In the Democratic Republic of Congo, families gathered Wednesday to bury nearly two dozen children who were killed earlier this month after rocket attacks on camps for displaced people near the city of Goma. Another 13 victims, mostly women, were also buried. Mourners blamed the M23 armed group for the killings and condemned neighboring Rwanda for backing the group. This is Congolese Human Rights Minister Albert Fabrice Puela.

Albert Fabrice Puela: “A Congolese genocide for economic reasons is being perpetrated in our country by Rwanda. War crimes, such as those of May 3rd in Mugunga, crimes against humanity, have all been documented.”

Rwanda has denied the accusations, saying the attacks were likely carried out by militias backed by the Congolese army. Intensifying violence in the eastern DRC has forced hundreds of thousands to flee as armed groups vie for control of the country’s natural resources.

Lydie Mutombo: “There are a lot of foreign countries behind Rwanda President Paul Kagame, and they’re killing my people because of the minerals that the Congo has. If they want to work with the Congo, they shouldn’t go through Kagame. Let them come and negotiate with us, and we’ll know how to make the ore available to them so that we can all benefit from it.”