Col. Suspected of 'Mass Rape' Surrenders in Congo

By Nicola Menzie, Christian Post Reporter Sunday, July 10, 2011

An army colonel and his men reportedly responsible for the rape of more than 200 women in the Democratic Republic of Congo have surrendered, according to officials.

Col. Nyiragire Kulimushi and about 100 to 200 of his soldiers were apprehended by the Congolese army Thursday and are being held at a military base. Based on medical reports, some 248 women in the eastern African country say Kulimushi and his soldiers sexually abused them.

After a military shakeup, Kulimushi had deserted the army in protest, taking almost 200 men with him.

It was during this time that the colonel attacked the women in Nyakiele, Kanguli and Abala. According to an army official, Kulimushi and his men stormed the women's villages between June 10 and 12.

Nine men from Kulimushi's group had previously been arrested and convicted of raping at least four dozen women in another case. Those men were found guilty of crimes against humanity and imprisoned.

This particular region of the Congo, rocked by violence for more than a decade, has been called the “rape capital” by the United Nations. Rape is commonly used by rebel soldiers to terrorize women and girls living in areas they seek to control. There have also been reports of rebels raping men and young boys.

Human rights group and the United Nations have been calling on the Congolese government for years to clamp down and exert greater control over the armed men usually responsible for these crimes.

A report this week from the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office finds the Congo is still plagued by a “lack of accountability, justice and security for victims.”

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said in a statement on the group's website that “the lack of progress in official investigations (into these sorts of crimes) and in legal action against the perpetrators posed a severe obstacle to deterring future violations.”