The U.N. children’s fund on Thursday accused armed men, likely on both sides of the conflict in eastern Congo, of raping scores of children over the past weeks as rebels expand their footprint and push government forces out.

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Thursday issued a stark warning over escalating violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where hundreds of civilians have been killed and tens of thousands displaced as M23 rebels continue to attack and seize control of towns and villages.

The United Nations’ children’s agency has accused armed men in eastern Congo of raping hundreds of women and children during a single week of fighting as Rwandan-backed rebels cemented control over the city of Goma,

Conflict in mineral-rich region shows no signs of abating, with both government forces and M23 rebels implicated in the atrocities.

Rape and other violence against children in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has soared to unprecedented levels, the head of the United Nations children's agency warned Thursday.