500 rapes in rebellion-torn Congo

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The United Nations has reported more than 500 systematic rapes were committed by armed combatants in eastern Congo since late July - more than double the number previously reported.

UN Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Atul Khare told the UN Security Council that in addition to the 242 rapes in and around the village of Luvungi that were reported earlier this month, more than 260 other rapes and sexual attacks took place in Uvira and other regions of North and South Kivu.

In the village of Miki, in South Kivu, he said, there were 74 cases of sexual violence, including 21 minors - all girls between the ages of 7 and 15 - and six men.

Khare said there are some reports that in one village, Kiluma, all women may have been systematically raped.

Khare called for prosecution of Rwandan rebel FDLR and Congolese Mai-Mai rebels blamed for many of the attacks and UN sanctions against their leaders.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon sent Khare to Congo to investigate why UN peacekeepers didn't learn about the mass rapes in the Luvungi area from July 30 to Aug. 4 until Aug. 12, when it was informed by the International Medical Corps which was treating many of the victims. Luvungi, a village of about 2200 people, is a half-hour drive from a UN peacekeepers' camp.

"While the primary responsibility for protection of civilians lies with the state, its national army and police force, clearly, we have also failed," said Khare.

"Our actions were not adequate, resulting in acceptable brutalisation of the population of the villages in the area. We must do better."

Rape as a weapon of war has become commonplace in eastern Congo, where at least 8,300 rapes were reported last year, according to the United Nations. It is believed that many more rapes go unreported.

Congo's army and UN peacekeepers have been unable to defeat the many rebel groups responsible for the drawn-out conflict in eastern Congo.

- AP