UN Working Group Slams Mass Rapes in Eastern DRC

UPDATED: September 9, 2010 UN Working Group Slams Mass Rapes in Eastern DRC With mass rapes of at least 240 women and children in eastern DRC from late July to mid-August, Wasstrom called for "collective responsibility" in the UN's failure to prevent the brutal sexual attacks in the war-torn African country

A UN Security Council working group on Wednesday strongly condemned the mass rapes in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and urged the DRC government to immediate launch an inquiry into the tragedy, which involved children victims.

The statement came as Claude Heller, the Mexican UN ambassador, was speaking to reporters here in his capacity as the chairman of the Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict.

"We expressed our strong condemnation of the tragic events which occurred in Walikale territory beginning late July and the following weeks in the Kivus involving minor victims," Heller said. "A total of 32 cases were reported. Thirty two cases of rape against children, 31 girls and one boy."

Heller's statement, which came at the end of a formal meeting of the working group, added voice to a Tuesday statement by the UN Security Council which strongly condemned the mass rapes in the eastern DRC in late July and early August.

About 500 women were raped in eastern DRC. Since UN officials first revealed late last month that large number of women had been gang-raped, the number reported has grown to 242 victims from at least 150 concentrated in 13 villages in North Kivu province, including 28 minors.

"We recall the firm commitment of the Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict in fight against impunity, in particular for sexual violence crimes," he said. "We call upon all parties to cease immediately violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law, in particular sexual violence."

"We urge the government of the DRC to immediately launch an inquiry, arrest, and prosecute the perpetrators of such attacks," he said. "We encourage the UN to take all of the necessary measures to improve efficiency, to help prevent and to respond to such attacks and to better coordinate its actions."

The Security Council on Tuesday convened an open meeting to hear the briefing from Atul Khare, the UN under-secretary-general for peacekeeping operations, and Margot Wallstrom, the UN secretary-general's special representative on sexual violence in conflict, on the mass rapes in eastern DRC.

In their briefings to the 15-nation Council, both Khare and Wallstrom urged the Security Council to consider sanctions against those who were behind the mass rapes in the eastern DRC.

The latest victims include 21 girls between seven and 21 years old, and six men, said Khare, who told the Council that the UN's actions "were not adequate" in preventing the mass rapes of women and children in eastern DRC.

"While the primary responsibility for protection of civilians lies with the state, its national army and police force, clearly we have also failed. Our actions were not adequate, resulting in unacceptable brutalization of the population of villages in the area," he said.

With mass rapes of at least 240 women and children in eastern DRC from late July to mid-August, Wasstrom called for "collective responsibility" in the UN's failure to prevent the brutal sexual attacks in the war-torn African country.

"At this moment, we are all compelled to look in the mirror and face our collective responsibility for our inability to prevent the mass rapes in Kibua," Wallstrom told the UN Security Council in an open meeting on the DRC.

Upon hearing the report of the mass rapes, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon sent Khare to the DRC from Aug. 28 to Sept. 2. for the investigation into the brutal attacks.

(Xinhua News Agency September 9, 2010)