergency meeting, including several African nations. Washington, previously a strong member of the council, left its seat empty after President Donald Trump announced the United States was leaving.

Congo has submitted a proposal to set up a UN fact-finding mission that would produce a full report on abuses in eastern Congo by September 2025.

The proposal is due to be adopted later on Friday, and an internal UN memo on the talks, seen by Reuters, lists Rwanda as the only voice to disagree with the decision.