Doctors Without Borders Reports Record Sexual Violence in Congo

Overview

• Doctors Without Borders treated more than 25,000 victims of sexual violence in Congo last year, the highest number ever recorded in the country.
• Most assaults took place in displacement camps near Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, where armed groups are vying for power.
• Two-thirds of the victims reported being assaulted at gunpoint, according to testimonies collected by the aid group.
• The violence in eastern Congo has displaced approximately 6 million people and involves over 120 armed groups fighting for control over land and resources.
• Humanitarian response and living conditions in displacement camps are inadequate, contributing to the high levels of sexual violence, according to Doctors Without Borders.