Trial Begins in Rape Cases Against Soldiers
From Times Wire Reports
Twelve Congolese soldiers have gone on trial on charges of raping more than 100 women in 2003. Authorities hope the case will signal the restoration of military justice after years of war.
Human rights groups say government soldiers and rebels raped tens of thousands of women in the Democratic Republic of Congo during and after the 1998-2003 war in the country, formerly known as Zaire.
The trial began Tuesday in Mbandaka, 370 miles northeast of Kinshasa, the capital.
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