Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege and Yazidi campaigner Nadia Murad have won the 2018 Nobel peace prize.
Doctor Mukwege is a gynaecologist who has treated victims of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Ms Murad is a survivor of sexual slavery by Isis in Iraq.
The selection by the Nobel committee saw the pair beat favourite nominees including North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US president Donald Trump.
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The Nobel committee has now been able to contact Dr Denis Mukwege by phone.
The gynaecological surgeon reportedly said he was nearing the end of his second surgery of the day on Friday when he heard people crying in the hospital. They had heard about him winning the peace prize.
"I can see in the faces of many women how they are happy to be recognised. This is really so touching," he said in a brief telephone interview with the Nobel Prize organisation.
Mobile phone footage of the scene in Congo showed a smiling Dr Mukwege jostled by dancing, ululating medical colleagues in scrubs. "Hallelujah!" one man cried as women wiped their eyes. Dr Mukwege tried to address the crowd in the hospital's courtyard but was drowned out by cheering and song.
Iraqi state TV interrupted its normal programmes for a special broadcast about Nadia Murad's achievement, saying she is the first Iraqi citizen to win the top international award.
It reported outgoing Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had expressed his happiness.
The Democratic Republic of Congo's government has congratulated Dr Mukwege while acknowledging relations have been strained over the years.
Spokesman Lambert Mende said Dr Mukwege has done "remarkable work" treating victims of sexual violence during years of conflict in the country's east.
Dr Mukwege has in the past criticised the Congolese government and accused its troops of having a culture of sexual violence.
A government spokesman said "we have not always been in agreement" and added Dr Mukwege has had a tendency to "politicise" his humanitarian work but added "we salute that a compatriot is recognised".
The UN has said the awarding of the prize to Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad is a "fantastic announcement".
UN spokeswoman Alessandra Velluci told reporters in Geneva: "This is a cause that is very close to the United Nations and as you know we have a special representative who is also working towards this, and I'm sure that this Nobel peace prize will help advance the cause of ending sexual violence as a weapon of conflict."
Ms Murad is the UN's goodwill ambassador for the dignity of survivors of human trafficking.
Dan Smith, Director of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said: "Rape in war has been a crime for centuries. But it was a crime in the shadows. The two laureates have both shone a light on it.
“Their achievements are really extraordinary in bringing international attention to the crime,” he said.
When Barack Obama won the prize in 2009 - just one year into his first presidential term, he said: “This is not how I expected to wake up this morning.”
This is how The Independent reported it at the time:
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/nobel-honour-stuns-obama-ndash-and-the-world-1800567.html
Last year’s winners, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), has congratulated Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad, saying “both laureates thoroughly deserve this honour through their incredible work to address sexual violence in conflict”.
In a statement on their website, the organisation said:
“ICAN wishes to congratulate the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, Nadia Murad and Dr Denis Mukwege. Both laureates thoroughly deserve this honour through their incredible work to address sexual violence in conflict, and we look forward to working with them as Nobel laureates dedicated to a peaceful world safe from both the threats of nuclear weapons and the use of sexual violence in war, both fundamental violations of international law.
“The Nobel Committee has rightly chosen to highlight the role of women this year in giving the award to Nadia and Denis, and it is great to see women like Nadia leading on this issue just as they do in the disarmament movement.
“Dr Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad have been given a great platform by recognising the importance of preventing sexual violence against women, as ICAN found the year since winning the Nobel to be a watershed one for nuclear disarmament thanks to the doors the Nobel Peace Prize opened and the focus it gave to our important issue. We found that when we act together in shared humanity, the human race is an unstoppable force for good and we look forward to being part of that journey with Denis and Nadia.”
Mukwege and his team have treated thousands of patients who have been raped or sexually abused in Congo's long civil war.
“The importance of Dr Mukwege's enduring, dedicated and selfless efforts in this field cannot be overstated. He has repeatedly condemned impunity for mass rape and criticised the Congolese government and other countries for not doing enough to stop the use of sexual violence against women as a strategy and weapon of war,” the committee said in its citation on Friday.
Berit Reiss-Andersen said after announcing the prize Friday that both laureates, Denis Mukwege of Congo and ethnic Yazidi Nadia Murad, had put their personal security at stake as activists on the issue.
Oyvind Sternersen, a Nobel historian, said: “This is a Nobel bullseye; recognising victims of war has a long history in the peace prize.”
Ms Murad, 25, becomes the second-youngest recipient of the Nobel peace prize, after Malala Yousafzai.
She is an advocate for the Yazidi minority in Iraq and for refugee and women's rights in general, and was enslaved and raped by Islamic State fighters in Mosul in 2014.
The committee has been unable to contact either Dr Mukwege or Ms Murad on the phone to tell them that they have won.
They said: “If they are watching this, my heartfelt congratulations.”
Denis Mukwege is a gynecologist who has treated victims of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Nadia Murad is a Yazidi human rights activist and survivor of sexual slavery by Isis in Iraq.
According to Alfred Nobel’s will, the Peace Prize is awarded to the person who in the preceding year “shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.”
