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Army-backed militias, collectively known as the “Wazalendo,” committed widespread human rights abuses against civilians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), according to Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Friday.
HRW accused the Congolese military (FARDC) of collaborating with the militias in the South Kivu province and urged Congolese authorities to sever ties with the coalition. HRW said that the government’s backing of the Wazalendo, including the provision of weapons and the failure to prevent attacks on civilians, could amount to war crimes. The rights group further called on authorities to investigate and prosecute ethnically motivated harassment and violence to prevent further violations.
HRW Senior Africa Researcher Clémentine de Montjoye stated: “The Congolese army risks being complicit in abuses by supporting the Wazalendo militias… Congolese authorities should end their support of and disarm the Wazalendo coalition and impartially investigate and prosecute all those responsible for abuses.”
The alleged offenses occurred primarily in the Fizi and Mwenga territories, where HRW documented cases of unlawful killings, lootings, and beatings of civilians, increasingly on an ethnic basis. In several instances, victims were accused of collaborating with M23 rebels, particularly those of the ethnic minority Banyamulenge, plural for Munyamulenge, who are majority South Kivu-based Congolese Tutsis.
According to HRW, Wazalendo fighters shot and killed a 25-year-old Munyamulenge man for allegedly being Rwandan in February. The rights group also noted that the Wazalendo attacked multiple Banyamulenge villages in Bibokoboko, South Kivu, to reportedly “clean out” the Banyamulenge in March, killing seven people and destroying homes, health centers, and schools.
The government and the Wazalendo formed a temporary ceasefire agreement in April, but violence has continued throughout the eastern region of the country. Armed groups continue to compete for control over the mineral-rich region, contributing to a dire humanitarian crisis. The population has experienced severe food shortages, and approximately 6 million people have been internally displaced. Rights groups have expressed significant concern over the human rights situation in the country, including sexual violence, kidnapping, and torture.
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HRW accused the Congolese military (FARDC) of collaborating with the militias in the South Kivu province and urged Congolese authorities to sever ties with the coalition. HRW said that the government’s backing of the Wazalendo, including the provision of weapons and the failure to prevent attacks on civilians, could amount to war crimes. The rights group further called on authorities to investigate and prosecute ethnically motivated harassment and violence to prevent further violations.
HRW Senior Africa Researcher Clémentine de Montjoye stated: “The Congolese army risks being complicit in abuses by supporting the Wazalendo militias… Congolese authorities should end their support of and disarm the Wazalendo coalition and impartially investigate and prosecute all those responsible for abuses.”
The alleged offenses occurred primarily in the Fizi and Mwenga territories, where HRW documented cases of unlawful killings, lootings, and beatings of civilians, increasingly on an ethnic basis. In several instances, victims were accused of collaborating with M23 rebels, particularly those of the ethnic minority Banyamulenge, plural for Munyamulenge, who are majority South Kivu-based Congolese Tutsis.
According to HRW, Wazalendo fighters shot and killed a 25-year-old Munyamulenge man for allegedly being Rwandan in February. The rights group also noted that the Wazalendo attacked multiple Banyamulenge villages in Bibokoboko, South Kivu, to reportedly “clean out” the Banyamulenge in March, killing seven people and destroying homes, health centers, and schools.
The government and the Wazalendo formed a temporary ceasefire agreement in April, but violence has continued throughout the eastern region of the country. Armed groups continue to compete for control over the mineral-rich region, contributing to a dire humanitarian crisis. The population has experienced severe food shortages, and approximately 6 million people have been internally displaced. Rights groups have expressed significant concern over the human rights situation in the country, including sexual violence, kidnapping, and torture.
The post DRC urged to cease support of army-backed militias in South Kivu appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.