UNICEF sounds the alarm over rampant child abuse in east DRC amid spiraling conflict

UNICEF has sounded the alarm over escalating child rights violations in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where armed groups are reportedly perpetrating widespread sexual violence and recruiting child soldiers.

“In the North and South Kivu provinces, we are receiving horrific reports of grave violations against children by parties to the conflict, including rape and other forms of sexual violence at levels surpassing anything we have seen in recent years,” UNICEF’s executive director Catherine Russell said in a statement. Hundreds of children, including young girls as young as 12, have reportedly been subjected to brutal rape in recent weeks, particularly the areas heavily impacted by the ongoing conflict. The violence has surged with alarming intensity since the M23 rebels captured Goma, the region’s largest city, in late January. This marks a significant escalation in a long-running conflict over control of the DRC’s mineral-rich eastern region.

Armed men, whose affiliations remain unclear, have committed these atrocities, with 572 rape cases recorded in a single week. Among the victims, 170 were children, underscoring the grim scale of the violence. In addition to the sexual violence, the conflict has displaced over 1.8 million people in the region, compounding the already dire humanitarian crisis. M23’s advance towards Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu, is exacerbating conditions, leaving vital humanitarian routes blocked and hampering aid efforts. With an estimated 170,000 new displacements in recent weeks, access to healthcare and other essential services is increasingly restricted. The UN’s Human Rights Council has initiated an investigation into the atrocities, including sexual violence and executions, with both the Congolese army and M23 rebels facing scrutiny.

This comes as the rebel coalition Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC), of which M23 armed group is a key member, has claimed the capture of resource-rich Nyabibwe, another mining town in DRC’s volatile east, which comes a little over a week after it took control of the region’s largest city Goma.