121 women raped by Congo troops: U.N. report

The U.N. human rights office says initial reports from eastern Congo indicate that at least 121 women were raped by government troops earlier this month.

A spokesman says the incident allegedly occurred June 11-13 in the village of Nyakiele in South Kivu province.

Rights office spokesman Rupert Colville said U.N. investigators would return to the restive region next week to gather more information on the alleged incident.

Armed groups in the region have frequently used rape as a weapon of war.

Eastern Congo has been wracked by violence since Rwanda’s 1994 genocide spilled conflict across the border. Hutu militias that participated in the massacres of more than 500,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus sought refuge in Congo.