DRC: Hillary Clinton Condemns Sexual Violence In Congo

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has expressed "deep concern" over reports of mass rape of women and children in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and vowed her country's help to bring to justice rebels accused in the "horrific" crime.

"This horrific attack is an example of how sexual violence undermines efforts to achieve and maintain stability in areas torn by conflict, but striving for peace," she said in a statement.

Pointing out that the U.S. repeatedly condemned the "epidemic of sexual violence" in conflict zones around the world, Clinton asserted Washington would continue to speak out on this issue for those who could not speak for themselves.

"Less than a year ago, I presided over the U.N. Security Council session where Resolution 1888 (2009) was unanimously adopted, underscoring the importance of preventing and responding to sexual violence as a tactic of war against civilians," she said.

Clinton said it was now time for member-nations to go beyond that resolution with specific steps to protect civilians from sexual violence and prosecute those who committed them.

She vowed the United States would do everything it could to work with the U.N. and the DRC government "to hold the perpetrators of these acts accountable, and to create a safe environment for women, girls, and all civilians living in the eastern Congo."

Clinton's reaction came after the United Nations recently reported that some rebels from the Mai Mai militia and Rwandan Hutu Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), who occupied the town of Luvungi in North Kivu province from July 30 to August 3, raped and assaulted more than 154 females.

Earlier Tuesday, U.N. Secretary General Bank Ki-moon expressed outrage at the attacks, and sent his Assistant Secretary-General for Peace-keeping Operations, Atul Khare, to the Congo to investigate the incident.

The United Nations, which has a peace-keeping force of nearly 20,000 members in the Congo, said the force only heard about the incident in the eastern province more than a week after it occurred.