{"id":42894,"date":"2025-02-06T16:32:05","date_gmt":"2025-02-06T21:32:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/over-150-women-raped-during-congo-prison-break-u-n-says\/06\/02\/2025\/"},"modified":"2025-02-06T16:32:05","modified_gmt":"2025-02-06T21:32:05","slug":"over-150-women-raped-during-congo-prison-break-u-n-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/over-150-women-raped-during-congo-prison-break-u-n-says\/06\/02\/2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Over 150 women raped during Congo prison break, U.N. says"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n<\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">At least 165 women were raped by male inmates after a mass breakout from a prison in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/world\/are-bodies-streets-drc-rebel-groups-sweep-reignites-decades-old-confli-rcna189755\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Democratic Republic of Congo;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Democratic Republic of Congo<\/a>, the United Nations said, citing officials in the central African nation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">After fighters from the M23 rebel group advanced towards the eastern city of Goma the U.N. said inmates at the Muzenze prison took advantage of the chaos and started to escape from the facility on Jan. 27.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Nyamuhombeza\/status\/1883816856340881686\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:video posted to X;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">video posted to X<\/a> and verified by NBC News, hundreds of people can be seen escaping from the prison as plumes of black smoke billow nearby and what sounds like gunshots ring out.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cDRC officials report that at least 165 women were raped by male inmates during the mass prison break,\u201d the United Nations said in a report four days later.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-[4] size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Prisoners seen fleeing as smoke rises above Munzenze prison in Goma.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Vivian Van de Perre, the United Nations\u2019 representative for the DRC, said in a briefing from Goma on Wednesday that the situation was \u201cstill highly volatile\u201d in the city, which is home to around 2 million people.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Many residents were fleeing the city because \u201cthe conditions are really, really dire &#8230; and we are actually afraid of health outbreaks in our camps, for the people that we are sheltering, but also for ourselves,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">She added that the U.N. had been \u201cunable to verify firsthand all the numbers and exactly what transpired\u201d at the prison due to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/world\/congo-rebels-claim-goma-civil-war-rwanda-m23-rcna189483\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:the situation in Goma;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">the situation in Goma<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Her comments came as farther south, Rwandan-backed M23 rebels moved into mining town of Nyabibwe, in an apparent violation of a unilateral <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/world\/rwanda-backed-rebels-seized-city-drc-declare-unilateral-ceasefire-rcna190558\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:ceasefire;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">ceasefire<\/a>\u00a0the group announced on Monday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The capture of Nyabibwe takes the rebels a step closer to the provincial capital, Bukavu, some 40 miles south, a city the rebels said last week they had no intention of capturing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Congo <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/world\/congo-recover-lost-territory-rwanda-backed-rebels-m23-rcna189960\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:accuses Rwanda of using the M23 to pillage valuable mineral deposits;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">accuses Rwanda of using the M23 to pillage valuable mineral deposits<\/a>. Rwanda says it is acting in self-defense and to protect ethnic Tutsis.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">M23&#8217;s capture of Goma last week displaced hundreds of thousands of people and fanned fears of a wider regional war.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">On Friday, the U.N.&#8217;s Human Rights Office (OHCHR) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ohchr.org\/en\/press-briefing-notes\/2025\/01\/drc-deepening-human-rights-crisis-amid-reports-further-m23-advances\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:warned;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">warned<\/a> that the escalation could lead to the increased use of sexual violence as a weapon of war by rival armed groups, which has long fueled the conflict in eastern Congo.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Reports that 52 women were\u00a0raped by\u00a0Congolese troops in South Kivu, including alleged reports of gang\u00a0rape, were verified by the OHCHR on Friday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The DRC&#8217;s government launched an action plan to combat sexual violence by members of the military in 2014, but <a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sexualviolenceinconflict\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/report\/conflict-related-sexual-violence-report-of-the-united-nations-secretary-general\/2019-SG-Report.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:a report by the U.N;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">a report by the U.N<\/a>. five years later found that perpetrators of sexual violence could still act with impunity.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Last year, Doctors Without Borders, the aid group also known as Medecins Sans Frontieres, reported that it had treated over 25,000 survivors of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/msf.org.uk\/issues\/sexual-and-gender-based-violence\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:sexual violence;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">sexual violence<\/a>\u00a0across the DRC in 2023 \u2014 the highest number it had ever recorded in the country.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">This article was originally published on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/world\/democratic-republic-of-congo-women-rape-prison-break-goma-m23-rebels-rcna190954\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:NBCNews.com;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">NBCNews.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/over-150-women-raped-during-203000105.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At least 165 women were raped by male inmates after a mass breakout from a prison in the Democratic Republic of Congo,<br \/><button class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/over-150-women-raped-during-congo-prison-break-u-n-says\/06\/02\/2025\/\">Read More &rsaquo;<\/a><\/button><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":42896,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42894"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42894"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42894\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42896"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}