South African Singer, Miriam Makeba has said that women survivors of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) face a "triple tragedy" of physical, psychological and social damage.

Makeba, an activist, was on a four-day visit to Kinshasa in her role as FAO Goodwill Ambassador, a statement by the UN agency made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja said yesterday.

The statement quoted her as saying that the situation was undermining the country's attempts to improve living conditions.

Makeba, who won the Dag Hammarskjöld Prize for Peace in 1986, called the systematic rape of women in recent years as the "most horrifying feature of the complex emergency" in DRC, Africa's third-largest country.

"Women guarantee the survival of 80 per cent of the households in DRC. Yet, in spite of their crucial role for the wellbeing of the family, they are frequently victims to rape and sexual violence," she said.

"In the province of North Kivu alone, 27,000 cases of sex violence were recorded in 2006,"she added.

The ambassador, who is planning to tour small farming projects designed to help rape survivors feed their families and increase self-reliance, will be accompanied by the DRC's Minister of Gender, Family and Child Welfare, Ms Philomène Omatuku.

The women had received FAO-donated seeds, tools and agricultural training.

"The DRC has a vast potential for economic growth", said the South African singer, who has been an active supporter of FAO's campaign against world hunger since her appointment as Goodwill Ambassador in 1999.

The FAO emergency coordination and rehabilitation unit in collaboration with other UN agencies, NGOs and local authorities, has provided assistance to 500,000 households, of more than two million people. It plans to increase assistance to 800,000 households this year.

Urging the international community not to forget the ongoing crisis in the DRC, Makeba said: "I would like my visit to this country to be an opportunity to renew and strengthen our commitment.

"It should ensure that innocent victims suffering from hunger have access to the necessary resources to cultivate their hope for a better life".

Makeba's schedule also includes a visit to a project for families affected by HIV and AIDS, meetings with high-ranking government officials and representatives of UN agencies and NGOs. (NAN)