The official spearheading United Nations efforts to combat the
scourge of sexual violence committed during war yesterday welcomed the start of a
trial in Germany of two Rwandans accused of ordering massacres and mass rape in
the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Ignace
Murwanashyaka and Straton Musoni each face 39 charges of war crimes and 26
counts of crimes against humanity over their alleged actions in the eastern DRC
in 2008-09.
Prosecutors
in the German city of Stuttgart say the two men served as leaders in the
Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (known by its French acronym of
FDLR), a notorious militia accused of numerous atrocities in the eastern DRC in
recent years.
Margot
Wallström, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence in
Conflict, issued a statement in which she applauded German authorities for
“having apprehended these alleged perpetrators and for bringing them to
justice.”
German
law allows the prosecution of foreigners for crimes against humanity and war
crimes committed elsewhere.
Ms.
Wallström said the trial is “a clear sign that there is no safe haven for
suspected criminals and that impunity for conflict-related sexual violence is
not an option.”
She said
her office would continue to monitor the trial and all incidents of
conflict-related sexual violence closely.
The envoy
has spoken out repeatedly about the widespread sexual violence taking place in
the DRC, particularly in the far east, where many militia groups still clash
with Congolese armed forces and attack civilians.
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