The M23 rebels advanced on Bukavu in early 2023, transforming villages along Lake Kivu into war zones. Civil society groups highlighted that the Congolese military and allied militias are responsible for numerous rapes of women and children. Survivors like Riziki recount harrowing experiences of attack and abandonment and the absence of justice as legal systems collapse amid the conflict. Reports of sexual violence targeting women continued in M23-controlled areas, with victims often silenced by fear and societal stigma. The situation indicates a severe breakdown in law and order, exacerbating the plight of vulnerable populations.
Three soldiers broke into my house to loot. One of them came into my bedroom to rape me, but I resisted. The others shouted at him to leave, but he refused.
After that, Riziki, a mother of five, has found refuge in Bukavu. She hoped to receive justice in Bukavu during a planned trial. But then, M23 fighters took the city.
Witnesses reported cases of rape and sexual violence in the M23-occupied cities of Bukavu and Goma especially targeting married women and girls.
Women were also forced to perform sexual acts in exchange for various services, and in many cases, survivors did not press charges out of fear and shame.
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