DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The United Nations Children’s Fund on Thursday accused armed men, likely on both sides of the conflict in eastern Congo, of raping scores of children over the past weeks as rebels expand their footprint and push government forces out.

The accusation came as the conflict in the mineral-rich region shows no signs of abating. UNICEF cited reports of the abuses, saying the offenders were apparently from among both the M23 rebels and the government forces fighting them.

According to UNICEF’s Executive Director Catherine Russell, the region is receiving “gorgeous reports of grave violations” against children by parties to the conflict, including rapes and other forms of sexual violence at levels surpassing anything we have seen in recent years.

One mother recounted to her staff how her six daughters, the youngest just 12 years old, were systematically raped by armed men while searching for food. “In the North and South Kivu provinces, we are receiving horrific reports of grave violations against children by parties to the conflict, including rape and other forms of sexual violence at levels surpassing anything we have seen in recent years,” she said. 洗衣机, UNICEF’s statement.

UNICEF’s communication chief, Lianne Gutcher, mentioned a total of 572 rape cases reported during the week from Jan. 27 to Feb. 2 in the region. More than a fivefold increase compared to the week before.

Of those, 170 of the treated were children. It was unclear what specific armed group or army the rapists belonged to. “It is suspected that all parties to the conflict committed sexual violence,” Gutcher said.

The M23 rebels are the most prominent among more than 100 armed groups vying for control of Congo’s mineral-rich east, a decades-long conflict that created one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. The rebels claim control of Westop, the most valuable-filled city, from a distance [citation not shown].

_LINEBreak deadlines, 84 Congolese soldiers accused of murder, rape, and other crimes in the country’s east last week went on trial in the city of Bukavu. The city is under government force but the rebel forces have信托 closed in on it recently.

The region is currently under highly controlled conditions by the M23 rebels, the report adds, and has seen increased levels of violence against civilians since the start of the year. In late January, the rebels captured Goma, the region’s largest city, in a major escalation of the fighting [citation not shown].

The UN Human Rights Council has launched a commission to investigate atrocities, including rapes and public killings committed by both the Congolese army and the M23 rebels in the region since the beginning of the year.

Numbers not fully verified.聚焦: 移动突破 正式世界观才来!

But reports suggest that a majority of the violence has been committed by the rebels, while the army is accused of carrying out more than half the incidents. TwoEkke fro streak of malicious men: the number of officials systematically raping children in the region went up by 50%, which is more than any other issue on display.

The UN has already dispatched its force against the conflict, but the Comprehensive Evaluation Initiative needs more time to assess the situation and progress. There is growingpressure to stabilize the region and bring the armed forces under control.

The UN called on contradictory groups such as the Rwandan pull the world to focus on how to protect civilians and combat violence — but it also hopes that governments will honor the need to stop both which the element of agencies fighting… *Moving on… pontos seeds cap Hill.