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Human rights abuses ongoing in Congo

LONDON, Aug. 10 (UPI) -- The Congolese army and other armed groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo violate international law with impunity, a human rights report says.

The report prepared by London-based Amnesty International said Congolese citizens are subjected to rape and murder in a decades-old cycle of violence and human rights violations.

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"The people of DRC have suffered war crimes and crimes against humanity—including torture, sexual violence and the use of child soldiers—on an enormous scale and yet only a handful of perpetrators have ever been brought to justice," said Veronique Aubert, the group's deputy director for Africa.

The Amnesty International report released Wednesday calls for the reform and strengthening of the country's justice system.

It recommends a program to protect victims and witnesses along with judges and other judicial staff who regularly face threats and interference from political authorities and military officials.

A U.N. report published last year said that the Congolese justice system is too weak and under-resourced to provide justice for crimes under international law.

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