The Democratic Republic of Congo’s prime minister, Judith Suminwa Tuluka, revealed that the fighting in eastern Congo has claimed the lives of approximately 7,000 people since January.
This staggering number was disclosed during a high-level meeting of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
The prime minister also reported that 450,000 people are without shelter due to the destruction of 90 displacement camps.
The conflict in eastern Congo has been escalating, with the M23 rebel group making significant advances.
The situation has been described as the gravest escalation in over a decade, with Rwanda accused of supporting M23 with arms and troops, a claim Rwanda denies.
The prime minister urged the international community to take action and impose “dissuasive sanctions” to address the mass displacements and summary executions.
UN chief Antonio Guterres also spoke out about the horrifying human rights abuses in the Democratic Republic of Congo, emphasizing that human rights worldwide are being “suffocated.”
