Geneva, Feb 7 (EFE).- The upsurge in violence in the armed conflict in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has left nearly 3,000 people dead and 2,880 injured in less than two weeks, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said on Friday.
“The real figures are likely to be much higher,” Türk told a special session of the Human Rights Council to address the spiraling violence in the DRC, marked by a dramatic increase in sexual violence.
“I am horrified by the spread of sexual violence, which has been an appalling feature of this conflict for a long time. This is likely to worsen in the current circumstances,” he said.
Türk said that during the prison break from Muzenze Prison in Goma on Jan. 27, at least 165 female prisoners were raped and most of them were subsequently killed in a fire, although the circumstances “remain unclear”.
“My team is also currently verifying multiple allegations of rape, gang rape, and sexual slavery, throughout the conflict zones,” he added.
The UN human rights chief said that M23 troops and Rwandan forces had been threatening “hundreds” of human rights defenders, journalists, and members of civil society who might report on their actions and denounce their situation.
“We have also facilitated the protection of judicial authorities who were in danger,” he said.
Türk expressed concern about the proliferation of weapons and the “high risk of forced recruitment and conscription of children” amid the conflict.
According to the UN, the situation has led to the forced displacement of half a million people since the beginning of January, adding to the 6.4 million civilians already displaced.
In addition, thousands of people are being forced to return to their places of origin in North and South Kivu, “without any guarantee of safety or access to basic services – and therefore without dignity,” Türk said.
He also highlighted the “political economy” of the conflict.
“I have always been struck by the fact that the population in the eastern DRC is suffering terribly, while many of the products we consume or use, such as mobile phones, are created using minerals from the east of the country. We are all implicated,” he said. EFE
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