Congo

Mass Rape of 240 Women in Congo by Rebel Fighters

Rebels terrorize town with peacekeepers nearby.

Rebels have raped 240 women, girls, and babies in the Congolese town of Luvungi, the United Nations says. Earlier reports counted 150 rapes. The U.N. was unable to protect people as the Congolese Mai Mai and Rawandan FDLR seized the town for four days in July, even though it had peacekeepers just 20 miles away. The U.N. Security Council held an emergency session and a senior envoy has been sent to Congo to find out what happened. Peacekeepers say they didn’t know about the incident until 10 days after it happened. Some women were attacked in front of their families, and the Congo is the “rape capital of the world” despite an end to its five-year war in 2003.