Aftermath of a Mass Rape in Congo

April 12, 2013 | The Guardian

Fiona Lloyd-Davies

Sergeant 'Boniface' says he was told by his commanding officer to go and rape. He says that he raped three women before his conscience told him to stop. Image by Fiona Lloyd-Davies. DRC, 2013.

Nzigire Chibalonza lives in Minova. She is 60 years old. She was raped by three men on the night of 22 November 2012, when soldiers went on the rampage in the town. They were so brutal, she says, that she thought she would die. Image by Fiona Lloyd-Davies. DRC, 2013.

Minova is a busy market town on the banks of Lake Kivu. Since the November 2012 uprising by M23 rebels, it has become a garrison town full of soldiers from the DRC army. Image by Fiona Lloyd-Davies. DRC, 2013.

A soldier in the Congolese army. Many of his colleagues are said to have committed crimes after being humiliated and traumatized by war. Image by Fiona Lloyd-Davies. DRC, 2013.

A soldier polishes his boots before morning prayers. A military prosecutor in the town says 'military justice is of the utmost importance.' Image by Fiona Lloyd-Davies. DRC, 2013.

Soldiers listen to Lieutenant Colonel Kubuta Shemusobyo Aarom, a military priest, as he gives his sermon during morning prayers. Prosecutors say they will pursue unit commanders if they are unable to identify the soldiers who carried out the rapes. Image by Fiona Lloyd-Davies. DRC, 2013.

Lieutenant Colonel Kubuta Shemusobyo Aarom is a military priest who preaches to the soldiers twice a week. So far only three soldiers have been arrested over the rampage last November. Image by Fiona Lloyd-Davies. DRC, 2013.

Lieutenant Colonel Kubuta Shemusobyo Aarom delivering a sermon at morning prayers in Bwerimana, North Kivu, close to the new military headquarters of the Congolese army. Image by Fiona Lloyd-Davies. DRC, 2013.

The military courthouse in Minova. Military justice personnel on the ground fear a backlash from powerful army figures if officers are charged. Image by Fiona Lloyd-Davies. DRC, 2013.

Bullet holes riddle the walls inside of the military courthouse in Minova, where local women are sceptical that the impunity will end. Image by Fiona Lloyd-Davies. DRC, 2013.

Last November, hundreds of women and children were raped in Minova, on the shores of Lake Kivu, by soldiers from the Congolese national army.

As the G8 debates ways to prevent sexual violence in the DRC, photographer Fiona Lloyd-Davies gained unprecedented access to the town.