UN Human Rights Office expressed grave concerns on Monday concerning attacks on hospitals and abductions of patients by the Rwanda-backed rebel group M23 during the ongoing armed conflicts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Ravina Shamdasani, UN Human Rights Office spokesperson, stated that M23 rebels on February 28 raided CBCA Ndosho Hospital and Heal Africa Hospital in Goma, abducting 131 sick and wounded men who were charged with being DRC army soldiers or members of the pro-government Wazalendo militia.
Shamdasani said, “It is deeply distressing that M23 is snatching patients from hospital beds in coordinated raids and holding them incommunicado in undisclosed locations.” The spokesperson then called for the immediate release of all patients and urged the rebels to ensure an end to such arbitrary and abusive raids.
The crisis in DRC has intensified since M23 fighters captured the cities of Goma and Bukavu in January, resulting in a surge in civilian casualties and displacement. Although the M23 group of the alliance of rebel groups declared a unilateral ceasefire for humanitarian reasons on February 4, the ongoing conflict has caused a devastating human toll and unbearable suffering for thousands of people who are urgently in need of basic living resources. The UN estimates that there are currently over 500,000 internally displaced persons in eastern DRC, and there will be an influx of 258,000 refugees across nearby countries.
During armed conflict, international humanitarian law (IHL) and international human rights law (IHRL) must be respected, with special regard to the needs and welfare of wounded people. Health establishments and units, including hospitals, are protected civilian objects and, therefore, benefit from the humanitarian principles of distinction and proportionality. This protection extends to the wounded and sick, medical staff, and means of transport. All parties to the conflict must ensure that adequate medical care is provided to them with the least possible delay, otherwise, it may constitute cruel or inhuman treatment under IHL.
According to the ICRC, willfully killing the wounded and sick or causing great suffering or serious injury to their bodies or their health constitutes war crimes gravely in breach of the Geneva Conventions. The UN resolution 2286 also urges states to ensure that violations of international humanitarian law related to the protection of the wounded and sick and medical facilities in armed conflicts do not remain unpunished, calling for the integration of practical measures for the protection of the wounded and sick and medical services into the planning and conduct of their operations.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has launched a fact-finding mission in the eastern DRC since February, which aims to collect evidence of rights abuses, serious violations of international humanitarian law, and other international crimes committed by all parties to the armed conflict.
