UN reports over 500 rapes in DRC

The United Nations has reported that more than 500 systematic rapes were committed by armed combatants in eastern Congo since late July _ more than double the number previously reported _ and accepted partial responsibility for not protecting citizens.

U .N. Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping, Atul Khare, told the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday that more than 250 rapes occurred in an area of the country's east, in addition to 242 rapes earlier reported in and around Luvungi, a village located about 20 miles from a U.N. peacekeepers' camp.

“While the primary responsibility for protection of civilians lies with the state, its national army and police force, clearly,” Khare said, “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.”

The U.N. peacekeeping force in Congo launched an operation on September 1st using 750 troops to back efforts by Congolese security forces to arrest the perpetrators of the attacks. Khare reported that at least 27 rebels armed with automatic rifles have surrendered and at least four more have been arrested.