Kinshasa, DR CONGO - A silent genocide is taking place in the east and northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Catholic bishops say.

The bishops of the Permanent Committee of the Congolese Bishops' Conference (CENCO) issued a ‘cry of grief and protest,’ saying that they are ‘disturbed and overcome by the human tragedy in the east and northeast Democratic Republic of Congo.’

‘The great massacres of the population, the planned extermination of the youth, the systematic robberies, used as a weapon of war... exceptional violence is once again being unleashed upon the local people who only ask that they can live in a decent manner in their homeland... The most deplorable fact is that the violence is taking place right before the eyes of those whose duty it is to maintain peace and protect the civilian population.’