UN condemns 鈥榮ummary executions鈥� of children by M23 in DR Congo

Congolese refugees, displaced by ongoing clashes in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, board a truck upon arrival at the Gihanga refugee transit camp in Gihanga on Feb. 17, 2025. (AFP)
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  • 鈥淥ur office has confirmed cases of summary execution of children by M23 after they entered the city of Bukavu last week,鈥� rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said
  • 鈥淲e are also aware that children were in possession of weapons鈥�

GENEVA: The Rwanda-backed M23 armed group has summarily executed children in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the United Nations said on Tuesday.
The UN rights office warned the situation in eastern DRC was 鈥渄eteriorating sharply, resulting in serious human rights violations and abuses.鈥�
鈥淥ur office has confirmed cases of summary execution of children by M23 after they entered the city of Bukavu last week,鈥� rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told reporters in Geneva.
鈥淲e are also aware that children were in possession of weapons,鈥� she said.
She urged 鈥淩wanda and M23 to ensure that human rights and international humanitarian law are respected.鈥�
M23 fighters and Rwandan soldiers have seized Goma and Bukavu, the capitals of North and South Kivu provinces respectively.
In South Kivu, more than 150,000 people have been forced to flee, UN refugee agency UNHCR said.
UN experts say Rwanda effectively controls M23 and has at least 4,000 troops fighting alongside it.
The DRC government accuses Rwanda of 鈥渆xpansionist ambitions鈥� and says it is stealing vast amounts of minerals.
Shamdasani said the situation was 鈥渧ery chaotic,鈥� and the UN rights office was 鈥渞eceiving a lot of information... which we are not able to confirm or verify.鈥�
It had, however, confirmed a case of three boys, thought to be aged between 11 and 15, who had been killed in Bukavu on Sunday 鈥渄uring an altercation with members of M23.鈥�
The boys were allegedly wearing uniforms and carrying weapons found in an abandoned DRC army camp, firing shots and looting stores, she said.
鈥淲hat appears to have happened is that they were asked to surrender their weapons and they refused to do so and they were killed,鈥� she said.
The rights office had also documented cases of 鈥渋ll treatment, conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence, child and forced recruitment, intimidation and death threats,鈥� she said.
Prison breaks from South Kivu鈥檚 Kabare and Bukavu jails on Friday had made matters worse.
鈥淲e have received protection requests from victims and witnesses (who) fear retaliation from escapees, given their active participation in the trials against some of these prisoners convicted of grave human rights violations and abuses, some of which amount to international crimes,鈥� she said.
She said the UN had received 鈥渞eports that journalists, human rights defenders and members of civil society organizations have been threatened, and forced to leave.鈥�
UN rights chief Volker Turk 鈥渆xpresses his horror at the events unfolding in South and North Kivu, and the impact this is having on civilians,鈥� she said.
鈥淭he risks of this spilling over into an even deeper and wider conflict are frighteningly real.鈥�
The fighting has already spurred an exodus toward neighboring Burundi, UNHCR warned.
鈥淏etween 10,000 and 15,000 people have crossed into Burundi over the last few days,鈥� spokesman Matthew Saltmarsh told reporters.
鈥淢ost of those arriving are Congolese, mainly from the Bukavu area,鈥� he said.
He highlighted reports of thousands more people arriving through 鈥渦nofficial border points,鈥� including across rivers, 鈥渨ith reports of several individuals drowning.鈥�
鈥淐onditions in the communities near the border are extremely dire, with a lack of shelter, water and sanitation facilities,鈥� he said.