Bishops condemn Congo atrocities
Caritas Goma distribute food in Mugunga 3 camp, where several cases of rape have been reported.
![Caritas Goma distribute food in Mugunga 3 camp, where several cases of rape have been reported [Caritas Goma]](/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/images/2.-landscapes/caritas-goma-mugunga-3-camp/63662-1-eng-GB/Caritas-Goma-Mugunga-3-camp_layout-large.jpg "Caritas Goma distribute food in Mugunga 3 camp, where several cases of rape have been reported [Caritas Goma]")
“My body felt numb. I had no sense of their hands, their skin and their smells,” said a Congolese girl, aged 12, who was raped by four men earlier this month.
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The attack took place in Mugunga 3, a camp for people forced from their homes by fighting near Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Our partner Caritas Goma has reported 17 cases of rape carried out by militia groups in that camp alone.
“This is just the beginning,” said Lycia Baganda from Caritas Goma. “Fear of being rejected by the community means raped women often do not come forward. Severe cases, or the ones that are known, are usually the ones we get.”
In a recent message, the conference of Congolese bishops condemned the atrocities carried out by all sides:
“The war in North Kivu caused enormous destruction especially with regards the degradation of human rights caused by the M23 and the armed groups, numerous murders, rapes, kidnappings, the enrolment of minors in the armed groups, illegal imprisonment and taxation, banditism, destruction and looting of national resources and personal belongings and forced massive displacement of populations in conditions that were less than human. The fall of Goma has been a source of consternation for all Congolese.” Read the full statement>>
Although the M23 rebel group has now withdrawn from Goma, the situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo remains precarious, and we are extremely concerned by all reports of atrocities.
Our partner Caritas Goma is providing medical and psycho-social support to women who have survived sexual violence during the latest upsurge of fighting. We are also working with them to provide food, shelter kits and household goods to vulnerable people who are taking refuge in camps and church buildings.
In the longer term, we are supporting “Listening Rooms” in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which provide a crucial lifeline for women who have been raped.
As we mark 16 days of activism against gender violence, please donate to our Listening Room appeal>>
