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Vicious reprisals accompanying disbanding armed groups in Congo
Bangladesh News.Net
Friday 10th July, 2009
Civilians are bearing the brunt of attempts to dismantle armed groups in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with the rebels carrying out vicious reprisals and some Government soldiers committing serious human rights abuses, the senior United Nations official to the country told the Security Council Friday.
Alan Doss, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and the head of the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC (known as MONUC), said in a briefing to Council members that there is growing concern about the humanitarian impact of the efforts to disband the armed groups.
“We take these concerns very seriously and have addressed them with the Government at various levels,” he said, citing the deployment of more MONUC resources and personnel to the affected provinces, such as North Kivu, continuing efforts to combat sexual and gender-based violence, and increased pressure on the Government to take action against undisciplined soldiers.
“MONUC has established 35 military bases in North Kivu, many of which are in very remote areas, where operations against the FDLR [the Forces Démocratiques de Liberation du Rwanda, one of the rebel groups] are ongoing. These bases have allowed for close monitoring of the operations and rapid intervention in a number of instances.”
But he warned that the Mission’s resources are being stretched thin as it waits for reinforcements to arrive following the Security Council’s recent authorization of additional troops to deal with the strife in the DRC’s east.
In an op-ed article published in The Washington Times Friday, Mr. Doss urged the Government to do its utmost to ensure discipline and end impunity within the ranks of its forces, which are known as the FARDC.
“People have to trust in those sent to protect them, and the army needs local cooperation to root out the FDLR,” he wrote. But he added that that discipline will not improve unless pay and living conditions are enhanced for Congolese soldiers.
“This means barracks, sufficient food and wages paid in full and on time. Military families need shelter and protection as well… Donor partners must dig deeper to help the Congo deal with this crisis and fund the reforms that can help the army gain the confidence of the people.”
Mr. Doss told the Council that he welcomed this week’s announcement by the FARDC of a zero tolerance policy towards the perpetrators of criminal acts within its ranks.
He also called for more determined action against FDLR leaders in exile, who have been able to operate from abroad and maintain contacts with their commanders on the ground.
Later, in a press statement, the Council expressed grave concern about the ongoing human rights violations against civilians, particularly the widespread sexual violence and the recruitment and use of child soldiers by rebels groups and some elements of the FARDC.
Council members also encouraged MONUC to continue to monitor the performance and conduct of the army units involved in joint operations against armed groups.  Email this story to a friend
Comments on this story
eastern star
07-11-09, 03:59 AM |
Vicious reprisals accompanying disbanding armed groups in Congo
when fdlr leaders are going to be indicted for genocide n DRC ?
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waltky
04-13-10, 07:12 PM |
Red Cross aid workers seized...
:mad:
DR Congo rebels seize aid workers
Tuesday, 13 April 2010 - Eight Red Cross workers have been kidnapped in eastern DR Congo by rebels, the aid group says.
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The team, seven Congolese and one Swiss national, was seized by rebels on Friday in South Kivu as they returned from a trip to help displaced people. A Red Cross source told the BBC contact has been made with the pro-government Mai Mai Yakutumba militia holding them. UN peacekeepers, who operate across the lawless eastern region, have also been asked to help.
There has been instability and violent conflict in eastern DR Congo for almost two decades and the International Committee of the Red Cross is one of the few aid organisations working there. Six ICRC delegates were murdered in 2002, towards the end of a five-year war which drew in six other countries.
Targeted?
The ICRC said their staff were being held in the vicinity of Fizi town in South Kivu where violent clashes had displaced thousands of civilians in recent months. “We continue to insist that the strictly neutral, impartial and humanitarian nature of our work be recognised, and that our colleagues be able to return to their loved ones soon," Franz Rauchenstein, head of the ICRC’s Congolese delegation, said in a statement.
More [url:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/africa/8617160.stm[/url]
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waltky
08-19-10, 12:03 AM |
What a bunch of savages!...
:mad:
Three Peacekeepers Hacked To Death In Congo
Aug 19, 2010, Three Indian soldiers, part of the UN peace-keeping force in Congo, were killed and seven seriously injured when a militia outfit armed with spears, machetes and other weapons attacked their post at Kirumba camp in North Kivu province of the central African nation in the early hours of Wednesday.
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Over 130 Indian soldiers have been killed in UN missions around the globe since India’s commitment to peace-keeping began in Korea in 1950. Though India currently has 7,307 soldiers deployed in different UN missions, the contingent in war-ravaged Congo is by far the largest with 4,248 personnel and 19 IAF helicopters. This is not the first time that Indian peacekeepers have been killed in Congo, which is still enmeshed in a raging conflict between government and rebels forces, since their deployment there from 1999 onwards.
For instance, an Indian soldier was shot dead on May 24 by armed men who had attacked Congolese government troops in the region. Then, in 2005, a junior commissioned officer and a soldier were killed and another six injured in two separate attacks. The latest incident took place at around 2 am on Wednesday when the “company operating base” of 19 Kumaon Regiment at Kirumba, which usually houses around 130 soldiers, came under attack from “Mai Mai rebels”.
While five rebels distracted the guards on duty by asking them for assistance, around 50-60 of them attacked the periphery of the post from the surrounding jungle. “The attack lasted for just a short while before the rebels escaped into the forest, taking advantage of the darkness. The injured soldiers have been hospitalized in the provincial capital of Goma," said an officer.
The Army said the “motive” behind the attack was still not clear, though some reports held the rebels fled after snatching some weapons from the soldiers.
Read more: 3 Indian peacekeepers killed in Congo - India - The Times of India [url:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/3-Indian-peacekeepers-killed-in-Congo/articleshow/6332206.cms#ixzz0x1N6Z1ya[/url]
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