{"id":56727,"date":"2026-01-03T11:23:46","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T11:23:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/fled-to-rwanda-after-being-raped-by-over-100-men-infected-with-hiv-survivor\/"},"modified":"2026-01-08T11:18:49","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T11:18:49","slug":"fled-to-rwanda-after-being-raped-by-over-100-men-infected-with-hiv-survivor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/fled-to-rwanda-after-being-raped-by-over-100-men-infected-with-hiv-survivor\/","title":{"rendered":"Fled to Rwanda after being raped by over 100 men, infected with HIV: Survivor recounts FDLR horrors"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cI was held for six months. Every day was a nightmare,\u201d Mwiza, now living with disabilities caused by the abuse, testified during a protest by Congolese refugees in Rwanda, organised to condemn a recent anti-Tutsi slur by Major General Sylvain Ekenge, the suspended FARDC spokesperson.<\/p>\n

“I was raped by over 100 soldiers. Everyone, including elders, their children, and even their guards, assaulted me, all to \u2018experience what a Tutsi woman is like.\u2019 I contracted HIV and sustained disabilities. I am now on medication.”<\/p>\n

Ekenge\u2019s remarks, widely condemned as incitement against Tutsis, included warnings against marrying Tutsi women, reflecting entrenched anti-Tutsi sentiment within the DRC military. Refugees in Rwanda expressed outrage at the comments, staging demonstrations demanding accountability and protection for Congolese Tutsis.<\/p>\n

Mwiza\u2019s ordeal began six months before fleeing to Rwanda, when FDLR soldiers abducted her and her niece from Shangi and took them to Kirolirwe in Masisi territory. While Mwiza survived, her niece was killed. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey did whatever they wanted, denying me water, denying me care. Sometimes they told me to call Kagame [President Paul Kagame] to rescue me, but all I could do was pray. Everyone struck me, even children, because they were ordered to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her escape came through the unexpected aid of a local soldier who recognised her plight. \u201cHe said my blood would not be accounted for. He helped me leave Kirolirwe secretly and guided me to Bishoga,\u201d Mwiza recounted. From there, she moved cautiously to Nyamitabo, where M23 forces were stationed. She finally reached the Nkamira temporary camp in Rwanda, traumatised but alive.<\/p>\n

In Rwanda, she joined the Mvura Nkuvure rehabilitation programme, which has helped her begin to rebuild her life despite deep psychological and physical scars. Her husband and father were killed, but her children have since been reunited with her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI survived because of God and those who helped me. But no one should endure what I went through,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Mwiza\u2019s story is part of a decades-long pattern of violence targeting Kinyarwanda-speaking Tutsis in the DRC. After the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, the DRC harboured elements of the Interahamwe and forces loyal to former President Juvenal Habyarimana, cultivating anti-Tutsi ideology. Some of these individuals formed armed groups that evolved into the FDLR.<\/p>\n

The FDLR continues to terrorise Congolese citizens, often with tacit DRC government support. Incidents include home burnings, kidnappings, killings, and sexual violence. <\/p>\n

In October 2023 alone, nearly 300 homes in Nturo village were destroyed, with residents accused of supporting M23. Social media footage has repeatedly shown Congolese civilians attacking Tutsi neighbours, in some cases committing acts of extreme cruelty, including cannibalism. <\/p>\n

Rwanda now hosts over 120,000 Congolese refugees, many fleeing decades of violence and displacement. Mwiza urges the international community to intervene to end decades of hatred and persecution of Congolese Tutsis.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/figure>\n
\"Congolese<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mwiza* (real name withheld for privacy) still trembles as she recounts the months of unimaginable suffering she endured at the hands of the FDLR militia group in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). A 40-year-old mother, Mwiza fled to Rwanda a year ago after being kidnapped, tortured, and repeatedly raped by armed men allied with the DRC army (FARDC).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000100125,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[72,75],"byline":[170],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-56727","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-justice","tag-featured-news-home","tag-homenews","byline-igihe"],"bylines":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"contributors":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"featured_image":{"id":2000100125,"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/fdlr-48-6b16f-ec72e.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":0,"height":0,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/fdlr-48-6b16f-ec72e.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/fdlr-48-6b16f-ec72e.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/fdlr-48-6b16f-ec72e.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/fdlr-48-6b16f-ec72e.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/fdlr-48-6b16f-ec72e.jpg","width":0,"height":0}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56727","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56727"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56727\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000100125"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56727"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56727"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56727"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=56727"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=56727"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}