The UN Security Council strongly criticized the Democratic Republic of Congo government Friday for mass rapes in the country and demanded tougher action to catch those responsible.
Hundreds of women and children were raped by militia groups in eastern DR Congo in late July and early August, in acts that drew widespread international condemnation. UN peacekeepers were also criticized for their slow response to the sex assaults.
A Security Council presidential statement urged the DR Congo government to do more to catch the perpetrators and help the victims, while also telling peacekeepers to improve their relations with the far-flung communities that bear the brunt of the militia actions.
The Council called on the DR Congo government "to ensure a swift and fair prosecution of the perpetrators of these terrible crimes and to inform the Security Council on measures undertaken."
It also called on the government "to condemn these atrocities and provide effective assistance to the victims of sexual abuse."
With the DR Congo authorities often accused of failing to take action against militia leaders blamed for atrocities, the council made an "urgent call" for the government to work with UN forces "to put an end to impunity, in particular those bearing responsibility for gross human rights must be held to account."
The United Nations has blamed the Mai-Mai militia and the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), rebels from neighbouring Rwanda, for the mass rapes when armed groups took over whole villages and raped women in front of their families.
Top UN peacekeeping officials have acknowledged that the MONUSCO force in DR Congo "failed" the local population, by reacting too slowly to rape reports. They have since stepped up patrols.
The Security Council said that the peacekeeping force must "improve relations with communities, including through information-gathering mechanisms and communications tools."
Margaret Wallstrom, the UN special representative on the prevention of sexual violence in conflict, has called the DR Congo the "rape capital of the world" and said it is used as a weapon of terror in the battle to control the huge country's rich mineral and gold resources.
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