7000 killed in DR Congo conflict since January

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s Prime Minister Judith Suminwa, has said that the ongoing conflict in the eastern region of the country has claimed approximately 7000 lives since January, including both combatants and civilians.

Speaking at a high-level Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva on Monday, Suminwa revealed that about 3000 deaths occurred in the city of Goma alone, while 450,000 people were left homeless after 90 displacement camps were destroyed.

The violence, driven by the resurgence of the M23 rebel group, has intensified in recent months.

The rebels, whom Kinshasa accuses of receiving support from Rwanda, have seized large portions of eastern Congo, including the key cities of Goma and Bukavu, as well as mineral-rich territories.

The fighting represents a major escalation in a long-standing conflict over power, identity, and control of resources that dates back to the Rwandan genocide in the 1990s.

Rwanda has denied allegations from the DRC, the United Nations, and Western governments that it is providing arms and troops to M23 rebels.

However, Suminwa urged the international community to take decisive action and impose “dissuasive sanctions” on Rwanda to curb the violence.

“It is impossible to describe the screams and cries of millions of victims of this conflict,” she stated.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, addressing the Geneva meeting, condemned the situation, warning that human rights were being “suffocated” and referencing the severe abuses occurring in the DRC.

In a press briefing after her speech, Suminwa cautioned that failure to resolve the violation of DRC’s territorial integrity could lead to a wider regional crisis.

The UN has reported that about 40,000 people have fled to neighboring Burundi in the past two weeks alone to escape the escalating violence.

The conflict has not only displaced thousands but has also led to increasing reports of human rights violations, including summary executions and widespread sexual violence.

A recent UN human rights report detailed the execution of three children in Bukavu by M23 fighters.

The rebels, who have taken more territory in eastern Congo than ever before, have denied the accusations.

There are also reports of Congolese army soldiers committing crimes, including rape and murder, as they retreat in the face of the M23 advance.

A military prosecutor has launched an investigation into these allegations.

For civilians caught in the crossfire, the violence has been devastating.

In Goma, 10-year-old Sylvain Amisi Wilonja was fatally shot in the head when retreating soldiers stormed his home, looting and firing indiscriminately.

His mother, Suzanne, recounted how the family was unable to seek medical help due to ongoing street clashes.

“We were afraid to go out to take him to the hospital because the soldiers were crowded near our door,” she said tearfully.

Sexual violence has also surged dramatically. In the week following Goma’s capture, 42 healthcare facilities reported 572 rape cases, including 170 involving children.

The numbers are a stark increase from an average of 95 cases per week earlier in the year.

A medical worker treating survivors described the severity of the cases, with some victims suffering injuries so extensive that their bladders were permanently damaged.

“We haven’t seen anything like that in a long time,” the worker said, speaking anonymously due to safety concerns.

Children have been among the most vulnerable casualties of the escalating conflict. The U.N. refugee agency has documented cases of children dying from exhaustion as their families flee the violence, often on foot.

“When they follow their parents, they are the most vulnerable. They cannot run like their parents,” said Patrice Vahard, head of the U.N. human rights office in Kinshasa.

The brutality of the conflict has shattered families.

In one harrowing account, 19-year-old Emile Bashali recounted how his one-year-old baby sister, Keyna, was killed by a bomb blast as Goma fell.

“The baby started to cry. I rushed into the room to get her,” he recalled. “Doctors tried to operate, but 30 minutes later, they came to tell us that our baby had died.”

As M23 consolidates control over eastern DRC, the group has promised to restore order in Goma and Bukavu, reopening ports and retraining police forces.

However, for those who have lost their loved ones, the devastation of the conflict is irreversible.

With no end in sight, the world watches as eastern Congo continues to spiral into violence, with fears growing that the unrest could spread beyond the country’s borders.

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