UN relief workers discover Congo rape atrocities

UN relief workers are finding thousands of women who have suffered “atrocious rapes” during five years of civil war in Congo, a spokeswoman said today.

“Never before have we found as many victims of rape in conflict situations as we are discovering now,” said Christiane Berthiaume, spokeswoman for the World Food Programme.

“Thousands of women who have been atrociously raped are coming to health centres for treatment,” she added. “We strongly fear that it is only the tip of the iceberg.”

UN officials, joined by actress Jessica Lange, have expressed alarm previously about the rapes committed by the warring factions in Congo, but Berthiaume said a peace accord had shown the situation was worse than feared.