Rape 'routine' in DR Congo prisons By BBC 2 June 2014   Security officials "routinely" rape women in prisons in DR Congo as punishment for their political activities, a UK-based charity says.   Freedom From Torture said medical reports of 34 women showed many of them had been brutally gang-raped. The women - who included traders and professionals aged between 18 and 62 - are seeking asylum in the UK. Democratic Republic of Congo government

African Union peacekeepers accused of abuses in Central African Republic: HRW By Emma Farge, Reuters 2 June 2014   (Reuters) - African Union peacekeepers from the Republic of Congo operating in the Central African Republic have been accused of abuses, including torture, killings and detentions, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Monday. The allegations - from witnesses, residents and local officials interviewed by HRW during an investigation by its

Syria, Congo, South Sudan minorities face increased genocide risk – survey Thomson Reuters Foundation, by Katie Nguyen 29 Apr 2014 LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Syria, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo and Yemen are among the major risers in an annual survey that seeks to identify the countries whose minority groups face the greatest risk of genocide, mass killing or violent repression. Somalia retained its position at the top of

Des Imbonerakure s’entraîneraient en RDC IWACU ,Jackson Bahati 29 April, 2014  Notre reporter s’est rendu dans l’Est de la RDC. Là, des jeunes Imbonerakure sont formés militairement. De retour au Burundi, ils auront pour mission de traquer les membres de l’opposition et d’intimider la population pour forcer le vote en faveur du Cndd-Fdd. Le parti dément. Centre Kiliba-Onds, zone d’Uvira, Sud-Kivu en RD Congo, à une dizaine de Km

Fighting an invisible enemy in DRC IRIN 9 April 2014 BISHONGERA, 9 April 2014 (IRIN) - It is difficult to identify the fighters of the Forces Démocratiques pour la Libération du Rwanda (FDLR), one of the many armed groups active in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), some of whose leaders played a key role in Rwanda’s genocide 20 years ago. Bearing neither uniform nor insignia, they are indistinguishable from the civilian population.

Decades after genocide, Congo struggles to dislodge Rwanda rebels Reuters, by Peter Jones April 8, 2014 TONGO, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - Twenty years after the genocide in Rwanda, a rebel group founded by ethnic extremists who took part in that slaughter still prowls the lush hills of neighboring eastern Congo, defying a renewed threat by the army and U.N. peacekeepers to dislodge it. The Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda

DR Congo massacre may alter international law Case to be decided on March 7 could represent a breakthrough for justice related to sexual crimes during war. Benjamin Durr, Al Jazeera 15 Feb 2014 It was half past five on a Monday morning in February 2003 when the first men arrived. They ran to the centre of the village carrying machetes and spears and rifles. Some invaded the houses and shot residents in their sleep, others cut them up with their machetes;

Genocide and Mass Atrocity Warning: the Kivus by Genocide Watch 3 October 2012 The main victims in the Kivus are the civilians.Since April 2012, instability in North and South Kivu in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has become increasingly violent. Genocide Watch warns that there have already been genocidal massacres and mass atrocities by warring ethnic groups, and there is serious risk of all-out genocide. A Mai Mai militia, the Raia

By Genocide Watch 1 December 2012 The Democratic Republic of Congo, commonly referred to as Congo-Kinshasa or the DRC, is the second largest country in Africa, with a population of over 71 million. More than 250 ethnic groups make up the DRC’s population. Of the Bantu groups, the Mongo, Luba, Kong, and Mangbetu-Azande make up about 45% of the population. The country has a Belgian population of 60,000.Initially claimed as the personal property of