World News in Brief: Afghanistan airstrikes, rights violations in DR Congo, Gaza displacement
“We offer our condolences to the families of the victims and wish a speedy recovery for the injured,” the Kabul-based UN mission (UNAMA) said in a statement.Women and children among victimsWomen and children are among the victims, and the current casualty figures are preliminary and may increase as hospitals continue to treat the injured, the mission added.According to UNAMA, Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting confirmed Pakistani security forces had conducted strikes in the three provinces.More than 20 deadOn Sunday evening, at around 11.30pm local time, in Paktya province, Chamkani district, an airstrike killed at least 22 civilians and injured at least 47 others. At around the same time, in Paktika province, Gyan district, a further airstrike killed six civilians; a third airstrike, in Kunar province, Marawara district, injured two children.UNAMA is continuing its verification work on these incidents, reiterating its call for respect for the international humanitarian law principles of precaution, distinction and proportionality to protect civilians from harm.Guterres calls for diplomacyUN Secretary-General António Guterres called on Monday for an immediate cessation of hostilities and the protection of civilians, reiterating his call on combatants to resolve their differences through diplomacy.“We continue to call on all parties to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and continue to stress that civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected at all times,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters on Monday.Mr. Guterres offered his condolences to the families of the victims and noted that the latest attacks have reportedly triggered displacement.Civilians face human rights abuses in DR CongoTurning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), investigators with the Commission of Inquiry on North Kivu and South Kivu found that civilians face sexual violence, unlawful killings and human rights violations against children in the country’s war-torn east.In an update to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, the Commission said it had received testimonies of conflict-related sexual violence, sexual slavery, forced recruitment into armed gangs of youngsters and multiple other serious rights violations.
