Amnesty International criticizes DRC government after up to 100 women are raped

Amnesty International criticizes DRC government after up to 100 women are raped

2011-06-24 06:20:36 GMT+7 (ICT)

LONDON (BNO NEWS) -- Amnesty International on Thursday criticized the government in the Democratic Republic of Congo for not bringing human rights abusers to justice, after new reports of mass rapes committed by members of the Congolese army emerged.

The London-based rights organization said that new reports have emerged that fighters of a former armed group integrated into the Congolese army deserted from an army training camp and raped possibly up to 100 women. The attack reportedly took place on the night of June 11 in the village of Nyakiele near Fizi town in the east of the country.

"The inability of the Democratic Republic of Congo to bring to justice members of its own army and armed groups for crimes under international law, has fostered a culture of impunity, leading to attack after attack against civilians," said Erwin van der Borght, Amnesty International's Director for Africa.

According to local sources, senior officer of the Congolese army, Colonel Kifaru Niragiye, and approximately 150 of his soldiers are responsible for the mass rapes in Nyakiele. The sources said that the incidents happened when the Colonel defected after learning he was going to be demoted following a training course at Kananda military training centre in South Kivu. The group also raided other villages in the area and civilians were forced to carry stolen goods.

Colonel Kifaru's deputy and eight other men were convicted and jailed by a military court for 'crimes against humanity' in February 2011, for raping at least 60 women in an attack on Fizi town in early January 2011. 

Amnesty International called for an independent investigation to be conducted into these crimes in accordance with international standards and demanded the prosecution of those responsible.

Meanwhile, the organization added that investigations into atrocities committed in July and August 2010, in which more than 300 women, men, boys and girls were systematically raped in North Kivu, are proceeding slowly. 

A UN Mapping Report, published last year, which documented abuses committed between 1993 and 2003 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, pointed out that the weakness of the Congolese justice system is a major obstacle to ensuring justice for human rights violations.

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