More than 100 female prisoners were raped and then burned alive during a prison escape in the Congolese city of Goma, Vivian van de Perre, deputy head of the UN mission, has said.
Between 165 and 167 women were attacked by male prisoners during their escape from prison last Monday, an internal UN document says.
Goma, a major city of more than a million inhabitants, was overrun after the Rwandan-backed M23 launched a new offensive in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo and captured the mining town of Nyabibwe, in South Kivu province.
The city was plunged into chaos, with bodies lying in the streets and rockets reportedly flying over residential buildings.
According to sources, at dawn the armed group and its Rwandan allies began intense fighting against Congolese armed forces. After taking Goma, the capital of North Kivu, M23 had unilaterally declared a humanitarian ceasefire with Rwandan forces, which would remain in force. According to a spokesman for Kinshasa, the ceasefire was simply "a diversion".
Teams from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) have expanded medical and humanitarian assistance to the population of Goma and several camps for displaced people throughout the city. In addition to strengthening support for the hospitals of Kyeshero, where 404 wounded have arrived since the start of the fighting, and Virunga, MSF is working in several areas where people are displaced and cholera cases are on the rise.
"Most hospitals are seeing new wounded. It's not just people who have been injured recently, but also those who are hiding or stuck in inaccessible areas," says Stephan Goetghebuer, MSF's program manager in North Kivu.
"Most hospitals are overwhelmed, especially Virunga and Kyeshero hospitals are full of patients. In Virunga hospital, supported by MSF, there are 100 patients with gunshot wounds and three surgical units are working 24 hours a day. It is a serious situation."
MSF is also providing food, drinking water and improving hygiene and access to healthcare in some displaced areas. One of the main concerns is the increase in cholera cases: access to water has been cut off for days, dead bodies lie in the streets and water-borne diseases pose a real threat.
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