Since the beginning of the year, an ongoing violent conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has resulted in the deaths of approximately 7,000 people, as stated by Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka during her address at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
The violent clash has also displaced a staggering 450,000 individuals, following the demolition of 90 displacement camps. The advancement of the M23 rebel group, which has successfully taken over significant territories and valuable mineral deposits, represents the most severe escalation in over a decade.
Tuluka appealed to the international community to implement “dissuasive sanctions” as the region grapples with massive displacement, summary executions, and harrowing human rights violations.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres denounced the appalling situation, expressing that human rights are being “suffocated” worldwide.
The DRC government has faced criticism for its military strategy, which has been ineffective in the face of consecutive losses in North and South Kivu provinces.
