The most recent incidents occurred between 12 and 13 February, and 18 and 19 February respectively, involving at least 56 people, around the villages of Misisi/Milimba, and Bwala/Ibindi, at the exit of a market.
The survivors told MSF they were taken hostage, undressed and tied up with ropes. Women, men and children were systematically beaten and raped. All their belongings were stolen.
Witnesses said the attackers were armed men who appeared to be members of the Forces Démocratiques pour la Libération de Rwanda (FDLR), a group founded by ringleaders and other perpetrators of Rwanda’s 1994 genocide, which has been holed up in eastern DRC more or less ever since.
According to MSF, these attacks have been taking place in the same area, practically every week. Since 1 January, the organization has provided medical treatment to 200 people, all of them survivors of sexual violence in the region near Fizi.
In January, when 100 people had been raped, MSF said it had not provided medical treatment for rape on this scale in South Kivu since 2004.
“Mass rapes and violent attacks are happening with alarming regularity in this particular part of the Fizi region,” said Annemarie Loof, MSF head of mission in South Kivu, in a statement to IRIN. “We are extremely concerned about the fate of civilians who are being targeted amid the increasing violence and insecurity in this part of eastern DRC.”
Condemnation
“We do not have confirmation of exact figures; however, we have no reason to doubt MSF’s report and we are very worried,” said Maurizio Giuliano, head of public information at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Kinshasa. “We condemn the use of gang rape as a weapon of war. This is not about opportunistic rape; rather, it is a strategy. In this kind of attack, it is not only women that are targeted, but their families and the whole community. It is unacceptable.
We condemn the use of gang rape as a weapon of war. This is not about opportunistic rape; rather, it is a strategy |
MONUSCO claims to have reinforced its presence in the region and recently organized patrols to accompany villagers when they go to market. “An investigation into these rapes, led by our Human Rights section, is ongoing,” George Ola Davies, head of the information division of MONUSCO, said.
In South Kivu, some 8,000 rapes were recorded for the year 2010, according to humanitarian organizations.
In August 2010, MONUSCO was severely criticized for its failure to protect civilians subjected to large-scale and systematic rape in Walikale. More than 300 women were targeted in three days of sexual violence and attacks by rebels from the group FDLR, and the Mai Mai.
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This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions