KINSHASA/GENEVA (14 November 2012) – A UN investigation into the
human rights situation in southern Masisi in the North Kivu province of
the Democratic Republic of the Congo has revealed that at least 264
civilians, including 83 children, were arbitrarily executed by armed
groups in more than 75 attacks on villages between April and September
this year.
The
report
published on Wednesday details the result of six investigative missions
and more than 160 interviews with victims and witnesses by the UN Joint
Human Rights Office in the DRC (UNJHRO). Investigators found that the
victims were often those least able to flee the attacks, largely
children and the elderly. Due to security constraints, the investigators
were not in a position to confirm many more human rights violations
that were reported to them, meaning the actual number of victims could
be considerably higher. The figures noted in the report reflect cases
documented in only some parts of Masisi over a relatively limited period
of time and are thus far from presenting a comprehensive overview of
the human rights situation throughout Eastern DRC.
Investigators
found that the Raia Mutomboki armed group, with allied Mayi Mayi
groups, was responsible for most of the killings, which were often
perpetrated with extreme violence. Many victims were hacked to death
with machetes while others were burnt alive in their homes. The opposing
Nyatura group was found to be responsible for other human rights
violations, including killings, sometimes carried out in collaboration
with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). The
civilians killed by the Raia Mutomboki group were mostly ethnic Hutu,
while those killed by the Nyatura were mainly of Tembo ethnicity.
Other
human rights violations outlined in the report include mass forced
displacement and large-scale looting and destruction of private
property. Investigators also confirmed four cases of sexual violence
involving the rape of 12 women.
“The systematic human rights
violations committed by these armed groups, including the slaughter of
so many children, are the most serious we have seen in recent times in
the DRC,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, said. “The
Congolese authorities must take immediate measures to protect civilian
populations and to combat the persistent impunity which only serves to
embolden the killers.”
“The UN is ready to offer support to the
recently opened Congolese judicial investigation which must lead to the
prosecution of those responsible for these acts and ensure justice for
the victims,” she added.
The ethnic dimension of the attacks is
of particular concern in eastern DRC where tensions over the past 15
years, while fundamentally rooted in competition over land and natural
resources have resulted in cycles of violence committed along ethnic
lines. Both Raia Mutomboki and Nyatura have launched targeted and
systematic attacks against civilians, often based on the real or
presumed ethnicity of the victims, for supposed political or economic
gain.
In April 2012, army desertions and the subsequent creation
of the M23 armed group led the Congolese army to focus on efforts to
contain this new rebellion. Important progress in tracking down the FDLR
made early in 2012 by the Congolese army has been reversed since their
redeployment to M23-threatened areas. Many armed groups have taken
advantage of the security vacuum left by the redeployment of army units
to expand their own areas of influence, often carrying out violent
attacks against civilians and exacerbating interethnic tension, already
heightened by the M23.
In response, the Congolese army has
deployed - with MONUSCO support - several units to the affected areas
over the period July - September 2012 and the North Kivu provincial
government has promoted initiatives to favor dialogue and ethnic
reconciliation. MONUSCO also sent several protection teams to Southern
Masisi in order to evaluate the needs of the population and recommend
action which has included the deployment of temporary military bases in
Remeka, Katoyi and Ngungu, and 15 helicopter-supported foot patrols in
the most volatile areas.
“The UN Stabilization Mission in Congo
has observed a significant increase in human rights violations across
the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu in 2012 due in large part to
the activities of armed groups, including the FDLR who remain amongst
the perpetrators of the most serious human rights violations in the
region, in addition to the M23, Nyatura and Raia Mutomboki,” said
Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG), Roger Meece.
“The risk of intensification of this ethnically charged conflict is
real, and gives rise to serious concerns for peace and for the security
of civilians in the region.”
Recommendations made in the report
include a call for Congolese security forces to urgently take additional
measures, with the support of the international community, to restore
security in southern Masisi and to ensure the protection of civilians.
Congolese authorities are also urged to take into account the human
rights violations detailed in this report and to implement a systematic
verification of the human rights records of individuals and their
commanders during any future integration of armed groups into the
national army.
United Nations Press release
