Thousands of women protest rebel killings in eastern Congo

BENI, Congo – Thousands of women are demonstrating in the eastern Congo city of Beni, calling on the army and United Nations peacekeepers to stop deadly rebel attacks in the region.

Col. Richard Kazingufu, commander of Beni’s police, says about 10,000 women marched peacefully Friday, a larger crowd than the day before. He says the women are handing a petition to the mayor and the U.N. mission.

The president of Beni’s women’s league, Zawadi Masika, says the demonstrations show the discontent over recent massacres in Beni. She says too many lives have been lost, with 1,500 people killed over four years.

The women say they want Congo’s army and U.N. peacekeepers to hunt down and stop Allied Democratic Forces rebels who are staging the attacks.