Informing humanitarians worldwide 24/7 — a service provided by UN OCHA

DR Congo

NGO lambastes sexual violence by armymen in eastern DR Congo

KINSHASA, Jun 26, 2006 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- Sex crimes perpetrated by armymen have been widespread in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), denounced an NGO of human rights in a communique sent to Xinhua on Monday.

At least 4,000 cases of sex violence have been reported in the first five months of this year in the eastern DRC, according to the Provincial Synergy of fighting against sexual violence in the province of South Kivu, an eastern Congolese frontier province with Rwanda.

The organization said most of these criminals are armymen from the Rwandan rebel Democratic Forces for Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), the DRC rebel militia Mayi-Mayi and the National Army Forces of DRC (FARDC).

Provincial Synergy asked the political authorities and the administrators concerned to punish the criminals and ban the impunity.