Hundreds of women raped and burned to death after Goma prison set on fire | Democratic Republic of the Congo

Hundreds of women were raped and burned alive during the chaos after a Rwandan-backed rebel group entered the Congolese city of Goma last week.

The female inmates were attacked in their wing inside Goma’s Munzenze prison during a mass jailbreak, according to a senior UN official.

The deputy head of the UN peacekeeping force based in Goma, Vivian van de Perre, said that while several thousand men managed to escape from the prison, the area reserved for women was set on fire.

Images taken shortly after Rwandan-backed M23 rebels reached the centre of Goma reveal vast plumes of black smoke rising from the prison on the morning of 27 January.

Although details of the incident are scarce, the atrocity appears to be the worst of the recent M23-led conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. UN peacekeepers, however, have been unable to visit the prison to investigate further because of restrictions imposed by the M23 rebels, meaning the identity of the perpetrators remains unclear.

On Tuesday, it emerged that about 2,000 bodies were still awaiting burial in Goma after M23 fighters seized Goma, capital of the DRC’s North Kivu province, on 27 January.

Van de Perre, who is now based in Goma with thousands of UN peacekeeping troops deployed to protect citizens, said: “There was a major prison breakout of 4,000 escaped prisoners. A few hundred women were also in that prison.

“They were all raped and then they set fire to the women’s wing. They all died afterwards.”

This week the UN office of the high commissioner for human rights (OHCHR) warned that sexual violence was being used as a weapon of war by rival armed groups in Goma.

The city, home to more than one million people, is under the total control of M23 forces. But in an unforeseen development late on Monday, the militia announced a unilateral “ceasefire”.

Until then, fears had been mounting that Rwanda was determined to take more territory from its vast neighbour, with M23 forces steadily heading south towards Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province 120 miles (190km) from Goma.

A statement from a political-military coalition called the Alliance Fleuve Congo (Congo River Alliance) – of which M23 is a member – announced it had “no intention of taking control of Bukavu or other localities”.

Responding to news of the unexpected ceasefire. Van de Perre said: “I hope it stays that way because they [M23] were already moving in the direction of Bukavu with reinforcements and heavy weaponry, which can be seen passing [along] the streets in Goma.

“If they retreat, that’s good news. Otherwise, we’ll have a new clash with potentially thousands of additional deaths.”

She said M23 may have had a sudden rethink after reinforcements from Burundi arrived in Bukavu and a nearby airport was used by the Congolese air force.

“The Burundians have sent 2,000 extra troops to Bukavu, and they are very good fighters. I think M23 is currently rethinking their next steps.”

Despite evidence to the contrary, Rwanda denies it is backing the M23 or that its forces have crossed into eastern Congo.

However, Van de Perre, part of the UN peacekeeping force known as Monusco, said her colleagues had spotted Rwandan soldiers during patrols – behaviour so brazen that it suggests they are not concerned about international repercussions.

Van de Perre urged the UN security council to increase the pressure on Rwanda. “We really need to get back to the negotiating table. And that is only possible if the members of the security council and other important countries exert enough pressure on Rwanda and Congo,” she said.

Previously, another senior UN official had speculated that the DRC’s neighbour wanted to annex a chunk of DRC larger than Rwanda itself. “This is a long-term policy to get the broader Kivu area into the sphere of Rwandan influence and, later, under complete administrative control,” they said.

Speaking before the ceasefire was announced late on Monday, Van de Perre said she was anxious about reports that groups were preparing for a counter-attack. “We already have reports that in certain places people are gathering and organising,” she said.

Van de Perre said she was in “constant dialogue” with M23 officers in charge of Goma and that humanitarian conditions in the city were dire.

Crossing the city was difficult, she said. “They [the M23] allow us to bring food and water to our bases, but apart from that we can barely move around.”