Sexual Violence, Abuse In Conflict Difficult To Erase

Isabella Kikudi, a victim of sexual violence, hopes she will be able to see the day Ugandan rebel leaders of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) face justice for sexual and other crimes committed in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Her home in Vemba, a village in the Beni area, turned into a scene of slaughter and sexual violence in November 2014, when armed men, some dressed in military fatigues, ravaged several villages in Ahili, Ngadi, Ondoto, Kadou, and Erengeti, among others.

Dozens of people, including men, women, and children, in Beni town were killed in the attack that left hundreds of others wounded.

It was a day that changed many lives including Kikudi's, who has withheld her real name to protect her identity.

Her 48-year-old husband and 14-year-old young brother were killed.

"I and many other women were raped by attackers who also forced women to be their wives," Kikudi told Anadolu Agency in an interview.

Until now, the mother of three says life had never been the same after being shunned by sections of the community on suspicions of having been sexually abused.

"The attack impacted my life, family, and future," she said, noting that it took her some time to recover.

"I still can't believe what happened and I can't erase the images in my mind."

Kikudi fled to the town of Goma after the attack, where she has lived since early 2015.

"I was forced to marry a rebel until I was freed. I can't erase that from my memory," she said, trying to hold back tears.

ADF fighters have been blamed for a series of massacres and kidnappings over the years in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Kikudi recalled the brutal attacks in which the rebels killed civilians using firearms, axes, and machetes.

She wondered whether the international community could turn more attention to the rebels' activities.

Killings

The Human Rights Watch recorded the killing of at least 184 people during attacks in the Boykene neighborhood of Beni and surrounding villages between Oct. 5 and Dec. 6, 2014.

"My young brother, Kafuluta, was one of the first people killed ... someone shot him in the head after he tried to run away," said Kikudi, who spent several months piecing together what happened.

Her husband, Noel, had raised his voice in defense of his family and was shot.

"My husband had wanted to stage a fight and tried to accost the attackers. In response they shot at him, killing him instantly," Kikudi said.

"It was a horrible incident."

Conflict-related sexual violence refers to rape, sexual slavery, forced prostitution, forced pregnancy, forced marriage, and any other form of sexual violence of comparable gravity perpetrated against women, men, girls, or boys that is directly or indirectly linked to a conflict.

Another 43-year-old mother of three, identified only as Yvonne, was hiding in her house when fighters attacked her home in Erengeti village of Beni town on Oct. 15, 2014, said a group of about seven men arrived dressed as women.

When her husband tried to welcome them, they could not respond in the local dialect.

"They then tried to force themselves into the house. When my husband tried to stop them, he was shot and killed," she said.

"I cried out, but there was no one to help, and the next thing I knew, I was pinned down and being raped."

International law establishes the rights to justice, truth, reparations and non-recurrence for serious human rights abuse.

But, like Kikudi, Yvonne wonders whether justice and accountability for the crime that altered their lives will be fully served as the rebels are still at large wreaking havoc in the east of the country

Jean Damascene Ndabirora Kalinda, a lecturer of law at the University of Kigali, believes the apparent lack of access to justice for victims of sexual violence stems from the fact that collecting evidence for international tribunals is difficult due to cultural and political dispositions and ideologies, distance, and the passage of time.

"Again, international tribunals target those they believe bear the greatest degree of responsibility for these crimes and little attention is paid to those who may also have participated at the middle or low levels," Kalinda told Anadolu Agency.

Yvonne remembers the incident as if it was yesterday, but there is little chance they will receive justice.

"I told my sister that they might kill us as well. But we had no choice. They gave me a husband by force after being gang-raped," she recalled.

The Ugandan-led rebel group has been active in Beni territory since 1996.

Easing bitter memories

Kikudi and Yvonne said psychosocial counseling has enabled them to accept their situation and overcome stigma.

While many women lack the courage to speak out, counselor Joyce Kirabo said it is important for victims of rape to seek professional counseling amid a traumatizing situation.

Many notable figures have spoken on how to prevent these crimes, including Congolese Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Denis Mukwege, who said humanity should feel a collective sense of shame, for doing so little to draw a "red line" against those who commit "odious" crimes of sexual violence.

Kalinda stressed that crimes in the Democratic Republic of Congo or any other region should be stopped and perpetrators prosecuted.

"It is also high time for the international community to acknowledge the failure of the UN in DR Congo and come up with an effective methodology. Justice should be served to the victims and that includes punishing the perpetrators, providing medical care, and other facilities." -