James Gregory, BBC News
More than 2.5 million people have been displaced in DR Congo, the US says, with many living in camps like Shabindu in Goma
The US has blamed the Rwandan army and M23 rebel group for the deadly bombing of a displacement camp in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
At least nine people, including seven children, were killed in the strike on the Mugunga camp in the eastern city of Goma on Friday.
The Congolese army and M23 blamed each other for the attack.
Rwanda, which borders DR Congo, is widely accused of backing the rebel group, which it denies.
The US State Department said Friday's attack came from positions held by the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) and the M23 group.
A spokesperson said the US was "gravely concerned about the recent RDF and M23 expansion" in eastern DR Congo and called on both parties to "respect human rights and adhere to applicable obligations under international humanitarian law".
"It is essential that all states respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and hold accountable all actors for human rights abuses in the conflict in eastern DR Congo," they added.
Images circulating on social media showed bodies lying on the ground at the camp on Friday.
Most residents had fled there to escape fighting in their home towns and villages.
Lt Col Guillaume Njike Kaiko, a spokesman for DR Congo's army in the region, said the strike had come in retaliation for earlier Congolese attacks on Rwandan army positions.
President Felix Tshisekedi, who has spent several weeks abroad, will be returning to the central African country this weekend following the attack.
Rebel and government troops have both been accused in recent months of abuses against civilians as they vie for territorial control.
The latest strike comes days after M23 fighters claimed they had seized the town of Rubaya - an area which is at the heart of mining coltan used for making mobile phones and batteries for electric vehicles.
Meanwhile, a military court in Goma has sentenced eight DR Congo soldiers to death for "desertion" and "cowardice" when fighting rebel forces.
M23, formed as an offshoot of another rebel group, began operating in 2012 ostensibly to protect the ethnic Tutsi population in the east of DR Congo, which had long complained of persecution and discrimination.
UN experts have said that the group is backed by neighbouring Rwanda, which is also led by Tutsis, something that Kigali has consistently denied.
The US has blamed the Rwandan army and M23 rebel group for the deadly bombing of a displacement camp in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
At least nine people, including seven children, were killed in the strike on the Mugunga camp in the eastern city of Goma on Friday.
The Congolese army and M23 blamed each other for the attack.
Rwanda, which borders DR Congo, is widely accused of backing the rebel group, which it denies.
The US State Department said Friday's attack came from positions held by the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) and the M23 group.
A spokesperson said the US was "gravely concerned about the recent RDF and M23 expansion" in eastern DR Congo and called on both parties to "respect human rights and adhere to applicable obligations under international humanitarian law".
"It is essential that all states respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and hold accountable all actors for human rights abuses in the conflict in eastern DR Congo," they added.
Images circulating on social media showed bodies lying on the ground at the camp on Friday.
Most residents had fled there to escape fighting in their home towns and villages.
Lt Col Guillaume Njike Kaiko, a spokesman for DR Congo's army in the region, said the strike had come in retaliation for earlier Congolese attacks on Rwandan army positions.
President Felix Tshisekedi, who has spent several weeks abroad, will be returning to the central African country this weekend following the attack.
Rebel and government troops have both been accused in recent months of abuses against civilians as they vie for territorial control.
The latest strike comes days after M23 fighters claimed they had seized the town of Rubaya - an area which is at the heart of mining coltan used for making mobile phones and batteries for electric vehicles.
Meanwhile, a military court in Goma has sentenced eight DR Congo soldiers to death for "desertion" and "cowardice" when fighting rebel forces.
M23, formed as an offshoot of another rebel group, began operating in 2012 ostensibly to protect the ethnic Tutsi population in the east of DR Congo, which had long complained of persecution and discrimination.
UN experts have said that the group is backed by neighbouring Rwanda, which is also led by Tutsis, something that Kigali has consistently denied.
Congo: Bomb Attack Kills 12 Including Children In 2 Refugee Camps In North Kivu
The UN called the attacks a 'flagrant violation of human rights and international humanitarian law and may constitute a war crime'.
Associated Press
Updated on: 4 May 2024
Congo bomb attack in refugee camps Photo: AP
Attacks on two camps for displaced people in eastern Congo's North Kivu province on Friday killed at least 12 people, including children, according to local officials, an aid group and the United Nations.
The UN said in a statement that bombs hit two camps for displaced people in Lac Vert and Mugunga, near the city of Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu.
The UN called the attacks a “flagrant violation of human rights and international humanitarian law and may constitute a war crime”.
Lt. Colonel Ndjike Kaiko, a Congolese army spokesperson, blamed the attacks on a rebel group, known as M23, with alleged links to Rwanda, in a statement provided to The Associated Press.
The M23 rebel group denied any role in the attacks and blamed Congolese forces in a statement published on X.
Details from the area were still emerging on Friday.
A UN spokesperson, Jean Jonas Yaovi Tossa, told the AP that at least 12 people were killed and more than 20 injured in the attacks.
Save The Children, an aid group, said it was present at one of the camps when shells struck close to a busy marketplace ahead of their vehicle. It said dozens were injured, mostly women and children, and the death toll was still unclear.
Congo's president, Felix Tshisekedi, who was travelling in Europe, decided to return home Friday following the bombings, a statement from his office said.
Tshisekedi has long alleged that Rwanda is destabilizing Congo by backing the M23 rebels. UN experts, along with the US State Department, have also accused Rwanda of backing the rebels. Rwanda denies the claims.
Earlier this week, French President Emmanuel Macron called on neighbouring Rwanda to halt its support for the M23 rebel group during a joint press conference with Tshisekedi in Paris.
The bombings follow the M23 rebel group's capture of the strategic mining town of Rubaya this week.
The town holds deposits of tantalum, which is extracted from coltan, a key component in the production of smartphones. It is among the minerals that was named earlier this month in a letter from Congo's government questioning Apple about the tech company's knowledge of “blood minerals” being smuggled in its supply chain.
The decadeslong conflict in eastern Congo has produced one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, with over 100 armed groups fighting in the region, most for land and control of mines with valuable minerals. Some are fighting to try to protect their communities.
Many groups are accused of carrying out mass killings, rapes and other human rights violations. The violence has displaced about 7 million people, many beyond the reach of aid.
The UN called the attacks a 'flagrant violation of human rights and international humanitarian law and may constitute a war crime'.
Associated Press
Updated on: 4 May 2024
Congo bomb attack in refugee camps Photo: AP
Attacks on two camps for displaced people in eastern Congo's North Kivu province on Friday killed at least 12 people, including children, according to local officials, an aid group and the United Nations.
The UN said in a statement that bombs hit two camps for displaced people in Lac Vert and Mugunga, near the city of Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu.
The UN called the attacks a “flagrant violation of human rights and international humanitarian law and may constitute a war crime”.
Lt. Colonel Ndjike Kaiko, a Congolese army spokesperson, blamed the attacks on a rebel group, known as M23, with alleged links to Rwanda, in a statement provided to The Associated Press.
The M23 rebel group denied any role in the attacks and blamed Congolese forces in a statement published on X.
Details from the area were still emerging on Friday.
A UN spokesperson, Jean Jonas Yaovi Tossa, told the AP that at least 12 people were killed and more than 20 injured in the attacks.
Save The Children, an aid group, said it was present at one of the camps when shells struck close to a busy marketplace ahead of their vehicle. It said dozens were injured, mostly women and children, and the death toll was still unclear.
Congo's president, Felix Tshisekedi, who was travelling in Europe, decided to return home Friday following the bombings, a statement from his office said.
Tshisekedi has long alleged that Rwanda is destabilizing Congo by backing the M23 rebels. UN experts, along with the US State Department, have also accused Rwanda of backing the rebels. Rwanda denies the claims.
Earlier this week, French President Emmanuel Macron called on neighbouring Rwanda to halt its support for the M23 rebel group during a joint press conference with Tshisekedi in Paris.
The bombings follow the M23 rebel group's capture of the strategic mining town of Rubaya this week.
The town holds deposits of tantalum, which is extracted from coltan, a key component in the production of smartphones. It is among the minerals that was named earlier this month in a letter from Congo's government questioning Apple about the tech company's knowledge of “blood minerals” being smuggled in its supply chain.
The decadeslong conflict in eastern Congo has produced one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, with over 100 armed groups fighting in the region, most for land and control of mines with valuable minerals. Some are fighting to try to protect their communities.
Many groups are accused of carrying out mass killings, rapes and other human rights violations. The violence has displaced about 7 million people, many beyond the reach of aid.
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