At least 70 civilians have been killed over the last two weeks in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
More than 2,000 civilians have been killed in Beni in attacks by armed groups over the last five years. The attacks are marked by abductions, rape, looting and other human rights violations.
Responding to the killings, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes, Seif Magango said:“It is scandalous that civilians are dying day in, day out while the local police and nearby UN peacekeepers stay put in their camps. It is high time all entities charged with civilian protection in the DRC, including the UN mission, take steps to fulfil their mandate and bring an end to these killings”
“At the moment, the security and UN forces are utterly failing in their obligation to protect people living in Beni and other places in DRC,” said Magango. (Source: Amnesty Intl.)