Africa - US

Clinton in DRC, commits $17m to fight sexual violence

Article published on the 2009-08-11 Latest update 2009-08-11 16:34 TU

North and South Kivu provinces in DRC
(Map:Geoatlas)

Hillary Clinton, the United States Secretary of State has called for the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo to punish soldiers who have been involved in rape in the troubled east of the country.

"We believe there should be no impunity for the sexual and gender based violence committed by so many, and that there must be arrests, prosecutions and punishments," Clinton said. "We believe there can be more done to protect civilians while you are trying to kill and capture insurgents." 

The US Secretary of State said the DRC's president Joseph Kabila has agreed to allow a US team of legal and technical experts to make "specific" recommendations on how to combat the sexual violence.

"I would say that the mood was positive, women were extremely happy that Hillary Clinton took the time to listen to different local NGOs, and left on a very positive note," said Olivia Caeymaex from the Enough project told RFI.

"She committed 17 million dollars to prevent and support, victims of sexual violence," said Caeymaex. "She's going to be providing, technology expertise, equipment and mobile devices to report attacks. She’s going to commit around three million dollars to train police officers, to protect women and girls, amongst which there will be female police officers," she added.

DRC troops have been battling alongside Rwandan forces to flush out Hutu extremists, some of whom were involved in neighbouring Rwanda's 1994 genocide. The DRC has been subject to attacks from neighbours as well as internal power struggles over its mineral resources.

Clinton said the US is prepared to help "professionalise" the Congolese military. Experts say troops often go unpaid for months and respond by pillaging villages.

She met with Kabila in a tent outside the governor's mansion in Goma, in eastern DRC on the border with Rwanda.

The US top diplomat then visited a camp for some of the nearly two million people displaced in the region.

She arrived in DRC from Angola and is set to travel to Nigeria on her seven-country, 11-day continent tour.