French version will be made available on www.ohchr.org
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al
Hussein tells the UN Human Rights Council of new, harrowing reports of
killings, mutilation - including of children as young as two - in Kasai, Kasai
Central and Kasai Oriental regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He
urges the Council to establish an independent international investigation into
the widespread human rights violations and abuses in the Kasais.
Geneva, 20 June 2017
Excellencies,
Just three months ago, my Office reported to this Council
serious concerns about the human rights violations and abuses committed by the
Congolese army and police, and the Kamuina Nsapu militia, in Kasai, Kasai
Central and Kasai Oriental. Subsequently, when the two UN experts were killed,
the Minister for Human Rights of the Democratic Republic of the Congo called
for a joint investigation to bring the perpetrators of human rights violations
and abuses to justice.
Since then the humanitarian and human rights situation
has deteriorated dramatically and various actors are fuelling ethnic hatred,
resulting in extremely grave, widespread and apparently planned attacks against
the civilian population in the Kasais. Last week, given the gravity of the
allegations received and restricted access to parts of the greater Kasai area,
and in line with my statement to this Council on 6 June, I deployed a team of
OHCHR investigators to interview recent refugees from the Kasais.
Their reports are harrowing, and indicate the situation
in the Kasais has not only escalated but has also become much more complex.
I am appalled by the creation and arming of a militia,
the Bana Mura – allegedly to support the authorities in fighting the Kamuina
Nsapu, but which has carried out horrific attacks against civilians from the
Luba and Lulua ethnic groups. Refugees from multiple villages in the Kamonya
territory indicated that the Bana Mura have in the past two months shot dead,
hacked or burned to death, and mutilated, hundreds of villagers, as well as
destroying entire villages. My team saw children as young as two whose limbs
had been chopped off; many babies had machete wounds and severe burns. One
two-month-old baby seen by my team had been hit by two bullets four hours after
birth; the mother was also wounded. At least two pregnant women were sliced
open and their foetuses mutilated.
In the village of Cinq, dozens of men, women and children
of the Luba and Lulua communities were reportedly killed with firearms or
machetes, or burnt to death, on 24 April. Hundreds of assailants also allegedly attacked the main
health centre in the village and killed some 90 patients, medical personnel and
others. The Bana Mura militia in Cinq was reportedly organised by a well-known
local leader, who provided machetes, hunting rifles and fuel. Similar attacks
appear to have occurred in more than 20 villages in Kamonya over the past two
months, and numerous victims and witnesses said the militia is organised and
armed by local authorities.
Victims also reported that members of local units of the
Congolese army and police, as well as some traditional chiefs, have accompanied
some Bana Mura attacks, and said some State agents are involved in arming and
directing the militia.
Excellencies,
Serious human rights violations by members of the
security forces themselves -- including summary executions and rape – have been
reported during several operations against villages allegedly controlled by the
Kamuina Nsapu militia.
In recent months my Office has reported serious abuses
committed by the Kamuina Nsapu militia. This has been further documented by my
staff and other very credible sources. In several villages in Kamonya, Kamuina
Nsapu has allegedly carried out targeted killings, including members of the
armed forces, police, public officials and civilians perceived to cooperate
with them, as well as alleged sorcerers. Witnesses indicated that the Kamuina
Nsapu militia comprises many children, some as young as seven, many of them
under the influence of drugs.
Some 1.3 million internally displaced people have fled this
landscape of horror. I condemn, unreservedly, the multiple violations they have
experienced, and deplore the lack of international attention to their
situation. Over 30,000 refugees have been registered in Angola, and hundreds of
refugees are currently arriving every week, indicating that atrocities have not
abated. I take this opportunity to thank the authorities for their assistance,
in particular, Angolan doctors and nurses who have worked many long hours to
save gravely injured people from death.
Forty-two mass graves have been documented by the Joint
Human Rights Office in the Kasais. There may be more. Several refugees have
told my staff they were forced to bury victims in additional mass graves. We
believe these grave sites were being investigated by the UN experts killed in
March 2017. Their killings must also be fully investigated, and I remain in
close touch with their families.
Excellencies,
It is the duty of the Congolese authorities, army and
police to protect the people, to act in accordance with human rights principles
and to bring perpetrators of human rights violations and abuses to justice.
Accountability for these shocking incidents must be assured. I regret that to
date the Congolese Government has not fulfilled these obligations of protection
and accountability. Although my Office has shared information and offered
support to investigations in line with the Government’s call for a joint
investigation, the authorities then sought to limit the UN and AU to a
supporting role. As a result, progress has clearly been insufficient in view of
the massive scale and horrific nature of the crimes that have taken place and,
sadly, continue.
In other parts of the country, there has been some
progress towards bringing a number of perpetrators to account. However, that
political will has not been manifest in the Kasais. Moreover, not one person
has been held accountable for the killings of dozens of people during
demonstrations in Kinshasa and across the country last September and December.
The DRC cannot be permitted to become a free-fire zone, where members of the
security forces, armed groups and militias can kill with impunity. May I recall
that last year, of more than 5,190 human rights violations and abuses recorded,
64% were committed by the Congolese army and police. Several FARDC officers
active in the Kasais were suspected of involvement in previous massacres
committed in eastern DRC from 1998 to 2013.
I urge this Council to deploy an independent
international investigation on the human rights situation in the Kasais, in
cooperation with the authorities, my Office and other parts of the UN system. I
will also remain in touch with the International Criminal Court. This
international investigation can establish the facts and determine individual responsibilities.
This will also send a strong signal about the need to
uphold human rights in the rest of the country, where lack of progress in
implementing the 31 December Agreement, and continued restrictions on political
rights and freedoms, are generating frustration and deepening grievances. By
bringing justice to the Kasais we may be able to prevent further crimes
elsewhere in the DRC.
I take this occasion to repeat the full availability of
my Office to assist the Government and my utmost support to the people of the
DRC, especially victims of human rights violations and abuses.
Thank you.
ENDS
The High Commissioner delivered this statement at an
Interactive dialogue on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 35th session of
the Human Rights Council in Geneva. Audio recordings and video footage of the
speech are available upon request.
For more information and media requests, please contact
Rupert Colville (+41 22 917 9767 / rcolville@ohchr.org) or Ravina Shamdasani
(+41 22 917 9169 / rshamdasani@ohchr.org) or Liz Throssell (+41 22 917 9466 /
ethrossell@ohchr.org)
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