By James Karuhanga
The UK Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State, William Hague,
and UNHCR Special Envoy, Angelina Jolie, arrived in Kigali on Sunday,
for a visit that will also take them to the Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC), aimed at highlighting the terrible human cost of warzone rape,
and to call on Governments worldwide to address this neglected and
growing problem.
Britain’s Foreign Office released a picture of Angelina Jolie and William Hague getting off a British-flagged jet in Rwanda.
According to a statement received by The New Times today from the
British High Commission, Hague is scheduled to meet President Paul
Kagame and Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo, to discuss the need for a
lasting solution to the conflict in Eastern DRC, as well as other
bilateral issues.
Hague and Jolie will also visit a Genocide Memorial in Kigali to pay
their respects to the victims of the 1994 Genocide. In Eastern DRC, they
will meet survivors of rape and sexual violence and the local
organisations and UN bodies supporting them, according to the statement.
“Rape is often used as a weapon of war in conflict zones around the
world. It destroys people’s lives and communities in the most horrific
manner imaginable. Yet more often than not the international community
looks away, the perpetrators of these brutal crimes walk free and the
cycle of injustice and conflict is repeated. We have to shatter this
culture of impunity,” Hague is quoted as speaking ahead of the visit.
Jolie said the visit is about hearing first hand from people who have
endured rape and sexual violence during the conflict in the Eastern DRC.
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