UN rights chief warns of spread of Congo crisis at emergency UN meeting

A man stands in front of a gas station office that was hit by light and heavy weapons during the fighting in the town that led to the fall of Goma to the M23 rebels, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, February 5, 2025. REUTERS/Arlette Bashizi/File Photo

GENEVA (Reuters) - The U.N. human rights chief said on Friday that he was deeply disturbed by the escalating crisis in eastern Congo, urging all those with influence to help halt the violence and warning of a risk that it spreads beyond the country's borders.

"If nothing is done, the worst may be yet to come, for the people of the eastern DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo), but also beyond the country’s borders," Turk told an emergency meeting of the Geneva-based Human Rights Council.