Clinton concerned about deaths, rape in east Congo

GOMA, Congo (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday more must be done to protect civilians from violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where the army is fighting a string of conflicts.

Clinton spoke in the eastern Congolese city of Goma, capital of North Kivu province which aid groups say is the most dangerous place on earth for women and children, where she planned to meet President Joseph Kabila and U.N. peacekeepers.

"We are very concerned about civilian casualties, both deaths and rapes, and other injuries from the military action," she told a news conference in Goma.

Congo has hailed a military operation against rebels groups a success, but the rebels targeted by the Congolese army and U.N. forces have killed hundreds of civilians in reprisal attacks, displacing thousands more.

Kinshasa and the United Nations' biggest peacekeeping force, consisting of about 17,000 troops, are struggling to stabilise the east of the vast central African country after decades of dictatorship and a 1998-2003 war.

Clinton was also due have a private meeting with women who have suffered rape and other atrocities as part of her goal to raise international awareness and get both Congo and the U.N. to punish those responsible.

"We believe that there should be no impunity for the sexual and gender-based violence committed by so many. There must be arrest and prosecutions and punishments," she said.

CONFLICT MINERALS

Clinton addressed the question of the trade in minerals such as cassiterite and coltan, which are dug up in eastern Congo for use in consumer electronics such as mobile phones and whose sale funds armed groups in the region.

"The international community must start looking at steps we can take to try to prevent the mineral wealth from the DRC ending up in the hands of those who fund the violence," she said, while acknowledging the difficult of regulating small-scale miners.

Africa expert John Prendergast, a former official in Bill Clinton's administration, said: "A central focus should be on the fuel that drives the violence -- the contest over the conflict minerals extracted from the eastern war zone."

"Until the trade in minerals becomes legal and transparent, there will be no peace in Congo."

In Goma, tens of thousands of displaced people are packed into camps and vulnerable to attacks.

The United Nations has accused all sides of human rights abuses in Congo, including mass killings, rape and lootings.

Last month, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said at least 200,000 cases of sexual violence had been reported in eastern Congo since 1996 and aid workers said the numbers were not abating.

She is on a seven-nation, 11-day trip to Africa. After visiting Goma, she is due to head for Nigeria where the focus will be on fighting corruption, a main theme of her trip, particularly in Kenya and in Angola.

Her final stops are Liberia and Cape Verde before returning to Washington on August 14.