The UN humanitarian coordinator in the DRC, Bruno Lemarquis, denounced the alarming increase in violence due to confrontations between rebels of the Alliance of the Congo River-March 23 Movement (AFC/M23) and the Congolese Armed Forces and their allies.

He specifically referred to the attacks carried out between December 2 and 7 with heavy weaponry and bombings in populated areas, primarily in the territories of Uvira, Walungu, Mwenga, Shabunda, Kabare, Fizi, and Kalehe. While the ongoing fighting is preventing the evacuation of the wounded.

He pointed out that attacks on civilian infrastructure, including schools, have also been reported in recent days, which constitutes a serious violation of international humanitarian law.

“I am deeply dismayed by the devastating impact of this fighting on the civilian population. It is imperative to prevent further casualties from being added to the already tragic death toll,” Lemarquis said in a statement.

He added that the use of explosive weapons in populated areas and attacks on civilian infrastructure are causing an unacceptable loss of life and must cease immediately. “Civilians and civilian infrastructure are not targets,” he declared.

According to the humanitarian coordinator, this wave of violence has caused further displacement of people, with an initial estimate of more than 200,000 moving within the same province since December 2, while thousands more have crossed the border into neighboring countries, such as Burundi and Rwanda.

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