A Strike Against Impunity in the DRC

A soldier stands guard outside the military tribunal in Baraka, DRC. (Pete Muller/AP)

In a country where impunity continues to be a major hurdle in the struggle to combat sexual and gender based violence (SGBV), a milestone was reach on Monday, when a military court in eastern DRC sentenced Lieutenant Colonel Kibibi Mutuare to 20 years in jail for charges of mass rape for his orders to troops to attack a village on New Years Day.

49 women came forward to testify, a rare occurrence—Congolese women are often too ashamed and frightened to testify against their rapists or even to discuss assaults against them. The women who were brave enough to step forward will receive up to $10,000 each in damages from the government.

This is the first conviction of a commanding officer for rape in the eastern Congo, which has been called the rape capital of the world. The UN recorded 11,000 rapes in 2010, but the actually figure is believe to be higher:

The Guardian says:

“Arrests and prosecutions for brutal attacks on villages in eastern Congo are rare. Following the rapes of more than 300 people last year, the only man to be arrested in the case was handed over by his fellow fighters.”

Three officers and five soldiers serving under Mutuare were also found guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced with jail time as well. However, the verdict was met with anger by many of the 2000 people who attended the court proceedings. They expected the death sentence.  Furthermore, the 11 men brought to trial were the only ones identified by victims, but there were over 100 soldiers the day of the New Year’s attacks.

Speaking with the Guardian, one woman said:

“We are very fearful. Most of the rapists are still right here in our village. If we go to the river for water, we get raped; if we go to the fields for food, we get raped; if we go to the market to sell our goods, we get raped. Our lives are filled with danger. There is no peace”

The BBC reports that Medecins Sans Frontieres has already received credible reports of 30 new rapes last week. While many might have wanted a harsher punishment, the mere fact of the trial is an accomplishment in itself and will hopefully act to deter future crimes.

SGBV is one of the major issues we’re working on the in DRC, as we’ve written about before. We are currently working with the Congolese military through our mobile cinema program. Impunity is often pointed to as a reason why victims are reluctant to speak out and why rape continues on such a large scale and for this reason, Monday’s trial is historic.