Clinton Plans to Visit Congo, Denounce Rape as a Tool of War

By Mary Beth Sheridan
As part of her swing through Africa next week, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton plans to visit eastern Congo, the epicenter of two wars in the past decade, and denounce the alarming rates of rape in the region, an official said Wednesday.

"She is intending to go to Goma, where a lot of this violence is taking place," said Johnnie Carson, assistant secretary of state for African affairs, in an interview, referring to the provincial capital of eastern Congo.

The Congolese military launched an offensive earlier this year against Rwandan Hutu rebels who have lived for years in eastern Congo. The rebels have been a major cause of the deadliest documented conflict since World War II, which has involved several countries in the area and left millions dead from the violence and turmoil.

The eastern Congo has one of the highest rates of sexual violence against women in the world, with both soldiers and rebel groups using rape as a tool of war.

Clinton also is scheduled to visit Kenya, South Africa, Angola, Nigeria, Liberia and Cape Verde on her trip.