A report released Thursday by the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO) reveals that M23 rebels are responsible for more than two-thirds of the grave child rights violations recorded in January 2025 during the armed conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The report indicates that 69 percent of verified abuses were committedby M23 forces, who primarily targeted children for forced recruitment, but also for abductions, killings, and mutilations.
Other armed groups, such as Nyatura (12 percent), Mai-Mai Mazembe (7 percent), and the ADF (3 percent), as well as Congolese and foreign defense and security forces (3 percent), are also implicated in these violations.
The majority of abuses occurred in the provinces most affected by the conflict, particularly North Kivu, where 85 percent of violations were recorded, followed by Ituri with 15 percent.
The report notes a slight decrease of 6 percent in violations compared to December 2024, but child recruitment remains the most common violation (40 percent of cases), followed by abductions (37 percent), killings and maiming (17 percent), sexual violence (4 percent), and attacks on schools and
hospitals (2 percent).
Increase in Conflict-Related Sexual Violence
Regarding sexual violence, the report notes at least 12 incidents in January, affecting 45 adult victims, including 33 in Ituri.
Ten of these incidents involved gang rape, some accompanied by robbery. North Kivu recorded eight victims, including three attributed to the M23 and three to the FDLR, while South Kivu recorded three victims, including two linked to the Nyatura armed groups and one to the Congolese armed forces.
The report also mentions efforts to combat impunity, with the sentencing of five people to death, including four members of the Congolese security forces for serious human rights violations.
TE/Sf/fss/as/APA