Army colonel gets 20 years for ordering mass rape in eastern Congo
Congo News Agency - February 21, 2011
An army colonel accused of ordering the mass rape of at least 49 women in eastern Congo has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Lt. Colonel Kibibi Mutware was found guilty of crimes against humanity for ordering his troops to rape, beat and loot the population of Fizi, South Kivu province, on New Year's Day. A military court in eastern Congo also sentenced three officers serving under the commander to 20 years and five soldiers to between 10 and 15 years. The United Nations welcomed the sentences as army soldiers and members of armed groups involved in sexual violence often go unpunished in the strife-torn eastern Congo region. “Not only did the Congolese authorities react swiftly to the Fizi rapes in January and apprehended a number of the alleged perpetrators, but by all accounts the legal process has been fair and efficient,” the Secretary-General's Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Margot Wallström, said in a statement. “The sentences send a strong signal to all perpetrators in the DRC and beyond that conflict-related sexual violence is not acceptable and will not be tolerated. It also shows that accountability for sexual violence is possible,” stated Ms. Wallström. Lt. Colonel Kibibi Mutware is a former Congrès National pour la Défense du Peuple (CNDP) rebel who was integrated into the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC) as the result of a 2009 peace agreement.
Related articles
- • Ebola outbreak declared an international Public Health Emergency (July 17, 2019)
- • At least 30 dead after massacres in Ituri (March 2, 2018)
- • Political tensions 'running high' in DR Congo ahead of 2016 elections (October 7, 2015)
- • UN Report Blames Ugandan Islamists for 237 Killings in DR Congo (May 14, 2015)
- • DRC Army Putting Pressure on FDLR (April 1, 2015)
- • ICC Case Against Bemba Wrapping Up as Another Opens (November 12, 2014)
- • Denis Mukwege Wins Sakharov Prize 2014 (October 21, 2014)
- • Senior UN officials urge Brazzaville to halt expulsion of DR Congo nationals (May 26, 2014)
- • Security Council extends UN mission, intervention force in DR Congo for one year (March 28, 2014)
- • Bosco Ntaganda Attacked Civilians on Ethnic Grounds, ICC Prosecutor Says (February 10, 2014)
- • New DR Congo amnesty law welcomed by UN envoys (February 5, 2014)
- • Colonel Mamadou Ndala Is Killed in Ambush (January 2, 2014)
- • No 'Peace Deal' With Defeated M23 Rebels, DR Congo Says (November 11, 2013)
- • Congo Will Not Sign a 'Peace Deal' With Defeated M23 Rebels, Government Says (November 6, 2013)
- • Congo Army Takes Control of Mbuzi Hill From M23 Rebels (November 4, 2013)
- • Kabila Congratulates Congo Army for Defeating M23 Rebels (October 30, 2013)
- • Advancing Congo Troops Take Control of Rumangabo From M23 Rebels (October 28, 2013)
- • Congo Army Liberates Rutshuru, Kiwanja and Kibumba From M23 Rebels (October 27, 2013)
- • Congo Army Dislodges M23 Rebels From Strategic Town of Kibumba (October 26, 2013)
- • Ban Ki-moon Confirms M23 Rebels Shelled Rwanda (August 31, 2013)
- • DR Congo Will Defend Itself Against an Attack by Rwanda, Government Says (August 31, 2013)
- • M23 Rebels Fired Shells Into Rwanda, Not Congo Army, UN Says (August 30, 2013)
- • Mortar Shells From Rwanda Kill Civilians in Eastern Congo (August 23, 2013)
- • Dozens of M23 Rebels Killed by Congo Army in Renewed Fighting (August 22, 2013)
- • UN Peacekeepers Start Enforcing Security Zone in Eastern Congo (August 1, 2013)
- • UN Security Council debate focuses on peace efforts for Africa's Great Lakes region (July 25, 2013)
- • M23 Rebels Said to Flee Rumangabo After Congo Army Airstrikes (July 25, 2013)
- • Congo Army Strikes M23 Rebels Base At Rumangabo (July 24, 2013)
- • M23 Rebels Kill, Rape Civilians in Eastern Congo: Human Rights Watch (July 22, 2013)
- • M23 Rebels in Disarray in Eastern Congo, Says Government Spokesman (July 19, 2013)
