Introduction
Eastern DR Congo has once again descended into chaos, with civilians — particularly women and children — paying the highest price. A new report by the United Nations has revealed the scale of crimes committed by both Congo’s armed forces and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels. These are not just violations of law; they are assaults on human dignity itself. Sexual slavery, gang rape, torture, and the murder of innocents have become routine in a war that spares no one.
The UN’s Damning Report
On Friday, the U.N. human rights office sounded the alarm, stating that “Congo’s armed forces and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have committed crimes including gang rape, sexual slavery, torture, killings of civilians and other ‘horrific’ atrocities in eastern Congo over the last year. It said the governments of both countries bear responsibility.”
The report, compiled by a fact-finding team that visited the region between March and August, warns of potential war crimes and crimes against humanity. Since late 2024, when the conflict escalated dramatically with M23’s seizure of the strategic city of Goma, civilians have borne the brunt of atrocities.
Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the U.N. human rights office, captured the despair in stark terms, quoting High Commissioner Volker Türk: “The atrocities described in this report are horrific. It is heartbreaking and deeply frustrating to witness once again the dehumanization of the civilian population by those in power who are failing in their responsibilities.”
A Humanitarian Crisis of Global Scale
The fighting has killed some 3,000 people, displaced hundreds of thousands, and created one of the world’s most dire humanitarian crises. Women and children have been subjected to systematic violations. Reports of sexual violence, already endemic to the conflict, have sharply increased in recent months.
The report emphasizes that “rapes were repeated over prolonged periods, often in conjunction with additional acts of physical and psychological torture and other ill-treatment, with a manifest intent to degrade, punish, and break the dignity of victims.”
Such brutality is not incidental — it is strategic. Women’s bodies have become battlegrounds, used deliberately to terrorize communities, destroy family structures, and ensure long-term psychological scars. Children, meanwhile, are abducted, forcibly recruited, or made to witness violence, leaving them traumatized for life.
Violations by All Sides
The atrocities are not confined to rebel groups. The report makes it clear that Congo’s own armed forces (FARDC) and affiliated militias, such as Wazalendo, have engaged in similar crimes. “They included deliberate killings of civilians, widespread use of sexual violence, mainly rape and gang rape against women and girls, and looting.”
It continues: “Perpetrators operated in large groups and in multiple localities simultaneously, in a manner that reflected recurring patterns of rape and looting, rather than isolated acts.”
This means that the violence is systematic, not accidental. Civilians are caught between an abusive national army and ruthless rebels — both violating the very people they claim to protect.
Governments Bearing Responsibility
Perhaps the most damning conclusion of the report is the attribution of responsibility to state actors. “DRC and Rwanda bear responsibility for their support to armed groups with known track records of serious abuses, and for failing to meet their obligations to take all measures to ensure respect for international humanitarian law and to protect civilians from serious harm,” the U.N. office declared.
By enabling armed groups or failing to restrain their own forces, both governments have abandoned their duty to safeguard the vulnerable. This raises troubling questions about political accountability and international pressure.
The Systematic Nature of Violence
Shamdasani summed up the findings with chilling clarity: “The findings of this report drive home just how serious the situation is” and pointed to the “systematic” nature of the violations.
This is not random chaos; it is deliberate cruelty. Women and girls are not just collateral damage — they are being targeted in ways designed to destroy entire communities. The repetition of atrocities across multiple regions suggests a coordinated pattern, a culture of impunity where perpetrators know they will not be held accountable.
The Forgotten Victims
Behind the numbers are individual lives. Mothers who have endured gang rape in front of their children, girls forced into sexual slavery, boys kidnapped to become child soldiers, and entire families slaughtered for belonging to the “wrong” community.
The scars go beyond physical wounds. Survivors live with trauma, stigma, and broken futures. In societies where victims of rape are often ostracized, women face not only the pain of violation but also rejection by their communities. Children grow up in refugee camps, their education disrupted, their innocence stolen.
The Global Community’s Responsibility
The U.N. Human Rights Council is expected to consider the report during its upcoming session. But history suggests that statements and condemnations alone will not suffice. Stronger international action is needed:
Accountability: Perpetrators must face justice, whether through national courts or international tribunals.
Protection: Humanitarian corridors and safe zones must be prioritized to protect civilians.
Support for Survivors: Programs for trauma healing, reintegration, and livelihood support for women and children must be scaled up.
Political Pressure: The international community must hold both the DRC and Rwanda accountable for supporting groups with abusive records.
Conclusion
The Congo conflict has long been called Africa’s “forgotten war.” But for the women and children living through daily atrocities, it is anything but forgotten. The U.N.’s report has made one thing clear: these are not isolated incidents of violence; they are part of a systematic pattern of abuse designed to terrorize and control.
The world cannot claim ignorance. Civilians are suffering unimaginably, caught between armed rebels and abusive state forces. Their cries demand not only compassion but action. The time for half-measures is over. If nothing changes, the cycle of rape, torture, and killing will continue, leaving another generation of Congolese civilians broken by a war not of their making.
References
United Nations Human Rights Office (2025). Report on Atrocities in Eastern Congo.
BBC Africa (2025). “UN Decries Gang Rape, Torture, Killings in Congo.”
Human Rights Watch (2024–2025). Reports on M23 and FARDC Abuses.
Al Jazeera (2025). “Congo Conflict: Civilians Under Siege.”