BRUSSELS, (Reuters) – Soldiers in the Democratic  Republic of Congo who rape and assault civilians often go  unpunished because the justice system is too weak to hold the  perpetrators to account, a rights group said yesterday.

Few senior army officers in the war-torn Central African  country have been prosecuted for committing or allowing sexual  violence against women and girls. Commanders often protect their  soldiers and may even obstruct the course of justice, Human  Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report released in Brussels.

“Prosecutions are likely only to be effective as a deterrent  to combat sexual violence when high-ranking commanders are held  to account,” the U.S.-based rights group said.

“The Congolese government, the U.N. and others have done a  lot to support the victims of sexual violence but less to end  the permissive atmosphere that causes it,” HRW researcher  Juliane Kippenberg said in a statement accompanying the report.