Women Prisoners in Congo Subjected to Violence and Burned Alive

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, following a mass prison break and the capture of the city of Goma by M23 rebels, widespread sexual violence occurred, and hundreds of female detainees were burned alive. The situation in the region remains critical, reports NewsBox.

In the city of Goma (Democratic Republic of the Congo), after the territory was seized by M23 militants, a mass tragedy unfolded. Amidst the chaos that arose after the attack, several thousand men escaped from the Munzenze prison, but the women's section became the scene of a horrific crime.

According to The Guardian, unknown assailants stormed the women's prison wing, committed a series of sexual assaults, and then set the building on fire. All the women present perished in the flames.

Vivian Van de Perre, Deputy Head of the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Goma, stated that the city, home to more than a million people, is under the full control of M23. Due to restrictions imposed by the insurgents, UN workers have been unable to reach the crime scene, but preliminary reports indicate that thousands of bodies still remain on the streets.

The humanitarian situation is deteriorating – the UN mission continues to deliver food and medicine, but movement through the city is extremely difficult. Van de Perre also emphasized that the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war remains a serious problem in the region.