World
UNDERREPORTED
Women Join Pro-Government Wazalendo Forces Amid Escalating Sexual Violence in Eastern DRC
Facing rampant sexual assaults, women in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo are enlisting with pro-government Wazalendo fighters to protect their villages.
Why it matters
It shows how extreme insecurity forces civilians, especially women, into combat roles, deepening the humanitarian crisis in the DRC.
In this story
women fighterssexual violenceeastern DRCWazalendo militiahuman rights abusesarmed conflictcivilian protection
