At least 50 civilians killed in DRCongo last week: HRWAt least 50 civilians, far more than previously thought, were killed during a battle last week in the east of Democratic Republic of Congo, Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday. Citing local sources and civilians who had fled Kiwanja in Nord-Kivu province Nord-Kivu (also North Kivu) is a province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Its provincial capital is Goma. It borders Ituri to the north-west, Maniema to the west, and Sud-Kivu to the south. To the east it borders Uganda and Rwanda. , the group said it had revised its death toll up from the figure of 20 it initially reported last Thursday -- and warned the figure could still rise. The New York-based group also called on the United Nations to urgently increase the number of peacekeeping troops in the region. Most of those killed had died at the hands of the National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP CNDP Centre National de Documentation Pédagogique (French: National Centre for Educational Documentation) CNDP Computer Network Defense Policy ) rebels, led by renegade Tutsi general Laurent Nkunda Laurent Nkunda alias Laurent Nkundabatware or Laurent Nkunda Batware (born February 2, 1967) is a former General in the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and is the current leader of a rebel faction operating in the province of Nord-Kivu, , "in reprisal reprisal, in international law, the forcible taking, in time of peace, by one country of the property or territory belonging to another country or to the citizens of the other country, to be held as a pledge or as redress in order to satisfy a claim. against those deemed to be enemy collaborators," it said. "Human Rights Watch continues to receive reports of bodies found in locations in and around Kiwanja, indicating that the final death toll may even be higher," it added. On Sunday, the head of the UN mission in Congo, Alan Doss, said war crimes had been committed in the area of Kiwanja where, citing witnesses, he put the civilian death toll at 26. Kiwanja, 80 kilometres (50 miles) north of the Nord-Kivu provincial capital Noun 1. provincial capital - the capital city of a province capital - a seat of government city, metropolis, urban center - a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts; "Ancient Troy was a great city" Goma, has been under rebel control for about two weeks, and was the focus last week of fighting with pro-government Mai Mai militia. Human Rights Watch urged the UN Security Council to act on an October 30 appeal from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Ban Ki-Moon (bän kē-m  n), 1944–, South Korean diplomat, secretary-general of the United Nations (2007–), b. Chungju, grad. Seoul National Univ. (B.S. to "urgently increase the number of peacekeepers" to protect civilians in the east of Congo.
"The calls from the secretary-general and the cries of distress from the Congolese people should not continue to fall on deaf ears... Civilians need protection now from the killing and raping," it said. 
|
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion