Attacks on two displaced people camps in eastern Congo’s North Kivu region killed at least 12 people on Friday, including children, according to local officials, an aid organisation, and the United Nations.
According to a United Nations statement, explosives struck two displaced people camps in Lac Vert and Mugunga, near Goma, North Kivu’s provincial capital.
The United Nations described the assaults as a “flagrant violation of human rights and international humanitarian law, and may constitute a war crime”.
Lt. Colonel Ndjike Kaiko, a Congolese army spokesperson, blamed the attacks on a rebel group, known as M23, with alleged links to Rwanda, in a statement provided to The Associated Press.
The M23 rebel group denied any role in the attacks and blamed Congolese forces in a statement published on X.
Save The Children, an aid group, said it was present at one of the camps when shells struck close to a busy marketplace ahead of their vehicle. It said dozens were injured, mostly women and children, and the death toll was still unclear.
