NEWS
UNICEF Sounds Alarm Over Escalating Child Crisis in Eastern DRC
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has issued a warning over escalating violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and its impact on children.
Hundreds of civilians have been killed and tens of thousands displaced in DRC as M23 rebels continue to attack and seize control of towns and villages.
UNICEF Executive Director, Catherine Russell, in a statement on Thursday, expressed deep concern over the devastating impact on children and families.
“In North and South Kivu provinces, we are receiving horrific reports of grave violations against children by parties to the conflict.
“These include rape and other forms of sexual violence at levels surpassing anything we have seen in recent years,” she said.
The crisis is spreading beyond the Kivus.
In Ituri province, at least 28 children were among 52 people killed in a brutal attack in Djugu territory on Monday, according to international NGO, Save the Children.
The attackers reportedly used machetes, guns, and fire, targeting families, including many women and children.
Homes were burned to the ground with some trapped inside.
With violence intensifying, UNICEF warns that child recruitment, abduction, and sexual violence is rapidly increasing.
During the week of Jan. 27 to Feb. 2, when the Rwanda-backed M23 group captured the regional capital Goma, the number of rape cases treated at 42 UNICEF-supported health centres surged five-fold in just one week.
Children accounted for 30 per cent of those receiving treatment.
“The true figures are likely much higher because so many survivors are reluctant to come forward.
“Our partners are running out of the drugs used to reduce the risk of HIV infection after a sexual assault,” Russell said.
At the same time, children are increasingly being separated from their families, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation.
In just two weeks, over 1,100 unaccompanied children were identified in North and South Kivu, with numbers continuing to rise.
Even before the latest escalation, child recruitment into armed groups was a major concern.
A UN report last year documented at least 4,006 cases of children recruited or used by armed groups.
“Now, with parties to the conflict calling for the mobilization of young fighters, recruitment rates will likely accelerate,” Russell warned.
She cited reports that children as young as 12 were being recruited or coerced into joining armed groups.
“Parties to the conflict must immediately cease and prevent grave rights violations against children.
“They must also take concrete measures to protect civilians and infrastructure critical to their survival in line with their obligations under international humanitarian law,” she urged.
The violence is also exacting a terrible toll on pregnant women.
Many of them have been forced to flee multiple times, seeking refuge in overcrowded displacement camps with little access to medical care, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) warned.
Some women are going into labour while fleeing bombardments or forced to deliver babies in makeshift shelters without medical care.
Even before the current crisis, maternal health care in DRC was severely limited, with the country already among those with the highest maternal mortality rates globally.
Now, only a third of hospitals and one in five health centres remain functional, leaving UNFPA’s mobile clinics as the only lifeline for many expectant mothers, the UN agency said.
Of the estimated 220,000 pregnant women in North and South Kivu, over 12,000 are currently displaced with no assured medical care.
More than 88,000 women and girls are at risk of gender-based violence, while unintended pregnancies are expected to rise due to the collapse of health services.
UNFPA is operating eight mobile health clinics in the region, staffed by 27 midwives providing critical maternal and reproductive health services.
In spite of the challenges, these teams are ensuring safe deliveries, prenatal care, and family planning support for over 8,000 people.
“UNFPA remains in North Kivu, working alongside the government and humanitarian partners to ensure women and girls receive life-saving care, but the needs are growing faster than resources can keep up,” the agency said.
“There are thousands of other women bracing for childbirth in tents, under bombardment, unsure if they or their babies will survive the night.” (NAN)
The election of Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost of Chicago, has ignited pride and celebration at St. Rita of Cascia High School, where the new pope once served as a teacher.
The 69-year-old Augustinian cardinal’s historic rise as the first American pope was met with elation across his former school community.
Students and faculty remembered him not just as a religious leader but as a humble and compassionate mentor.
Leo was born in Chicago and graduated with a degree in mathematics from the University of Villanova in Pennsylvania in 1977.
He also studied religion at the Catholic Theological Union of Chicago.
In 1982, he received a doctorate in church law from the Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas in Rome before being sent to serve in a Catholic mission in Peru.
In 2023, he became prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, a key Catholic administrative body, based in Rome
He succeeds Pope Francis who died on April 21. The late pontiff made Prevost a cardinal in September 2023.(AA/NAN)(www.nanne
The election of Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost of Chicago, has ignited pride and celebration at St. Rita of Cascia High School, where the new pope once served as a teacher.
The 69-year-old Augustinian cardinal’s historic rise as the first American pope was met with elation across his former school community.
Students and faculty remembered him not just as a religious leader but as a humble and compassionate mentor.
Leo was born in Chicago and graduated with a degree in mathematics from the University of Villanova in Pennsylvania in 1977.
He also studied religion at the Catholic Theological Union of Chicago.
In 1982, he received a doctorate in church law from the Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas in Rome before being sent to serve in a Catholic mission in Peru.
In 2023, he became prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, a key Catholic administrative body, based in Rome
He succeeds Pope Francis who died on April 21. The late pontiff made Prevost a cardinal in September 2023.(AA/NAN)
Pope Leo XVI Celebrates First Mass in Sistine Chapel
Robert Francis Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV,on Friday presided over the first large mass following his election.
The new pontiff was joined by cardinals in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, a day after he was chosen on Thursday as the successor to pope Francis.
The US born cleric, who also has a Peruvian citizenship, entered the ornate chapel in the Apostolic Palace, accompanied by singing, dressed in a long white robe and wearing a traditional mitre.
He wore dark shoes, not the red shoes worn by many previous popes, which his predecessor Francis had also eschewed.
The cardinals likewise wore white robes with gold embellishments,the chapel is the same location where the cardinals elected Prevost as pope during the conclave.
The pope is the leader of 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide.
While, the faithful are eager to see how Leo will shape the Catholic Church.
The new pontiff has a packed schedule for the coming days, including an expected appearance at around midday on Sunday on the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica for the traditional Regina Coeli prayer.
Around 100,000 people cheered him in St Peter’s Square on Thursday after white smoke emerged from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, signaling that a new pontiff had been chosen. (dpa/NAN)
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has sent its congratulatory message to the Roman Catholic Church on the election of Pope Leo XIV.
CAN President Archbishop Daniel Okoh, in a statement on Friday, said that this significant milestone brings joy to Catholics worldwide, and CAN joins in celebrating this momentous occasion.
”The emergence of Pope Leo XIV signifies renewal and hope for the Catholic Church,” he said, adding ”CAN is confident that the new Pontiff will advance peace, justice, and inclusiveness, continuing the legacy of his predecessors.
”CAN prays that Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate be blessed with wisdom, good health, and strength to lead God’s people on the path of righteousness.
“May God guide and strengthen him in his ministry,” the statement says.
The Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of the U.S. was elected as the 267th pope, taking the papal name Pope Leo XIV.
The announcement was made from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, where Cardinal Dominique Mamberti declared “Habemus Papam” to the cheering crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square.
Pope Leo XIV, aged 69, is the first American pope in history and a former Superior General of the Augustinians.
He succeeds Pope Francis, the 266th pontiff of the Catholic Church and the first from Latin America who died on April 21, at the age of 88. (NAN)
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