Hundreds of women were raped and then burnt aliv£ after Rwandan-backed rebels stormed into the Congolese city of Goma, it has emerged.
The atrocity took place during a mass jailbreak from the Munzenze jail last week, as M23 fighters clashed with the Congolese army during deadly gun battles.
According to the UN, female inmates were butch£red in their wing in the notoriously overcrowded prison after men forced their way in and went on a rampage.
While thousands of male criminals managed to flee, the area reserved for women was burnt to the ground, Vivian van de Perre, the deputy head of the UN peacekeeping force in Goma, said.
Images taken shortly after M23 fighters reached the centre of Goma showed vast plumes of black smoke rising from the jail on January 27, as long lines of men ran away from the inferno.
It’s unclear who was behind the sl@ughter of the female inmates as UN peacekeepers have been barred from entering the site by M23 rebels.
However, reports have suggested at least 141 jailed women were murd£red, along with 28 young children who had been in detention with their mothers.
Describing the carnage, Ms Van de Perre said the figure could be higher.
“There was a major prison breakout of 4,000 escaped prisoners. A few hundred women were also in that prison… They were all r@ped and then they set fire to the women’s wing. They all died afterwards,” she said.
Local reports claim that during the mayhem, inmates were gunn£d down by guards as they attempted to stop the mass breakout.
A week on from the rampage and the Munzenze jail lies in ruins and is completely empty, with the guards having deserted their posts.
A large part of the facility has been destroyed by the blaze, including the prison administration’s office. The prison was also looted in the wake of the escape.
Prior to the incident, Munzenze Central Prison housed around 4,400 inmates, well beyond its capacity.
On Tuesday, Feb. 4, it emerged that 2,000 bodies were still awaiting burial in Goma after the M23 rebels seized the city, which is the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s North Kivu province.
In a disturbing new claim following the uprising, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) warned that s£xual violence is being used as a weapon of war by rival armed groups in Goma.
The city, home to one million people, is now under the complete control of M23 fighters.
On Monday the rebel group declared a ceasefire would begin on Tuesday for “humanitarian reasons”.
The UN previously said that almost 2,900 had been injured during the uprising, while local estimates suggest over 2,000 have been killed.
The alliance of rebel groups, known as the “Congo River Alliance”, which M23 is a member of, has previously accused the Congolese military of k!lling people using aircraft to bomb areas it holds.
The organisation added it does not intend to seize any further territory, despite saying otherwise last week, and it will hold its positions.
In a statement, the alliance said: “We reiterate our commitment to protecting and defending the civilian population and our positions.”
