DR Congo - human rights - UN
UN human rights body condemns North Kivu abuses
Monday 01 December 2008
A resolution passed by all 47 members of the United Nations Human Rights Council has condemned human rights abuses, widespread rape and the recruitment of child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Special Report Conflict in North KivuMonday 01 December 2008
AFP - The United Nations Human Rights Council on Monday condemned human rights abuses, sexual violence and the recruitment of child soldiers in the ongoing conflict in Democratic Republic of Congo.
The resolution, adopted by consensus by the council's 47 members, "calls for the immediate end to all human rights violations and unconditional respect for the rights of civilians."
It "condemns the acts of violence, human rights violations and abuses committed in Kivu, in particular sexual violence and the recruitment by the militia of child soldiers, and stresses the importance of bringing all perpetrators to justice."
However France's ambassador to the council Jean-Baptiste Mattei regretted that the text did not mention specifically cases of torture and extrajudicial killings, as had featured in the EU's own draft resolution.
Mattei had told the council on Friday that there is "tangible evidence that war crimes and crimes against humanity have been committed" in the eastern province of Nord-Kivu.
France, which currently holds the European Union's rotating presidency, had requested the session along with 15 other states.
The UN last month accused government forces of a wave of violence against civilians, including looting and rape, in several towns in Nord-Kivu.
The resolution stressed that the government in Kinshasa "has the primary responsibility to make every effort to strengthen the protection of the civilian population".
The council was accused by human rights groups of abandoning its responsibilities in the country after voting earlier this year to scrap the post of an independent human rights expert to monitor Kinshasa's record following pressure from the African Group of council members, supported by Russia, Tunisia and Algeria.
"Morally, the countries that were behind the elimination of the monitoring mandate in March ought to apologize to the victims of Congo," said Hillel Neuer, executive director of the non-governmental organisation and human rights group UN Watch.
"We will never know how many lives could have been saved if the Council had not deferred to Congo's government and caused this unconscionable protection gap, which slashed an early warning mechanism just when the victims needed it most," he said in a statement.
France's Human Rights Minister Rama Yada called during a visit to Congo Sunday for international action to counter what she called "catastrophic" conditions facing the refugee population.
An estimated 250,000 people have been displaced since new fighting between renegade Tutsi general Laurent Nkunda and government forces erupted in August, with the crisis worsening over the past six weeks.
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Pour aller plus loin
09/12/2008 09:42:21 Alert a moderator
supporting peace process
By kamasa - A
I also surpport peace negotiations like Germany than resorting to militaly means. Kabila and Nkunda should come to around table face to face and negotiate peace for the seck of Congolese lives. otherwise you will not be helped much than saving the lives of innocent civilians.
05/12/2008 13:10:16 Alert a moderator
A STANLEY......MANCHESTER.
By DAOUDA - UK
stanley,if you're an english man ,it would be very funny.
you can not teach us how to live with foreigners,in CONGO we have a large number of foreigners, now they are congolais in enterly,they behaving in good manner and in prospect in the country they living in.
Why always they( tutsis) looking for troubles,we as congolese we sufferd a lot in the past look 5millions poeple lost it doens't mean anything to you, actually we don't need anymore suffering.we're looking forwards to buit our country ,now look what that NKUNDABATWERE brought in congo. CHAOS.
LOST 5MILLIONS PEOPLE ALREADY HOW MANY PLEOPLE DO YOU WANT US TO LOOSE?
Nobody rejecting them they have to acts as congoleses not as RWANDISHs.
SOME TIMES I TRY TO BRING MYSELF TO UNDRESTAND WHAT ARE YOU WANT EXACTLY TO SAY,BUT DID UNDERSTAND JUST A LITTLE.
YOU CAN NOT TEACH US CONGO HISTORY,OR HOW MANY BORDERS WE HAVE GOT,OR OURS TRIBES AND SO ON.
05/12/2008 06:29:00 Alert a moderator
congo is big enough for every "congolese"
By stanley - manchester u.k
CONGO is so big the size of east europe,nd if i m right he has got 33 ethnics or more who knows RIGHT! but just no ROOM for the TUTSIS...now how UNFAIR is that?? all your eyes are focused on eastern congo saying all kind of none sense(OUR CONGO,OUR CONGO) africa is for all africans,before the white COLONISE envaded your continent they use to be no BORDERS we made the BORDERS so those that you are calling tutsis REBELES have been living there for ages generations after another, this part where NKUNDA is fighting is full of montains and all that its the best place for any FARMER to look after his COWS ND IF you do your HOME WORK well, you will find out that these pepeol have been FARMERS for centuries thats why they are even good fighters because is not easy to run after a cow day nd night in the rain or in the dead sun of africa( i have been there my self in 1981 to see the gorillas in the viruga park the place is just green motains is like if you are still in rwanda some where in a place called GISHWATI) these pepeol have had enough been pushed arround they are just like the jews..so get a life pepeol congo is big enough for every CONGOLESE CITIZEN so don t judge pepeol from their faces or how tall they are...nd stop focusing on the east when u still have all this UGE PLACE witch is still unexplored(2nd BIGEST JUNGLE),that is PURE IGNONRANCE why don t you focuse on down LUBUMBASHI with border with ZAMBIE...do "you" know how many diamonds are passing there every day??? YOU NEED TO FOCUSE MORE ON ZAMBIE AND ANGOLA nd these pepeol are RELATED TO KABILA JUNIOR thats where you are loosing toooooo much diamonds nd all the good stuff; with KIVU its only COLTAN not the good stuff(DIAMOND) as we call it here in the west SO all i can say to you,is that should start learning how to like each other,because these guys are not going any where any time soon...they are home just like every congolese down there...so be blessed nd wish you well to all of you.
04/12/2008 22:27:03 Alert a moderator
Injustice
By Anonyme -
You are not the only who the comment has been removed. Even mine was also removed. That is why I stopped putting my comment. They hate the truth, just like you said.They think that Africans are stupid.
04/12/2008 02:01:38 Alert a moderator
The truth hates
By Robert kishona - usa
You never liked the truth, it hates that is why you removed my comment, someday all africans will find out and realize how there are been treated
04/12/2008 01:42:23 Alert a moderator
Someone has to pay
By Kishona ,Robert - usa
I will very soon sue the united nations for discriminating african nations members of the un. I don't understand why the so call peace keepers withdrew from rwanda in 1994 while innocent women and children tutsi were being killed, they let innocent hutu refugees starve to death and brought back per force in rwanda which is against the geneva convention, and than send 17.000 armed journalists in congo who are watching 5 millions women and children being killed and do nothing but spend millions of donors dollars than shout on tv that they are helping africa!!! if i can be a leader in africa the west will just hate and and give sanctions like in zimbabwe for telling them that they are a curse of africa. I don't understand why these statues african leaders can't stand up like Mugabe so that Africa could lead itself like our ancestors did. i wish these europeans got lost in the sea while coming to africa
03/12/2008 16:27:26 Alert a moderator
To All France haters of Africa
By Vieux Bouks - Congo/Kinshasa
Kagame is refraining from publishing 33 french responsible of the genocide of Tutsi.
French people are mocking African In their news, demonstrating the animality of people committing mutual genocides, fighting continuously thought French people are responsible of those acts in Rwanda and in Congo. France has been paying regular salaries that are at least 20 times better than that of each of Congolese soldier to Hutu FDLR fighters with the money the EU is justifying as a support to Congolese army reforms. That money is actually serving to prepare a genocide-revenge against Kagame and Tutsi to be launched from the Congo territory. This justifies support to J.Kabila another ally france has won by imposing him in the name of the EU as the democratically elected president, which in fact was a fraud overtly cautioned by France on-behalf the EU.
France haters of Africa should leave Africa alone. You used to hate South-Asians, Arabs and now Congolese. We know that France is an insider-betrayer within the NATO, the BIRD, the IMF and within the UN. That betrayal will not remain continuously unpunished. Be assured...
02/12/2008 22:11:56 Alert a moderator
We love our Congo
By God Bless Congo - DR Congo / Kinshasa
There is no way to stop what is in the heart of Congolese people, we want to free our lovely country and no one can stop us.
Even if Western people took the fact of soldiers child as an argument, OUR Congo will be free. The love of it is above vengeance and sorrow, we are a peaceful people.
02/12/2008 15:47:10 Alert a moderator
To all France haters
By Anonyme -
Your comment is silly!Whatever!Stop hating on France!I'm sure your the one hating on France but in the same time trying to find a way to go to France.If you don't like France stay in your country and leave France alone!
02/12/2008 09:26:33 Alert a moderator
What France does not tell to his ally the RDC
By vieux_bouks - Congo/Kinshasa
I read the following in the upper news:
"France's Human Rights Minister Rama Yada called during a visit to Congo Sunday for international action to counter what she called "catastrophic" conditions facing the refugee population.
"
What France is omitting intentionly to tell to his ally the president of Congo, is to stop recruiting and arming child-soldiers. It is a fact that France and its ally, president J.Kabila, does not benefit the support of government troops of Congo. Congolese troops are aware that money poured into the army accounts for its reorganisation are rather diverted with the complicity of France to take care of Hutus fighters.
France and J.Kabila have been reduced to recruting child-soldiers, arming Mai-mai troops in order to draw international attention and stop general Nkunda advances on the battle-fields.
International observers should rather investigate about the "long-run Interest" of France in the Democratic Republic of Congo where the France's only investment is only a small hospital, if not the Hutus fighters France is cherishing for a future revenge (allies are J.Kabila,Hutus fighters backed by France and J.Kabila) which is continuously planned against president Kagame( the common enenmy for France, J.Kabila and the Hutus figthers settled in the Congo).