Eleven Congolese militia fighters were jailed for life for raping girls as young as 18 months during ceremonies meant to give the men supernatural powers, rights groups observing the trial said.
Human rights campaigners hailed the court verdict as a landmark decision in a country where they say rape by armed groups is commonplace and often unpunished.
The fighters from Djeshi ya Yesu – the Army of Jesus – militia were accused of raping at least 37 girls near Kavumu in Democratic Republic of Congo’s South Kivu province between 2013 and 2016, the rights groups said.
According to the prosecution, the group’s leader, provincial lawmaker Frederic Batumike, employed a spiritual adviser who told fighters raping young children would give them mystical protection against their enemies.
Militia members, including Batumike, were also convicted of murder, membership of a rebel movement and illegal weapons possession. The court ruled the rapes and murders amounted to crimes against humanity, the rights groups said.
The crimes triggered an international outcry. Rights groups accused 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 offence,” Charles Cubaka Cicura, a lawyer for the victims, told Reuters after the verdict was announced.
Experts say Congo made some progress in combating sexual violence and several high-level militia and army commanders have been prosecuted in recent years, but the problem remains pervasive.
“This trial demonstrated justice can be served in the Congo … even when the accused wield significant power and are highly organised,” said Karen Naimer of Physicians for Human Rights, one of the groups supporting the victims.
The mobile court 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.
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