Hundreds of Women Raped and Burned Alive in Congo Prison!

Rwanda-backed rebels have been accused of raping and then burning hundreds of women alive during an attack on the city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo last week.

British news outlet The Guardian reported this shocking incident on Wednesday (February 5).

Citing a senior United Nations official, the report states that during the rebel attack, female prisoners in a Goma prison were subjected to horrific abuse. Meanwhile, thousands of male prisoners managed to escape.

Vivian Van de Perre, Deputy Chief of the UN Peacekeeping Force, revealed that while nearly 4,000 male inmates were able to flee, the section housing female prisoners was set on fire. He stated, “Hundreds of women were raped inside the prison, and afterward, they were burned alive in their cells.”

Dark plumes of smoke were seen rising over Goma shortly after Rwanda-backed M23 rebels entered the city center on January 27.

However, details about what exactly transpired inside the prison remain unclear, as M23 rebels have denied UN investigators access to the site. As a result, the masterminds behind this gruesome atrocity have yet to be identified.

The UN Human Rights Office has warned that rebel groups in Goma are using sexual violence as a weapon of war. The situation in Goma has deteriorated to such an extent that the city, home to over a million people, is now entirely under M23 control. However, on Monday, the rebels unexpectedly announced a unilateral ceasefire.