No hope for end to weapon of rape in DR Congo

By Shabtai Gold Apr 2, 2010, 5:38 GMT

Geneva - With the United Nations peacekeeping forces set to begin a pull-out in coming months, women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have little reason to see the move as a sign of increased personal security, experts warn.

Their likelihood of becoming victims of heinous rape crimes remains high. Impunity in the country only worsens their chances of falling prey to those using sexual violence as a weapon of war.

Over the last 12 years of conflict, more than 5.4 million people in the African nation are estimated to have died as a result of violence, famine and disease. More than 150,000 women were raped in acts of war, some multiple times.

'Women are on the front lines,' said Guillaume Lacaille of the International Crisis Group.

Instead of leaving, the UN troops should be moved to the more volatile areas, Lacaille suggested, also noting that the UN's blue helmets need to improve their own record.

Human rights groups have documented abuses by international soldiers. Some have stood by as national troops raped and killed civilians. The UN's forces also committed violations of their own.

'Where you have massive cases of rape of women, children and even men, is in the east where the conflict is ongoing,' said Muzong Kodi, an associate fellow in the Africa programme at Chatham House.

'Rape is prevalent in areas where you have conflict, where it is used as a weapon,' he added.

The eastern region of the vast country, particularly the Kivu areas near neighboring Rwanda, still have several dozen active militias.

The often ruthless Lord's Resistance Army fighters, fleeing their native Uganda, have settled in the northern territories of the DR Congo, carrying out brutal attacks.

'The Congolese (government) cannot field an army that can protect civilians,' Kodi said bluntly, noting that ultimately it was Kinshasa's responsibility to protect its civilians - a job requiring reforms it was 'lacking political will' to carry out, he said.

Moreover, a culture of sexual violence against women was rife in the unreformed military and too few options exist for former perpetrators of rape to find a path to a new life. [See 'SIDEBAR: Controversial film documents rapists in DR Congo'.]

Kodi and Lacaille were among several experts interviewed by the German Press Agency dpa who said the call for a UN pullout was a ploy to pretend the country was stable ahead of the 2011 elections. One expert was a former European Union military advisor to Kinshasa, while others were humanitarian aid workers.

Nearly all people interviewed used the word 'dire' to define the humanitarian state of affairs in the east. None, except government officials, offered a glimmer of hope for the troubled region, rich in natural resources.

'We have adopted a plan to address sexual violence,' an envoy for the DR Congo to Geneva, Richard Lukunda, recently told a small gathering.

However, sitting next to him, the Norwegian ambassador said local laws require deep and far reaching changes so women's rights would be respected.

'To have equality before the law is absolutely fundamental,' Bente Angell-Hansen, whose government is a large donor to the African country, said.

She noted that women lacked key economic and political freedoms.

'If there is more respect, then there will be less violence,' she said.

While impunity is rife, women's organizations have played a vital role in bringing to light the story of rape victims.

'Really, in Congo, there is [a state] where you have a dire situation for women,' said Nadine Puechguirbal of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

'But in the DR Congo, you have a lot of organizations working there on this, so there are more people talking about it,' she quickly added, noting that in other war zones, a 'culture of silence' was keeping sexual violence hidden.

Speaking out, however, will likely not be enough.

The eastern region, which is separated from Kinshasa by two time zones, is awash in natural resources. It is prone to interference from neighbors, most notably Rwanda, which is widely believed to be involved in illicit exportation of raw materials.

The struggle for control over those resources continues to be a driving factor behind the unending violence.

Most experts agree that Kinshasa has a laundry list of tasks to complete. It must reach a deal with Rwanda, reform its army, tackle the traumas of war and install a justice system that people can trust. Otherwise, women, children and men will continue to suffer sexual violence.