UN envoy says over 15,000 raped in eastern Congo

UN envoy says over 15,000 raped in eastern Congo
By Edith M. Lederer, Associated Press Writer – Oct 15, 2010
UNITED NATIONS – More than 15,000 people were raped in the volatile eastern region of Congo last year, according to the best data available, the top U.N. envoy in the African nation said Friday. Roger Meece, who heads the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Congo, said the scale of the security problems in the east, including sexual attacks, is "enormous." Meece told the U.N. Security Council that the "horrific" mass rapes in late July and early August by rebel militias in eastern Congo's mineral-rich Walikale region underscored the importance of protecting civilians....Somewhat different but equally troubling figures were provided by the U.N. Population Fund, which determined there were 17,507 sexual violence attacks throughout Congo in 2009 — including more than 9,000 in North and South Kivu which have been at the center of the conflict in the east.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101015/ap_on_re_us/un_un_congo_rapes