Latest news with #AmadouBocoum
TimesLIVE
02-07-2025
- Health
- TimesLIVE
USAID cancelled rape survivor kits for Congo as conflict erupted
The post-rape kits come in a box containing HIV medication to prevent infection within 72 hours, antibiotics and testing for sexually transmitted diseases and emergency contraception. The supplies paid for by USAID were meant to reach over 2,000 facilities. 'This kit is truly important to reassure the woman who has been really traumatized that she won't get AIDS, that she won't have an unwanted pregnancy, and that she won't contract venereal diseases,' said Amadou Bocoum, the country director of CARE International. The UNFPA shared a document with Reuters that indicated that only seven out of 34 health zones in North Kivu have a minimal supply of post-rape kits left. Less than one-in-four survivors' needs are currently being met. Only 13% of survivors that request help receive medication to prevent HIV within the recommended 72-hour window. While the US State Department has said it will continue to support life-saving programs worldwide, the contract to supply post-rape kits to survivors remains cancelled. Trump has said that the US pays disproportionately for foreign aid and he wants other countries to shoulder more of the burden. The US disbursed $65bn (R1.1 trillion) in foreign assistance last year, nearly half of it via USAID, according to government data. The UNFPA and other aid organisations are trying to raise around $35m(R619m) to cover the loss of funding from the United States from donors such as the Gates Foundation and other Western nations. The consequences of the cancellation include survivor deaths, the spread of HIV, unwanted pregnancies, and unsafe abortions with high maternal-mortality risk, the UNFPA document said.
DW
01-07-2025
- Politics
- DW
DR Congo war triggers surge in sexualized violence – DW – 06/30/2025
Funding cuts to international aid organizations mean that medical assistance has dried up for vulnerable people affected by conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. As the M23 rebels advanced on Bukavu during January and February, several villages along Lake Kivu were turned into battlefields. Though fighters from all sides have committed atrocities, civil society groups and activists have identified the Congolese military and allied Wazalendo militias from the North Kivu province as raping women and children. Riziki (not her real name) told DW that she survived an attack. "Three soldiers broke into my house to loot," Riziki said. "One of them came into my bedroom to rape me, but I resisted." "The others shouted at him to leave, but he refused," Riziki said. "Luckily, my son came to my rescue and they left after they had trashed everything." The crime took place in February in Kavumu village, about 30 kilometers (18 miles) north of Bukavu. After that, Riziki, a mother of five, has found refuge in Bukavu. She hoped to receive justice in Bukavu during a planned trial. But then, M23 fighters took the city. Judges, lawyers, defendants, convicts, and even some survivors, fled. "I started trading," Riziki said. "Unfortunately, armed men came back to the neighborhood where I had fled with my children. They killed two neighbors. We fled again, and I only came back recently." The new occupiers did not improve much: Witnesses reported cases of rape and sexual violence in the M23-occupied cities of Bukavu and Goma — especially targeting married women and girls. Women were also forced to perform sexual acts in exchange for various services, and in many cases, survivors did not press charges out of fear and shame. One young woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, was wrongfully locked up in a Secret Service prison. She told DW of her experience there. "At night, one guards threatened to rape me. When I pushed him away, he hit me. I screamed out in pain. Luckily, the superior officer came, and the guard was whipped. Those who witnessed the scene told me guards usually rape women without their superiors knowing," she said. Doctors Without Borders (MSF), an emergency medical organization, reports that sexual violence cases have exploded, especially in North Kivu, since fighting between the Congolese army and the M23 began. MSF reports treating almost 40,000 victims there in 2024; between January and April 2025, there were almost 7,400 victims and survivors. In South Kivu, MSF has assisted almost 700 people in the Kalehe and Uvira regions since the start of 2025. According to MSF's report, the vast majority of attacks reported by victims in 2025 were committed at gunpoint, with perpetrators remaining unaccountable. "The systematic use of rape as a weapon of war is not only a violation of human rights, but also a deliberate strategy to destabilize communities," Amadou Bocoum, DRC country director for Care International, told DW. Care registered 67,000 cases of sexual violence against women and girls in the first four months of 2025 — a 38% increase from 2024. "Because of the ongoing fighting," Bocoum said, "more women are being attacked and raped." "At the same time, the United States government has cut financial aid, which is normally 40%," Bocoum said. "We no longer have emergency drugs to prevent HIV infection after rape in stock at our health centers." Willermine Ntakebuka, coordinator of the women's rights organization Vision Communautaire, spoke of "alarming figures" in the MSF report. "This war should already be over," Ntakebuka said. "Thirty years of war are too much, with all the consequences suffered by the civilian population, especially women and girls. Women should not have to pay the high price of armed conflict." To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
DW
30-06-2025
- Politics
- DW
Conflict brings increased sexualized violence to DR Congo – DW – 06/30/2025
Funding cuts to international aid organizations mean that medical assistance has dried up for vulnerable people affected by conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. As the M23 rebels advanced on Bukavu during January and February, several villages along Lake Kivu were turned into battlefields. Though fighters from all sides have committed atrocities, civil society groups and activists have identified the Congolese military and allied Wazalendo militias from the North Kivu province as raping women and children. Riziki (not her real name) told DW that she survived an attack. "Three soldiers broke into my house to loot," Riziki said. "One of them came into my bedroom to rape me, but I resisted." "The others shouted at him to leave, but he refused," Riziki said. "Luckily, my son came to my rescue and they left after they had trashed everything." The crime took place in February in Kavumu village, about 30 kilometers (18 miles) north of Bukavu. After that, Riziki, a mother of five, has found refuge in Bukavu. She hoped to receive justice in Bukavu during a planned trial. But then, M23 fighters took the city. Judges, lawyers, defendants, convicts, and even some survivors, fled. "I started trading," Riziki said. "Unfortunately, armed men came back to the neighborhood where I had fled with my children. They killed two neighbors. We fled again, and I only came back recently." The new occupiers did not improve much: eyewitnesses reported cases of rape and sexual violence in the M23-occupied cities of Bukavu and Goma — especially against married women and girls. Women were also forced to perform sexual acts in exchange for various services, and in many cases, survivors did not press charges out of fear and shame. One young woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, was wrongfully locked up in a secret service prison. She told DW of her experience there. "At night, one guards threatened to rape me. When I pushed him away, he hit me. I screamed out in pain. Luckily, the superior officer came, and the guard was whipped. Those who witnessed the scene told me guards usually rape women without their superiors knowing," she said. Doctors Without Borders (MSF), an emergency medical organization, says sexual violence cases have exploded, especially in North Kivu, since fighting between the Congolese army and the M23 began. MSF says it treated almost 40,000 victims there in 2024; and between January and April 2025, there were almost 7,400 victims and survivors. In South Kivu, MSF has assisted almost 700 people in the Kalehe and Uvira regions since the start of 2025. According to MSF's report, the vast majority of attacks reported by victims in 2025 were committed at gunpoint, with perpetrators remaining unaccountable. "The systematic use of rape as a weapon of war is not only a violation of human rights, but also a deliberate strategy to destabilize communities," Amadou Bocoum, DRC country director for Care International, told DW. Care says it registered 67,000 cases of sexual violence against women and girls in the first four months of 2025 alone - a 38% jump on 2024. "Because of the ongoing fighting, more women are being attacked and raped," Bocoum tells DW. "At the same time, the United States government has cut financial aid, which is normally 40%. We no longer have emergency drugs to prevent HIV infection after rape in stock at our health centers," he adds. Willermine Ntakebuka, coordinator of the women's rights organization Vision Communautaire, speaks of "alarming figures" in view of the MSF report and demands: "This war should already be over. 30 years of war are too much, with all the consequences suffered by the civilian population, especially women and girls. Women should not have to pay the high price of armed conflict." To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
DW
30-06-2025
- Politics
- DW
DR Congo: Drastic increase in sexual violence – DW – 06/30/2025
Funding cuts to international aid organizations also mean medical assistance has dried up for vulnerable people affected by conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. As the M23 rebels advanced on Bukavu during January and February of 2025, several villages along Lake Kivu were turned into battlefields. While fighters from all sides have committed atrocities, civil society groups and activists have singled out the Congolese military and allied Wazalendo militias from the North Kivu province for raping women and children. Riziki (not her real name) was just one survivor of an attack. "Three soldiers broke into my house to loot. One of them came into my bedroom to rape me, but I resisted," she reports. "The others shouted at him to leave, but he refused," she adds. "Luckily, my son came to my rescue and they left after they had trashed everything." The crime took place in February 2025 in Kavumu village, around 30 kilometers north of Bukavu. After that, Riziki, a mother of five, has found refuge in Bukavu. She hoped to receive justice in Bukavu during a planned show trial. But then, M23 fighters took the city. Judges, lawyers, defendants, convicts, and even some survivors, fled. "I started trading. Unfortunately, armed men came back to the neighborhood where I had fled with my children. They killed two neighbors. We fled again, and I only came back recently," Riziki told DW. The new occupiers did not improve much: eyewitnesses reported cases of rape and sexual violence in the M23-occupied cities of Bukavu and Goma — especially against married women and girls. Women were also forced to perform sexual acts in exchange for various services, and in many cases, survivors did not press charges out of fear and shame. One young woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, was wrongfully locked up in a secret service prison. She told DW of her experience there. "At night, one guards threatened to rape me. When I pushed him away, he hit me. I screamed out in pain. Luckily, the superior officer came, and the guard was whipped. Those who witnessed the scene told me guards usually rape women without their superiors knowing," she said. Doctors Without Borders (MSF), an emergency medical organization, says sexual violence cases have exploded, especially in North Kivu, since fighting between the Congolese army and the M23 began. MSF says it treated almost 40,000 victims there in 2024; and between January and April 2025, there were almost 7,400 victims and survivors. In South Kivu, MSF has assisted almost 700 people in the Kalehe and Uvira regions since the start of 2025. According to MSF's report, the vast majority of attacks reported by victims in 2025 were committed at gunpoint, with perpetrators remaining unaccountable. "The systematic use of rape as a weapon of war is not only a violation of human rights, but also a deliberate strategy to destabilize communities," Amadou Bocoum, DRC country director for Care International, told DW. Care says it registered 67,000 cases of sexual violence against women and girls in the first four months of 2025 alone - a 38% jump on 2024. "Because of the ongoing fighting, more women are being attacked and raped," Bocoum tells DW. "At the same time, the United States government has cut financial aid, which is normally 40%. We no longer have emergency drugs to prevent HIV infection after rape in stock at our health centers," he adds. Willermine Ntakebuka, coordinator of the women's rights organization Vision Communautaire, speaks of "alarming figures" in view of the MSF report and demands: "This war should already be over. 30 years of war are too much, with all the consequences suffered by the civilian population, especially women and girls. Women should not have to pay the high price of armed conflict." To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
