Rape: Torture In The Congo

by Nicole Lee
NNPA Columnist
Originally posted 8/19/2009

As Secretary Clinton closed her trip to Africa, I was struck by the importance of her trip to Congo and her focus on the rape of women throughout the current brutal conflict.

Rape is an absolute violation of sovereignty. I have met many people over the years that have been abused or tortured. I can tell you in no uncertain terms that rape is the most destructive form of torture ever invented.

It can destroy the soul of the victim, their family and community. The insidious way that rape is used in war proves professionals claims that rape is an act of violence, not of sex.

The rape of women (and sometimes men) in the Congo is the most talked about issue in human rights, but with minimal action. Frankly, for people of African descent, a part of the silence and inaction is our own shame.

Let's get real: these are Black men raping Black women. Militias, paramilitaries, even government troops go into towns and villages and systematically rape and abuse the women and girls. Sometimes the injuries are so severe that the details can't be printed. No police, no judge, and no judicial system bring these criminals to justice.

But we still find it hard to talk about this level of Black-on-Black crime.

It is unfathomable how a generation of Central African men have become such villains and women such victims. As people who care about the dignity of Africa, it is imperative that we try to understand this complex situation in order to have an impact in the lives of the people of Congo.

First, the seeds of exploitation in the Congo were planted long ago. The first wave of rape began with the rape of the country's resources beginning in the 1800s. Europeans, in particular the Belgians, came to the Congo to exploit its vast natural resources and to enslave the population. The violation against Congo's land and people is one of the most vicious untold stories in our recent history. Between 1885- 1905, Congo's black population was reduced by half because of the vicious treatment at the hands of the Belgians. Congo achieved its statehood in the 1960s, but the exploitation of its natural resources and people continue until this very moment by U.S., European and Chinese corporations. The corporations usable investments are minimal, illustrated by the lack of passable roads in the Congo. I am not suggesting that the acceptance of this exploitation automatically leads to the systematic rape of women, but I am saying that the constant degradation and victimization of Congo's society has left its citizens extremely vulnerable.

The realities of the last 20 years have made the women of Eastern Congo particularly vulnerable. Paramilitary groups and government forces fight for control of the Eastern Congo, particularly in the North Kivu province.

Many of these groups, such as the Interahamwe, had already committed mass murder and other atrocities before they even arrived in Congo. Pushed out by Tutsi forces after they perpetrated the Rwandan genocide, these paramilitary forces settled in Eastern Congo.

Other groups, like Laurent Nkunda's CNDP, continue to fight the Congolese government. Under-funded and underpaid Congolese government troops fight both types of groups, and unfortunately, also the civilian population.

The psychology of it is both complicated and elusive. Yet the ripple effect is too great to be ignored.
Each time perpetrators - whether military or militia ' rape, torture, terrorize, and burn villages, they destroy the very fabric of Congo and any hope for real democracy and prosperity. We need to take a stand and demand accountability. From the corporations that rape the country and turn a blind eye to the violence, to our governments and African governments, we must demand action regardless of boundaries and partisanship.

Generations of abuse and rape in this rich land can only be overcome by a global uproar and demand for action globally and locally.

Nicole C. Lee is the executive director of TransAfrica Forum