The U.N. human rights chief has accused Rwanda-backed rebels who seized a second major city in eastern Congo of killing children and attacking hospitals and warehouses storing humanitarian aid.

M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo have captured the eastern city of Bukavu with the backing of Rwandan forces, the second major city in the mineral-rich Kivu region to fall in three weeks.

Rwanda-backed rebels appeared to be heading toward a third major city in eastern Congo, residents said Tuesday, as international pressure rose over the M23's expansion in a mineral-rich region that’s critical for global technology.

Rwanda-backed rebels have reached the center of east Congo’s second-largest city, Bukavu, and taken control of the South Kivu province administrative office.

The accusation comes after M23 seized more territory in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. View on euronews