New York, Aug 26 (DPA) The UN Security Council Thursday condemned the reported rape of more than 150 women by rebels in a remote area in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
The council said it was ‘outraged’ by the incident in Goma in late July, in which the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) and a Congolese rebel group known as Mai Mai reportedly raped the women over a four-day period.
‘The Security Council members reiterate its demand that all parties in the conflict immediately cease all forms of sexual violence and human rights abuses against the population in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in particular gender-based violence, including rape and other forms of sexual abuses,’ said Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, the council president.
The council urged the Kinshasa government to continue efforts to fight impunity and to swiftly investigate the rape and bring the perpetrators to justice, Churkin said.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Tuesday decided to dispatch a high-ranking peacekeeping official to Kinshasa to investigate the incident.
