London, September 02: The UN Wednesday said the number of civilians who had been brutally gang raped recently in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo now exceeds 240.
The UN alleged July 30 that Congolese militants of the Mai-Mai group and Rwandan rebels of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) descended upon villages in Kibua and the Walikale areas of the North Kivu province and engaged in the violent assault of at least 154 civilians.
UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) reported that the number has now increased to over 240, UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters here.
Meanwhile, MONUSCO noted that it received information of additional attacks in surrounding areas from the period of Aug 12 to Aug 17, Xinhua reported.
“Indeed, after the rapes of over 240 victims in Kibua, MONUSCO received additional information concerning other acts that have occurred in Mubi and in the area surrounding Pinga,” said a MONUSCO press release that was originally issued in French.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon dispatched Atul Khare, the assistant secretary-general for peacekeeping operations, to the DRC last week to help in the investigation of the attacks. Khare is set to report his findings to the Security Council early this month.
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