U.N. warns escalation in Congo war with M23 rebels bringing "summary executions" and gang rapes
CBSN
Geneva — The United Nations on Friday voiced alarm at rampant violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, as the M23 armed group pushed deeper into the country, warning of summary executions and widespread rapes. The group's capture of most of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, earlier in the week was a dramatic escalation in a region that has seen decades of conflict involving multiple armed groups.
The U.N. on Thursday said that it was "deeply concerned" by "credible reports" that the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels were advancing south from Goma to Bukavu — capital of the neighboring South Kivu province.
U.N. rights office spokesman Jeremy Laurence said that since the start of the crisis, bombs had struct at least two sites housing internally displaced people (IDPs), "causing civilian casualties."
