MP and militiamen convicted of crimes against humanity for rapes of nearly 50 girls in Kavumu

Today a historic conviction came down in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It was the first time an official or commander has been convicted of masterminding rape in the country. Twelve men plus their leader, local Member of Parliament and pastor Frederic Batumike Rugimbanya, were given life sentences for raping dozens of girls (aged 18 months to 11 years old) in a small village named Kavumu, in South Kivu province, over three years. Their methods were horrific and designed by a spiritual advisor to be used to help make the militia impervious to bullets in battle. I've been reporting on this case since the very beginning, four years ago. Here are some of my tweets from today. More details to come tomorrow.

Link to BBC story here.