WOMEN IN LABOUR,89 CIVILIANS ,PATIENTS, CHILDREN’S MASSACRED IN CATHOLIC HEALTH CENTRE BY REBELS IN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO .
GREATRIBUNETVNEWS–THE Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebel group has been accused of carrying out a brutal attack on a Catholic Church-run health centre in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), resulting in the deaths of 89 civilians, including women in labour and patients.
KEY ISSUES:
Violent Attack: Four wards housing patients were set ablaze during the assault in Byambwe, North Kivu province.
Civilian Casualties: 89 civilians were killed, including at least 20 women and an undetermined number of children.
Coordinated Attacks: The Byambwe killings were part of a series of attacks carried out between November 13 and 19 in several localities of Lubero Territory.
Abuses: Abductions, looting of medical supplies, burning of homes, and destruction of property were reported in Mabiango, Tunarudi, Sambalysa, Thucha, and Butsili.
UN Condemnation: The UN has described the attack as one of the most appalling in a new wave of violence by the ADF .
The UN extended its condolences to the affected families and communities, stressing that attacks on civilians, particularly medical facilities, may amount to war crimes and serious violations of international humanitarian law.
“We express our solidarity with all those affected,” Dujarric said. “Violence committed against civilians, including the targeting of medical facilities, may constitute war crimes.”
MONUSCO said it remained fully committed to supporting Congolese authorities in protecting civilians, preventing further human rights violations, and combating impunity.
The stabilisation mission urged national authorities to promptly open independent and credible investigations to identify those responsible for the massacres and bring them to justice.
It also renewed its call for armed groups operating in the region to lay down their weapons unconditionally.
Dujarric said that “all too often”, massacres of the kind reported in Lubero “happen away from the eyes of journalists, away from the eyes of the international community.”
He called on regional powers to cooperate and for armed groups to disarm, “so that those who are responsible for these crimes that are beyond words [can] be brought to justice.”
The Allied Democratic Forces are an armed group of Ugandan origin that has operated in eastern DRC for decades
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