This week, UN rights experts speak out against sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Women in South Sudan’s Bangolo village plead for peace. ASEAN to develop benchmarks for progress in Myanmar.
UN Rights Experts Speak Out Against Sexual Violence in DRC
On July 21, UN human rights experts spoke out against sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). In a press release, the experts condemned the M23 armed group’s “reign of terror” over the territory it controls in the country’s eastern region.
The experts said, “Rapes, gang rapes, violent assaults and killings of civilians are a common feature of M23’s modus operandi.” The experts noted that these crimes are not exclusive to M23, however, “the number of individuals affected is staggering and must end.”
This development comes after an April report by UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that, “Documented cases implicating M23, including rape, gang rape and sexual slavery, rose from 152 in 2024 to 439 in 2025.” The report said that in 2025, the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) verified 1,534 cases of conflict-related sexual violence, an 86 percent increase from 2024.
The M23 controls civilians through arbitrary arrest and detention, torture, forced labor, arson, abduction, blackmail and forced armed recruitment. The group cites unlawful and arbitrary reasons for its treatment of civilians, including collaboration with the DRC’s armed forces, failure to comply with compulsory communal labor, or a mere suspicion of criminal activity.
The appointed experts of the Human Rights Council said, “The violence is unacceptable. It must end immediately and be thoroughly investigated so that those responsible are held accountable.”
Women Plead for Peace in South Sudan’s Bangolo Village
Amidst rising conflict in South Sudan, women in Bangolo village, located in the western Equatoria State, are pleading for peace.
South Sudan’s conflict has left children in Bangolo with disrupted educations, families cut off from their farms, and health services struggling to meet basic needs, UN News reported.
United Nations Police Officers (UNPOL) visited Bangolo to listen to villagers speak about their hardships and concerns. One woman, Eva Sitim, said, “Our children are dying like flowers falling. We are suffering here with our children. We need real peace.”
Other women discussed how their children were growing up not attending school, and women in labor sometimes die due to the difficulties of getting to a hospital without an ambulance. Women also face insecurity when going into the bush, they said.
Yet, women are continuing to push for peace. UN Police Advisor Simpasa Benny said, “Once a woman is involved in negotiations and in ensuring there is peace, men listen to them and believe them.” He added, “UNMISS came to hear and report these concerns so that, together with the Government of South Sudan, the best can be done to protect women, children and civilians in general.”
ASEAN to Develop Benchmarks for Progress in Myanmar
On July 21, ASEAN foreign ministers agreed to develop benchmarks for progress in Myanmar, looking to enhance the implementation of its long-stalled Five-Point Consensus peace plan, Straights Times reported.
The proposals were discussed on the sidelines of the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Manila. They followed an informal meeting in Bangkok on July 12 that gathered nearly all ASEAN foreign ministers and Myanmar’s foreign minister for the first time since the military seized power in a coup in 2021. Senior officials will refine the proposals before going to ASEAN leaders at their November summit, said Philippine Foreign Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro.
Keywords: DRC, Congo, DR Congo, South Sudan, ASEAN, Myanmar, women, sexual violence, mothers, mother, peace, conflict, conflict resolution, peace plan, five-point consensus, Bangolo, Bangolo village, village, Equatoria State
Tara Abhasakun is Peace News Network (PNN)'s managing editor. She is journalist based in Christchurch, New Zealand, and formerly in Bangkok, Thailand. She has reported on a range of human rights issues involving youth protests in Thailand, as well as arts and culture. Tara's work has appeared in several outlets, including Al Jazeera and South China Morning Post.
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