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September 8, 2010

Admitting Fault, UN Reports Over 500 DRC Rapes Since July
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The United Nations has doubled its tally of rapes committed in eastern
Congo since July and said it holds partial responsibility in failing to
prevent them. The UN now says over 500 women, girls and babies were
raped when Rwandan and Congolese rebels stormed the town of Luvungi and
another nearby area. It took three weeks for the UN to respond, even
though the town is just miles from a UN base. On Tuesday, Assistant
Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Atul Khare said the UN is partially
at fault.

Atul Khare: "While the primary responsibility for protection of
civilians lies with the state, its national army and police force,
clearly we have also failed. Our actions were not adequate, resulting in
unacceptable brutalization of the population of the villages in the
area. We must do better."

According to the UN, over 15,000 rapes were reported in the Democratic
Republic of Congo in both 2008 and 2009.



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