At least 632 civilians have been killed in three months in North Kivu and Ituri, according to James Swan, head of the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO).
Swan made the revelation during his remarks to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in an open briefing on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
He attributed the killings to a rise in attacks by armed groups, particularly the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), and called for stronger efforts to protect civilian populations.
Swan explained that MONUSCO has reinforced its operational framework, despite a liquidity crisis affecting all UN peacekeeping operations, by conducting over 2,100 joint patrols with the local army, FARDC, and deploying mobile bases in the most exposed areas.
The Mission is also supporting local peace mechanisms, with progress reported in Ituri through dialogue between armed groups.
Over the same period, the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office recorded 1,221 violations, including numerous cases of sexual violence attributed to both armed groups and members of the Congolese security forces, affecting nearly 3,000 victims, among them 392 women and 378 children.
UN reports on the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) document that the armed group has committed systematic crimes against humanity and war crimes through brutal attacks on civilians in the DRC.
The ADF has also been accused of recruiting and using child soldiers in violation of international law, and of continuing attacks that depopulated large areas, which it has since controlled by abducting or killing people who return to their villages.
MONUSCO further called for the reopening of Goma and Kavumu airports as well as banks in Goma, noting that their continued closure has placed civilians under severe strain and disrupted the delivery of life‑saving humanitarian assistance to the region.
“I call on all parties to prioritise humanitarian needs by concluding arrangements to reopen the facilities,” he said, further condemning the killing of four humanitarian workers in the region since the start of the year.
While briefing the council on US engagement in the peace process in DRC, US Senior Advisor for Arab and African Affairs Massad Boulos said the process was being hindered by the failure of the DRC and Rwanda to fulfil their commitments to the Washington Accords, a year after they were signed.
"The DRC has not neutralised the FDLR in areas under its control. Rwanda has not withdrawn its Rwandan Defence Forces nor ceased its support for the M23. These delays are no longer acceptable. Our message to the parties is clear: abandon the dangerous pursuit of a military solution and fully and immediately commit to the agreed peace frameworks," he said, warning that inaction or obstruction by the parties will lead to new accountability measures.
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