DR Congo, Somalia top cases of conflict-related sexual violence - UN report

A new United Nations report says the number of conflict-related sexual violence cases reported in 2024 increased by 25 percent from the previous year.

“The highest number of cases was reported in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Somalia, and South Sudan,” said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

He said 63 state and non-state parties are listed in the annex of the report, credibly suspected of committing or being responsible for patterns of rape and other forms of sexual violence in armed conflict, which is on the agenda of the Security Council.

In Congo's Kivu alone, health workers treated more than 17,000 victims of sexual violence over just five months last year, according to the report, as battles between Congolese forces and M23 rebels intensified.

The report charts crimes like rape, gang rape and sexual slavery.