Patrick Cammaert, a former commander of the United Nations mission in Democratic Republic of Congo, says the UN has failed to act on reports of large-scale rape. In the cases that were reported, the victims ranged from babies to elderly women - many were brutally gang-raped. Some rapists were said to be checking women's genitals, looking for hidden gold. 
 
On Tuesday, the UN Assistant Secretary General for Peacekeeping Operations, Atul Khare, admitted that more than 500 sexual assault cases were reported in July and August alone - more than double the previously published figure. Major General Cammaert says the UN knew about the rapes, but failed to act.
 
"There was information available to the mission that something was going on in one of the villages, that one woman was raped and then, a few days later, there were more. For one reason or another, that information was not properly processed and no action was taken by the military component of the mission."
 
The UN blames several armed groups - such as the Mai Mai Cheka and the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda – for the rapes. Their aim is to keep the region unstable for economic reasons. 
 
Rape squads
The vast area and dense vegetation of eastern DRC make it difficult for UN troops to police the area properly. Witnesses say that 'rape squads' hide in the woods and attack the villages when the Blue Berets head back to their bases.
 
One of the recent mass rapes took place over the course of several days in the town of Luvungi less than 20 miles from the UN camp at Kibua in North Kivu. At least 242 people were raped. It was two weeks before the UN heard about the attack.
 
"Twenty miles - in that area, in that kind of environment, and that kind of terrain - is a lot. If you have 20 miles of bush and inhospitable terrain, a lot of things can happen around the corner and you don't notice it. But if there is information available, you should deal with the distance by using helicopters etc. And that is something that wasn’t done."
 
Night operations
UN peacekeepers say they need to surprise the insurgents by operating at night and further away from their bases than usual. According to Gen Cammaert, these kinds of operations are now being launched more often.
 
But the terrain isn't the only thing working against the UN. They're also fighting for more openness. Even when there’s large-scale rape, it's not something victims are willing to talk about.

"It is very important to break the silence surrounding this horrendous crime. Women who have been raped are reluctant to talk to men, and certainly to men in uniform. But over time, the peacekeepers have to build up trust and use female civilians and soldiers who have been trained to overcome these kinds of problems."
 
Weapon of war
Some of the rapists – speaking on unapologetic YouTube videos - say rape is just another weapon of war, a way to keep the eastern DRC unstable. This attitude only adds to the difficulties faced by the UN. It explains why the UN is urging the Congolese government to work harder to bring the rapists to justice, and add them to the International Criminal Court's wanted list. Gen Cammaert argues that the government has a major responsibility and that too many rapists are walking around free in the DRC.

 
Photo: AFP/Roberto Schmidt
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