U.N. official wants Congo rapes punished
By: Eddy Isango

September 8, 2006 – (AP) The U.N.'s humanitarian chief called Friday for an end to the rapes plaguing women in war-battered Congo and said the perpetrators, including those wearing military uniforms, must be severely punished. Jan Egeland, visiting Congo's eastern borderlands where violence continues despite the official end to a 1996-2002 war, said women in the region continue to suffer from sexual violence.

"We must not have any more of these rapes. Sexual abuse and impunity must cease. ... The authors of these acts must be severely punished," he said. "Rape has become gangrene in Congolese society." The exact number of rapes in Congo isn't known. Hospital officials report treating huge numbers of women for injuries suffered in sex crimes, particularly in the east where militia fighters and Congolese soldiers target civilians.

In July, the United Nations released a report documenting 905 human rights abuses during the first half of 2006, saying more than 80 percent of the violence was committed by members of the nation's security services. Egeland said all armed factions are bound by the law. "The armed men in government uniforms or (other) armed groups must know that rape is a crime against humanity that must be punished," Egeland said after visiting a hospital where officials said more than 10,000 women had been treated for sexual violence since 1999. "The civilian population must be protected."

Members of the 17,500 U.N. peacekeeping force often patrol with the Congolese security forces and haven't escaped criticism themselves over their treatment of women and girls. The world body said in August it was looking into allegations that U.N. peacekeepers in Congo have been paying women for sex after receiving reports that sex workers outside a U.N. military base in eastern Congo said U.N. staff were among their clients.

Congo, which gained independence from Belgium in 1960, hopes a democratically elected leader to replace President Joseph Kabila's transitional administration can end the violence and put the country the size of Western Europe on a path to peace. Kabila, who failed to win an outright majority in July 30 elections but won the most votes, faces ex-rebel leader Jean-Pierre Bemba in an October runoff.

From: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/world/4172779.html