Over 150 Female Inmates Raped and Burned Alive During Goma Jailbreak In DRC, UN says.

More than 150 female inmates were raped and burned alive in a fire set by fleeing male prisoners during a mass jailbreak. The numbers alone are staggering, but they barely capture the sheer agony of what these women endured in their final moments.

According to the United Nations, out of 165 – 167 female prisoners who were raped, most of them perished in the blaze, with only a handful of survivors, each of whom had also been assaulted. The fire, the mass escape, the systematic violation of women’s bodies, it all happened in the shadow of an ongoing war between the Congolese military and the M23 rebels, a conflict that has already left thousands dead and countless others displaced.

And yet, as shocking as this massacre is, it is not an anomaly. It is not an isolated event. It is a horrific continuation of a pattern that has plagued the DRC for decades, where sexual violence is used as a weapon of war, where women’s bodies become battlegrounds for forces beyond their control. The Congolese government has condemned this atrocity, but condemnation is not enough. The world has heard such statements before. What justice will be served for the women whose lives were snuffed out in that inferno? What accountability will be demanded for those who inflicted such terror?

Reports of similar atrocities elsewhere in the country paint an even grimmer picture. The UN says it is verifying claims that Congolese soldiers themselves were involved in gang rapes in South Kivu. When those meant to protect civilians become perpetrators, where do the people turn? When the institutions tasked with upholding justice allow such crimes to persist, how can healing even begin?

Meanwhile, the M23 rebels, who claim to have seized control of Goma, are calling for a ceasefire after days of deadly clashes with government forces. But how do you negotiate peace in a land soaked with so much blood? How do you stop a cycle of violence that has become a way of life for so many?