Oslo - A Congolese priest was named winner of the 2008 Rafto Prize on Thursday for his work supporting reconciliation and peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and speaking out against mass rapes of women as part of the "strategy of war."

Pastor Bulambo Lembelembe Josue was cited as "a visionary church leader with high personal integrity and a unique ability to turn strategies into concrete action," the jury said, noting that women were often the victims of the long-standing conflict in the African nation.

In 1991 Josue helped found the human rights organization Heritiers de la Justice and has criticized offering amnesty to perpetrators of mass rapes and other sexual violence. His work has also included setting up rehabilitation centres for rape victims.

He serves as vice-president of the Protestant Council of Churches, the Eglise du Christ au Congo (ECC), in the South Kivu province in eastern Congo.

Since 1998, over 5 million people have died in the DRC as a result of the conflict that has involved several other neighbouring countries as well as numerous militia groups, the Rafto Foundation said.

The prize worth 50,000 kroner (8,900 dollars) was created in 1986 in memory of outspoken human rights activist Thorolf Rafto, professor at the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration in the west coast town of Bergen.

The award is due to be presented on November 2 in Bergen.

Last year, the Rafto Prize was awarded to an Indian organization - the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR) - that campaigns for the Dalit people, sometimes called "untouchables".

Four previous Rafto Prize winners - Aung San Suu Kyi, Jose Ramos-Horta, Kim Dae-jung and Shirin Ebadi - later went on to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

The 2006 Rafto Prize was awarded to Thich Quang Do, a pro- democracy activist and deputy patriarch of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam that is not recognized by the Vietnamese government. (dpa)