At least 150 women raped in Congolese villages
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Militants raped at least 150 women last month during a weekend raid on community villages in eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), United Nations spokesman Martin Nesirky reported at a press briefing in New York Monday.
UN officials accused the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) for the attack. The FDLR is an ethnic Hutu rebel group that has been terrorizing the hills of eastern DRC for years, preying on villages in a quest for the natural resources beneath them, reports said.
In the eastern DRC province Nord Kivu, a UN joint human rights team verified allegations of at least 154 women, Nesirky said.
"Victims are receiving medical care and have also been provided with psycho sociological care," he added.
FDLR militants blocked the road and prevented villages from reaching the nearest communication points.
Rapes in eastern Congo have been taking place on a large scale since years, but relief workers called the recent incident unusual due to the large amount of victims and clear coordination.
In early 2009 the UN, DRC and Rwanda started a military offensive against the FDLR, but militant action only increased the amount of rapes relief workers reported.
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