Mass rape in Luvungi

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During the mass rape in Luvungi in 2010 at least 242 women, including 20 children, were raped several times in the village of Luvungi in the province of North Kivu in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo .

course

The place was like twelve other places, including the administrative center Mpofi nearby, from July 30th to August 4th 2010 by the Forces Démocratiques de la Liberation du Rwanda (FDLR, Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda) and militias of May-May Cheka kept busy.

The rapes were accompanied by massive physical violence, mostly by two to six men at the same time and in front of the families. Women also reported beatings and abuse of babies. The rapes were part of a so-called punitive action by the FDLR, which was announced in advance by means of notes on trees and house walls. During the rapes, the radio masts failed several times in the area. The telephone company speaks of technical breakdowns. But sabotage was also suspected.

UN mission in the Congo

Representatives of the local aid organization International Medical Corps accused the members of the UN mission in the Congo of inaction. There were different statements about the distance of the blue helmets from Luvungi, namely between 16 and 30 kilometers. The organization has not commented on this. The UN soldiers did not take action against the offensive or the roadblocks and received no reinforcements. Mission officials claim they were not informed by the population or the authorities.

Possible perpetrators

The first media reports spoke of a joint action by the FDLR and Mai-Mai Cheka.

According to other reports, the rapes were an act of revenge by the FDLR against members of the Mai-Mai Cheka, whose families allegedly come from Luvungi, over a gold mine dispute. The women, mother and daughters of the then head of state of Mai-Mai Cheka, Sadoke Kokunda Mayele , are said to be among the victims.

Reactions

The UN organization OCHA confirmed the incidents.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Under-Secretary-General Atul Khare would investigate the incidents directly in the Congo. The UN special envoy for sexual violence in conflict areas Margot Wallström will take over the coordination. On September 7, 2010, Wallström and Khare spoke of a collective responsibility of the UN. It was stressed that measures would be taken to improve communication. The soldiers should ask standard questions and intensify contact with the population. In addition, the soldiers would be equipped with cell phones and there should be more night patrols .

According to the UN, 750 soldiers have been traveling with Congolese soldiers since September 1, 2010 to find and arrest the perpetrators. At least 27 armed men have already surrendered and four others have been arrested.

The Congolese government was severely criticized by the UN Security Council on September 17, 2010 . He demanded immediate punishment of the perpetrators and help for the victims. The Congolese government rejected the criticism, saying that the groups of culprits were already encircled.

On October 6, 2010, Sadoke Kokunda Mayele , a Mai-Mai Cheka colonel , was arrested in eastern Congo. The arrest is related to the mass rapes.

According to the police investigation by the Congolese authorities, the mass rapes were an act of retaliation by the FDLR. This is said to have been preceded by a dispute about the distribution of the gold and the question of how to proceed against the army of the Congo. This is said to have been led by Seraphin Lionceau , who is responsible for the gold mines in the FDLR.

There are also arrest warrants for Seraphin Lionceau and Ntabo Ntambui Cheka.

On November 19, 2011, an FDLR colonel, Evariste Kanzeguhera alias Sadiki Soleil, died under unexplained circumstances. The murder allegedly was carried out in revenge for the mass rapes by the Mai-Mai Cheka militias.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b UN admits sins of omission in the Congo. ORF , September 8, 2010, accessed June 30, 2013 .
  2. ↑ The “collective responsibility” of the UN. Frankfurter Rundschau online , September 8, 2010, accessed June 30, 2013 .
  3. ↑ a b c Aid organization reports of mass rapes. Spiegel Online , August 23, 2013, accessed June 30, 2013 .
  4. ↑ a b 'Rape exposes the UN. taz.de , August 24, 2010, accessed June 30, 2013 .
  5. ↑ a b c UN watched Hutu militias. taz.de , August 25, 2010, accessed June 30, 2013 .
  6. ↑ a b UN admit failure in Congo. taz.de , September 8, 2010, accessed June 30, 2013 .
  7. ^ Simone Schlindwein: massacre by SMS. (mp3; flash) How Congo militias from Germany were controlled. In: Deutschlandradio . May 4, 2011, Retrieved May 5, 2011 .
  8. ↑ a b c d Simone Schlindwein: Act of revenge for mass rape. In: the daily newspaper. November 23, 2011, accessed November 23, 2011 .
  9. ↑ a b UN admits complicity in mass rapes. NZZ , September 8, 2010, accessed June 30, 2013 .
  10. ↑ Mass rape: UNO sharply criticizes the Congo. ORF , September 17, 2010, accessed June 30, 2013 .
  11. ↑ Mass rape: militia chief arrested in the Congo. In: ORF . October 6, 2010, accessed October 6, 2010 .