UN council signals new alarm over DRC rapes

The United Nations Security Council on Monday raised new concerns over rapes and other attacks on women and children in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Some attacks have been blamed on the Congolese military, and the council raised concern that officers accused of perpetrating human rights violations had received major promotions.

The Security Council said it “strongly condemned” recent attacks in North and South Kivu province, particularly the small town of Fizi, where dozens of women were reported to have been raped last month by armed forces personnel.

At least 11 soldiers have since been arrested, but these were just the latest of many incidents of mass rapes in recent months involving hundreds of women.

While highlighting the quick response by the Congolese government and the army, a council statement called for the “swift prosecution of all perpetrators of human rights abuses”.

“The members of the Security Council also expressed deep concerns about the recent promotion of some [army] personnel involved in serious human rights violations and crimes,” said the statement.

The DRC is also to hold a presidential election this year and the council called on President Joseph Kabila’s government and opposition to “ensure a conducive and peaceful environment for the conduct of free, fair, transparent and credible elections”.

The Congolese Parliament last month approved reforms that the opposition has protested gives Kabila an unfair chance of winning a new term. There will now be only one round of voting on November 27, instead of the traditional two.

Kabila has said reforms cut costs and would prevent post-electoral crises as seen in Kenya, Guinea or Côte d’Ivoire.

Opposition leaders described the move as a “fraud” aimed at keeping Kabila in power.—Sapa-AFP