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Rwanda-backed M23 rebels executed three children after they put on weapons and uniforms abandoned by the Congolese army in the eastern city of Bukavu.
The United Nations Human Rights Office disclosed this on Tuesday, expressing alarm over the incident and other violations committed since the rebels arrived in the city.
During a press briefing in Geneva, UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani confirmed the reports.
“Our office has verified cases of the summary execution of children by M23 after they entered the city of Bukavu last week,” she said.
Shamdasani also raised concerns for journalists, human rights defenders, and members of civil society organisations who are seeking protection from reprisals by M23.
The World Bank announced it has raised about $24 billion to provide loans and grants for some of the world’s poorest nations that it can leverage to generate a record $100 billion in total spending power.
Known as the International Development Association (IDA), donor countries committed $23.7 billion to replenish the bank’s concessional lending arm, a World Bank spokesperson told AFP, marking a slight increase from the roughly $23.5 billion pledged during the last fundraising round three years ago.
The bank can use the money to borrow on financial markets, allowing it to leverage the amount raised by around four times, unlocking around $100 billion in new loans and grants, up from $93 billion in 2021.
A World Bank statement read, referring to the current IDA funding round that they believed the historic success of this IDA21 replenishment was a vote of confidence and support from donors and clients.
The World Bank President Ajay Banga said in a separate statement that the funding would be deployed to support the 78 countries that need it most, referring to the developing countries that are eligible for IDA support.
