DRC: DRC, UN Must Both Work to Stop Mass Rapes in DRC: UN Chief

Both the United Nations and the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) must work together to prevent the recurrence of mass rapes which were recently perpetrated in the eastern part of DRC, UN Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon told reporters here Thursday.

"The government of the DRC must play its role in fighting this horrific violence," he said. "But clearly all of us at the United Nations must and will do better."

According to the UN, Congolese Mai-Mai militants and Rwandan rebel group, Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) raped some 500 civilian women and minors in July and August.

Some of the rapes occurred within relatively close proximity to the UN Organization Stabilizing Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO), but the mission did not hear about them until after they occurred. Questions have been raised since about the mission's effectiveness in preventing rapes.

"This has been a top priority issue -- how to protect women and girls and the most vulnerable people in armed conflict," Ban said. "The basic, primary responsibility lies with the countries concerned, in this case, the DRC, and I have spoken with President (Joseph) Kabila on this issue, very seriously, when I was in the DRC last June. I have spoken very strongly about this, and this will continue."

Last week, MONUSCO found at least 242 women had been raped over several days from late July to early August in the town of Luvungi in North Kivu province in the eastern part of the DRC.

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.

"Having seen such unacceptable, intolerable, mass rape recently, now it has come to us how the United Nations could have done more, and should do more," he said. "Now we are trying our best to establish effective alert system."

"As you know, these villages are very remote, and there is no way to have effective communications, even though some tragic things must have happened," Ban said. "So MONUSCO is now taking care to provide some necessary communication equipment, so that effective communication between MONUSCO and villagers -- village leaders, church leaders -- can be made."

"This may be just one specific area, but as a matter of policy, as we are observing the 10th anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325, it is absolutely necessary and crucial that the international community do more on protecting women and girls from these inhuman crimes," he added.

On Tuesday, the UN Security Council heard reports on the rapes from Atul Khare, the UN under-secretary-general for peacekeeping operations and Margot Wallstrom, the secretary-general's special representative on sexual violence in conflict.

Ban called the briefings by Khare and Wallstrom a "frank and open assessment" of the crimes.

After hearing the briefings, the Security Council issued a statement of "strong condemnation"of the rapes, urging the government of the DRC to take action against the rapists.

"We urge the government of the DRC to launch an inquiry, arrest, and prosecute the perpetrators of such attacks," Turkish UN Ambassador Ertugrul Apakan, who holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council for September, told reporters. "We urge the UN to take all the necessary measures to improve efficiency to help prevent and respond to such attacks to better coordinate its actions."

On Wednesday, the Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict also met on the issue and produced a statement of its own requesting a DRC investigation into the incidents.