A court in the Democratic Republic of Congo has handed a life jail sentence to eleven militia fighters who raped dozen of girls as young as 18 months during ceremonies meant to give the men supernatural powers, rights groups said.
The fighters from Djeshi ya Yesu – the Army of Jesus – militia were accused of raping at least 37 girls near the village of Kavumu in Democratic Republic of Congo’s South Kivu province between 2013 and 2016, the rights groups said, Reuters reports.
According to the prosecution, the group’s leader, provincial lawmaker Frederic Batumike, employed a spiritual adviser who told the fighters that raping very young children would give them mystical protection against their enemies.
The militia members were also convicted of murder, membership in a rebel movement and illegal weapon possession. According to the court, the rapes and murders amounted to crimes against humanity.
The crimes triggered an international outcry. Rights groups accused the government of a slow response.
“This was necessary. The victims have been waiting. It’s a strong signal to anyone who would contemplate this kind of offense,” Charles Cubaka Cicura, a lawyer for the victims, said after the verdict was announced.
Millions died in eastern Congo in regional wars between 1996 and 2003, most from hunger and disease. Dozens of armed groups continue to prey on local population and fight for control of the area’s rich natural resources.
According to experts, Congo has made progress in combating sexual violence. In recent years several high militias and army commanders have been prosecuted but the problem remains pervasive.
According to Karen Naimer of Physicians for Human Rights, the trial demonstrated that justice can be served in the Congo, even when the accused wield significant power and are highly organised.
The mobile court which set up in Kavumu village allocated $5,000 in compensation to each rape victim and $15,000 to the families of men murdered by the militia, the groups said.
