'Kill Them All'

A victim of a recent militia attack in eastern Congo describes her horrific days in captivity.

In June, the Hot Zone reported the details of a recent massacre reportedly committed by Rwandan Hutu militia in eastern Congo in which 18 civilians, including six children, were killed.

One of the surviving victims, a 23-year-old woman we called Kahumba, provided a harrowing eyewitness account of the incident in which her brother was murdered in front of her and both she and her twin sister were sexually assaulted. The twin, who we'll call Mirenge, was  kidnapped by the attackers and taken back to their camp. After weeks in the jungle, she escaped and returned to her village, but her suffering is far from over. This is her story, as told to reliable humanitarian sources on the ground in eastern Congo.

Warning: the following account contains graphic content. Reader discretion is advised.

"I am Mirenge. My father was killed last year by Interahamwe (Rwandan Hutu militia). It's now about one month and a half since the Interahamwe came to attack our village again.

"It was a very bad day for our family because my elder brother was killed immediately during the attack. One of the Interahamwe raped me. They also took my twin sister, Kahumba, from where she was hiding herself under the bed and raped her. After that another one raped her again.

A victim of the eastern Congo massacre
recovers at a medical center in Bukavu.
Face concealed to protect identity

"There was no way to cry for help because they had guns and there were many of them in the village. I was not saying anything because I was afraid and our elder brother was already dead. It's only my mother and Kahumba who were asking them to have mercy on us.

"When they finished raping us they told me to go outside. My mother asked them beseechingly not to take me into the bush.

"They demanded money from her and she gave them the little she had from selling cabbages. She also offered them two goats to leave me behind. They took all of it and me as well. They told my mother to go back in the house and began walking me into the bush, one in front and one behind me. I was very tired and when we got out of our village, I asked them to kill me because I was sure they were going to eventually.

"They said we were going to their camp in the jungle, called Mugaba. When we arrived at another village along the way, we met other Interahamwe with the many things they had looted from different villages. There I met some other girls and boys who were carrying things for them.

"When we arrived at the headquarters of the Interahamwe the next day, one of them said, 'Let's kill them all.' But another disagreed, 'No we still need them.'

"They killed two of the boys who were carrying things for them and then threw their bodies in a river. The next day they told the remaining boys to go back home. The Interahamwe kept me and five other girls. They raped us again. If you told them you were tired they would bite you and say, 'Do you also want to die now?'

"I was suffering so much. One day I told them I was feeling ill and they tied me to a tree and three of them raped me. I felt like there was no more reason to live.

"Everyday they sent us to fetch water but always sent two fighters to watch us so we wouldn't escape. Three of us would go first. When we came back, the other three would go. But one day they were having a meeting and they sent us to bring water. They sent three of us without guards, but told us if we didn't come back quickly they would kill the remaining three girls — or they would come back to our [village] and kill everyone there.

"We went to the river and decided we had to escape and return to our homes. We all slipped away into the jungle. It's only because of God that I am alive today.

"When I finally got back to my village, my mother was very happy to see me because she thought they had killed me. She took me to the medical center in Muzinzi and the next day we went to the hospital in Bukavu.

"Now I am feeling very tired all over my body, I am urinating with much pain. I have constant headaches and backaches. When I stand up I am dizzy. When I remember what they did to me I wish I were dead.

"It is not important for me to get treatment because there is no difference between me and people who are dead.

-The International Rescue Committee (IRC) operates a "rapid response" program in eastern Congo which, along with help from local organizations, assists victims of sexual violence. Learn more about those efforts here.

-Kevin Sites reported from the Congo in October 2005. His multimedia stories about child soldiers, rape as a weapon of war and other topics are archived here.

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