DRC: Amnesty International condemns use of explosive weapons

Amnesty International has accused both M23 rebels in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the country’s army of using explosive weapons in densely-populated areas.

The organisation insisted this must come to an end.

According to Amnesty, explosive weapons with wide-area effects have been used more than 150 times over a period of several months, killing dozens of people.

Underlining that the attacks breached international humanitarian law and are likely war crimes, the organisation called on the International Criminal Court to investigate them.

Amnesty’s report comes as fighting has intensified between the two warring sides in the country’s eastern provinces.

According to the United Natrions, the violence has displaced more than 100,000 people in the region since the start of the year.