WUNRN
CONGO - WOMEN RAPED IN MASS ATTACK
ON NEW YEAR'S DAY
By the CNN Wire Staff
January 6, 2011
Women
denounce sexual violence in an October march in
the
STORY
HIGHLIGHTS
(CNN) -- Dozens of women were raped in a coordinated attack in the Democratic Republic of Congo on New Year's Day, Doctors Without Borders said Thursday.
The humanitarian agency said 33 women were raped in Fizi,
"Women had been restrained with ropes or beaten unconscious with the butt of a gun before being attacked, some in front of their children," said Annemarie Loof, an official with the agency, commonly known by its French name, Medecins Sans Frontieres.
"Up to four armed men were involved at a time and homes and shops were looted," she said in a statement.
Rape is a frequent weapon of war in
It has named the Democratic Republic of Congo the
"rape capital of the world," with 15,000 women raped in eastern
Many rape survivors took to the streets in October to speak out against sexual violence.
"My heart is in pain. Why are you raping me?"
sang the rape victims, many of whom left hospital beds to join the march in
eastern
A U.N. report in September slammed
The preliminary report confirmed the rape of at least 303
civilians between July 30 and August 2 in the Walikale region of
And the rapes have clearly not stopped, Medecins Sans
Frontieres said.
"MSF is extremely concerned about the current situation in and around Fizi," Loof said Thursday. "People are fleeing the area fearing further violent attacks."
The agency provided medical and psychosocial care for
5,600 rape victims in North and