United Nations Radio

Congolese woman

Two senior UN officials have been dispatched to the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo following a recent brutal mass rape. Dianne Penn has the story.

Duration: 4'26"

NARR: Piracy off the coast of Somalia topped the agenda of the Security Council on Wednesday. But following his address, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon took the opportunity to speak out against mass rape in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (the DRC).

BAN: The recent savage rape and assault of at least 154 Congolese civilians is another grave example of the levels of sexual violence and insecurity that continue to plague eastern DRC. It is one more brutal reminder of the challenges of keeping the peace and protecting civilians in conflict zones.

NARR: Ban Ki-moon is outraged by the incident, which occurred in the remote North Kivu province. According to an NGO which treated some of the victims, armed elements from two rebel groups took control of the town of Luvungi from July 30 to August 3. They looted homes and raped women in the town and surrounding areas. Corine Momal-Vanian is Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva:

MOMAL-VANIAN : The UN mission in the DRC, MONUSCO, had a military company based at Kibuwa which is some 30 kilometres east of the scene of the attack when those rapes occurred, but the assailants blocked the road and prevented villagers from reaching the nearest communication point at the time that the crimes were committed. Thirty kilometres may not sound very far but in a densely wooded area this is actually quite a distance.

NARR: The UN mission learned about the attack on August 12 and deployed a team to the area the following day. The Secretary-General calls on the country's authorities to investigate the incident and bring the perpetrators to justice.

BAN : Women and children should not have to live in fear of rape. Communities should not suffer the indignity of knowing that human rights abusers and war criminals can continue to behave with impunity. We must speak out. And we must act.

NARR: Ban Ki-moon also calls for a renewal of efforts to bring security and stability to the eastern DRC, and for all armed groups to lay down their weapons and join the peace process. Martin Nesirky is spokesman for the UN Secretary-General:

NESIRKY: Given the seriousness of the incident, the Secretary-General has decided to dispatch immediately Assistant Secretary-General Atul Khare, Officer-in-Charge of the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations, to the DRC. He has also instructed his Special Representative for Sexual Violence in Conflict, Margot Wallström, to take charge of the UN's response and follow-up to this incident.

NARR: Ms. Wallström, who was appointed roughly six months ago, has released a statement condemning the attacks. She says this latest "terrible incident" confirms her general findings of the widespread and systematic nature of rape and other human rights violations. The Special Representative for Sexual Violence in Conflict visited the DRC in May, noting that 200,000 women have been raped during 12 years of conflict. She reported on that mission at a press conference earlier this month.

WALLSTRÖM: I emphasized to the government that as long as well-known infamous rapists are at large, they hold the whole international reputation of Congo hostage and more must be done, not only to help the victims, but to help ensure there are no more victims.

NARR: She also informed journalists of the priorities for her mandate.

WALLSTRÖM: Ending impunity is the first point. Amnesty is not an option for this calibre of crime. The second point, empower women to seek redress and claim their rights. The third point is to mobilize leadership and accountability. The fourth is increasing recognition of rape as a tactic of war and the impediment to peace building. And the fifth point is to ensure a coordinated response from the UN system.

NARR: Margot Wallström, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sexual Violence in Conflict. She says "the UN is trying to ensure a more rigorous monitoring of sexual violence and other human rights violations as a way to identify perpetrators and ensure that action is taken against them..." For UN Radio, I'm Dianne Penn.