Probe bloodshed in DRC, UN hears

VIOLENCE LEAVES MILLION HOMELESS

International and local rights groups called on the United Nations (UN) yesterday to open an urgent inquiry into the monthslong violence that has swept central Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), leaving over a million homeless.

“The UN Human Rights Council (HRC) should establish a commission of inquiry into the situation in the central Kasai region,” said a coalition of 262 Congolese and nine international NGOs, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.

The central Kasai region has seen a major spike in violence since September when government forces killed a tribal chief and militia leader called Kamwina Nsapu, who had rebelled against President Joseph Kabila.

The unrest has claimed more than 400 lives and forced more than 1.2 million people from their homes, UN figures show. Unconfirmed local figures put the number of dead as high as 3 000.

The UN has also reported finding 40 mass graves. Two of its researchers investigating the violence were abducted and killed.

“The violence in the Kasai region has caused immense suffering, with Congolese authorities unable or unwilling to stop the carnage or hold those responsible for the abuses to account,” said Ida Sawyer, Central Africa director at Human Rights Watch.

“An independent, international investigation is needed to document the abuses, identify those responsible, and help ensure justice for the victims.”

The NGOs’ call came just days ahead of an HRC meeting in Geneva that begins on Tuesday.

The UN children’s fund has warned that the violence has put nearly 400 000 children at risk of dying of hunger in Kasai due to disrupted food supplies. – AFP