By Sue Pleming
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 urged President Joseph Kabila to crack down on violence against women.
"We are very concerned about civilian casualties, both deaths and rapes, and other injuries from the military action," she told a news conference.
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, who has made raising awareness of violence against women a priority during her visit, met victims of sexual violence and urged Congo and the United Nations to punish perpetrators.
"The atrocities that so many have suffered distils evil into its most basic form," she said. "Those who attack civilian populations using systematic rape are guilty of crimes against humanity," she told a meeting of aid workers.
After meeting Kabila, Clinton visited Mugunga, a squalid, sprawling camp for displaced people outside Goma where about 18,000 people have sought refuge.
Clinton heard first hand stories of rape, and told the women she spoke to that she wanted to help.
"I told President Kabila we want to help end the violence so that you can go home," she told Chantal Mapendo, head of a women's group in the camp.
CONFLICT MINERALS
Clinton addressed the question of the trade in minerals such as cassiterite and coltan, which are dug 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.
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."
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.
Clinton is on a seven-nation, 11-day trip to Africa. After visiting Goma, she was due to head for Nigeria where the focus will be on fighting corruption, a main theme of her trip.
There was some scepticism over whether her visit would make much difference to Congo.
"All we have got is a pile of business cards," said Christine Schuler-De Schryver, who described herself as an international activist. Clinton acknowledged she could not solve Congo's problems in one visit.
"I do not want to over-promise. I am not here to leave a business card, but I do not have a magic wand either," she said.
