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DR Congo army 'to act over rapes' | DR Congo army 'to act over rapes' |
(about 4 hours later) | |
The Congolese military has promised to punish any soldiers found guilty of rights abuses, after activists claimed troops were carrying out mass rape. | The Congolese military has promised to punish any soldiers found guilty of rights abuses, after activists claimed troops were carrying out mass rape. |
Military spokesman Colonel Leon Richard Kasonga said commanders must ensure the safety of civilians. | Military spokesman Colonel Leon Richard Kasonga said commanders must ensure the safety of civilians. |
Last week US-based group Human Rights Watch said the army was responsible for most of the rapes in the Democratic Republic of Congo's war-torn east. | Last week US-based group Human Rights Watch said the army was responsible for most of the rapes in the Democratic Republic of Congo's war-torn east. |
The Red Cross says 400,000 people have fled the conflict since March. | |
Both government troops and the rebels who they are battling are often accused of attacking civilians. | |
But a statement from army headquarters signed by Col Kasonga said: "From this day, any serviceman guilty of reprehensible acts will feel the full force of the law." | |
DR Congo outsources its military | DR Congo outsources its military |
The statement listed acts including "rapes, forcing civilians to carry out forced labour, theft, extortion, torture, looting, malicious destruction of fields or livestock murders". | The statement listed acts including "rapes, forcing civilians to carry out forced labour, theft, extortion, torture, looting, malicious destruction of fields or livestock murders". |
The government, backed by the UN, launched an offensive last December to try to flush out rebels in the east of the country. | The government, backed by the UN, launched an offensive last December to try to flush out rebels in the east of the country. |
In a report released on Wednesday the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said 400,000 people had fled the conflict in the provinces of North and South Kivu since March. | |
The ICRC's outgoing DR Congo chief, Max Hadorn, described it as a "very big problem" for the government to deal with. | |
"The main problem is protection. It's really related to the deployment of armed forces, not collateral damage," he said. | |
Last week Human Rights Watch (HRW) said President Joseph Kabila had promised to tackle the army's abuses. | |
HRW said thousands of women and girls had been raped since the start of the offensive, and that government soldiers were responsible for the majority of the attacks. | |
Its report said the UN, with 12,000 peacekeepers backing the troops, risked becoming "complicit" in the atrocities. | Its report said the UN, with 12,000 peacekeepers backing the troops, risked becoming "complicit" in the atrocities. |
But the UN operation in DR Congo, Monuc, said it was pushing for troops carrying out abuses to be punished. | But the UN operation in DR Congo, Monuc, said it was pushing for troops carrying out abuses to be punished. |
Eastern DR Congo has been unstable for some 15 years, with various militias battling each other. | Eastern DR Congo has been unstable for some 15 years, with various militias battling each other. |
These include ethnic Tutsi and Hutu groups, some of whom have come across the border from Rwanda. | These include ethnic Tutsi and Hutu groups, some of whom have come across the border from Rwanda. |
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