MORE than 100 women were raped and burned alive during a jailbreak in the wartorn city of Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the United Nations reported today.

The attack took place as hundreds of prisoners broke out from the Munzenze prison on Monday as soldiers from the Rwandan-backed M23 militia began taking over the city.

A leaked internal UN document said that 165 women prisoners were assaulted by male inmates during the jailbreak before being killed after the prison was set ablaze.

Between nine and 13 female inmates, “all of whom had also been raped,” survived the blaze, UN human rights office spokesman Seif Magango told CNN.

DRC communications minister Patrick Muyaya confirmed the rape of the 165 women and said “the government condemns with the greatest energy this barbaric crime.”

The killings and mass rape mirror recurring scenes of conflict-related sexual violence that have plagued the DRC for decades.

Last week, the UN Human Rights Office said there had been reports of cases of sexual violence involving DRC forces.

“We are verifying reports that 52 women were raped by Congolese troops in South Kivu, including alleged reports of gang rape,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights spokeswoman Jeremy Laurence in a statement on Friday.

There has been no comment from the Congolese military on the reports.

Goma was plunged into chaos earlier this week when the M23 militia overran the city, with bodies left lying in the streets and missiles reportedly flying over residential homes.

The UN estimates that about 3,000 people have been killed during the fighting.

There are now fears of a cholera outbreak in Goma.

Doctors Without Borders regional leader Stephen Goetghbuer said: “Access to water has been cut for days, corpses have been lying in the streets and waterborne diseases such as cholera are a real threat.

“Some of our cholera treatment centres are full and have been expanded.”