A mother of four who was raped in the Bulengo displacement camp on the outskirts of Goma, North Kivu, where she had fled the war in eastern Congo, poses for a photograph on 23 August 2023. (Keystone/AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa, File)

❝In DR Congo's conflict, women endure in silence the burden of sexual violence. Violence, impoverishment and predation have become the routine reality of women in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s violent conflict. The international community must do more to provide them with the care they deserve, MSF’s Françoise Duroch and Nelly Staderini write.

Bringing you the latest from UN press briefings in Geneva.

RISING HUMAN TOLL. As Israel expands its offensive in Lebanon, the death toll and number of displaced continue to rise, according to the UN Refugee Agency.

One quarter of Lebanon’s territory is under Israeli evacuation orders, UNHCR’s director for the Middle East, Rema Jamous Imseis, told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday.

70 per cent of schools have been turned into shelters, leaving children without education.

Rising tensions. This comes as the Security Council expressed concern on Monday after Israel fired and wounded UN peacekeepers, accusing them of acting as human shields for Hezbollah. The UN rejected Israel's demands to reposition its troops away from the hostilities.

CRACKDOWN IN TUNISIA. The UN Human Rights Office is worried about the sweeping clampdown on the opposition that marked elections last week in Tunisia, where president Kais Said secured a second term with 90 per cent of the votes.

Over 100 candidates, campaigners and other political figures were arrested in the run-up to the election on charges such as falsification of electoral paperwork, according to the UN rights office.

A spokesperson said: “Such cases are troubling. Their trials indicate a lack of respect for due process and fair trial guarantees.”