A group of 11 militiamen in the Democratic Republic of
Congo have been jailed for life for raping about 40
children, including at least one baby.The girls they raped
between 2013 and 2016 wereaged between eight months
and 12 years old.The men's alleged leader was a local MP
called Frederic Batumike. He is one of those who was
jailed.Local campaigners hailed the verdict against the men
as a sign that impunity for sexual violence was ending."It's
a strong signal to anyone who would contemplate this kind
of offence," lawyer for the victims Charles Cubaka Cicura
told Reuters news agency.*.The man who has treated
30,000 rape victims*.DR Congo: '48 rapes every hour'*.How
did rape become a weapon of war?The verdict for what
was ruled to be a crime against humanity was heard in a
packed courtroom in Kavumu, in South Kivu in the east of
the country.A military tribunal ruled that the men from the
Djeshi ya Yesu (Army of Jesus) militia should be "sentenced
to life in prison for the crime against humanity by rape
and murder".The men were also convicted of murder,
membership in a rebel movement and illegal weapons
possession.A total of 18 had been tried but two were
sentenced to just one year in jail, while five were
acquitted.Many of the assaults happened at night. The men
were alleged to believe that the blood of virgins would
grant them supernatural protection.
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