UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk accused Rwanda-backed rebels, who seized a second major city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), of killing children and attacking hospitals and warehouses storing humanitarian aid.
Turk said in a statement that his office “confirmed cases of summary execution of children by M23 after they entered the city of Bukavu last week. We are also aware that children were in possession of weapons”.
He did not refer to specific events, but UN agencies have previously accused both Congolese government forces and the rebels of recruiting children.
The United Nations Human Rights Council earlier this month launched a commission that will investigate atrocities, including rapes and killings akin to “summary executions”, committed by both sides since the beginning of the year.
The statement also said Turk’s office received reports about “arbitrary arrests and detentions”, as well as mistreatment and “alleged forced returns of Congolese young men fleeing violence in neighboring countries”.
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