Murder, Rape, Looting Continues Six Months After Goma Agreement
The killing and rape of civilians in the eastern province of North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo continues at a horrifying rate despite the signing of a peace accord six months ago, Human Rights Watch said today. The agreement was supposed to stop such attacks....
Rights Groups Say Court Denied the Accused Basic Rights in Maheshe Murder Trial
A group of international and Congolese human rights organizations are greatly concerned that international fair-trial standards have been violated in the trial and appeal of four men convicted in the murder of Congolese journalist Serge Maheshe....
Investigation Division Ignores Gold Smuggling and Arms Trading in Congo
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon should urgently address the failings of the investigating arm of the United Nations and ensure that UN peacekeepers responsible for abuses are held to account, Human Rights Watch said today....
International Court Unseals Arrest Warrant Against Bosco Ntaganda
Congolese officials and UN peacekeepers should take swift action to enforce the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant against a rebel leader accused of forcibly conscripting child soldiers and of other abuses, Human Rights Watch said today....
63 Leading NGOs Press for Urgent Implementation of Goma Peace Agreement
(London, April 23, 2008) – The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the armed groups, and international parties to the Goma peace agreement should urgently implement the accord and end the horrific suffering of hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children facing brutal violence and deadly diseases in eastern Congo, 63 international and Congolese human rights and aid groups said in a joint statement today....
Democratic Republic of Congo Needs More Expert Help, Not Less
The UN Human Rights Council’s failure to renew the mandate of the expert for the Democratic Republic of Congo is a betrayal of its responsibilities toward the Congolese people, Human Rights Watch said today....
ICC Should Investigate Senior Officials Linked to Local Warlords
(Brussels, February 7, 2008) – The International Criminal Court’s arrest of a third war crimes suspect in the Democratic Republic of Congo should encourage the court to pursue senior civilian and military officials in the Great Lakes region linked to international crimes committed there, Human Rights Watch said today.
Congolese authorities yesterday arrested Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui, former chief of staff of the Front for National Integration (FNI), an ethnic Lendu-based militia group that committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Ituri district of northeastern Congo. Ngudjolo was placed in ICC custody on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. He will arrive in The Hague later today. At the...
UN Peacekeepers Must Also Help Civilians at Risk in North Kivu
All sides to the renewed fighting in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo must protect civilians at risk, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch also called on United Nations peacekeepers in the area to strengthen their civilian protection efforts....
Army and UN Peacekeepers Must Protect Civilians at Risk in North Kivu
As Congolese politicians and diplomats scramble to avoid full-scale war in the eastern province of North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Human Rights Watch today issued a report documenting horrific murders, rape, and pillage by all parties to the conflict....
Following its investigation into alleged gold smuggling and arms trading by UN peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the United Nations should ensure accountability for those involved, Human Rights Watch said today. In a letter to Jean-Marie Guehenno, the under-secretary-general for UN peacekeeping operations, Human Rights Watch took issue with Guehenno’s comments that the matter is now “closed.”...
Presidential Candidates Must Act to Reduce Tensions Ahead of October 29 Vote
Presidential candidates in the Democratic Republic of Congo must act to reduce tensions and restrain their supporters from inciting violence ahead of the run-off election on October 29, Human Rights Watch said today. Hostile campaigning by rival candidates President Joseph Kabila and Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba has underscored ethnic divisions and increased violence in the run-up to the polls....
Soldiers Force Scores to Work for Them in Ituri’s Gold Mines and Fields
The Congolese armed forces must immediately end their practice of abducting civilians and using them for forced labor in the country’s northeastern Ituri district, Human Rights Watch said today. Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo must investigate and prosecute soldiers suspected of these crimes....
Civilians Killed and Injured in Battles Between Rival Army Factions
(Brussels, August 14, 2006) - The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo must immediately stop fighting between rival army factions and seek to ease ethnic tensions in the eastern province of North Kivu during the ongoing electoral process, Human Rights Watch said today. Those individuals responsible for the deaths and injuries to civilians as a result of the fighting must also be held to account....
Gunmen Target Candidates and Campaigners
Political violence threatens to undermine the historic elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo scheduled for July 30, Human Rights Watch said today. At least four people were killed and 13 others injured last week during electoral campaigning in eastern North Kivu province, and one national assembly candidate fled the country, fearing for his life....
Congolese Army and Mai Mai Commanders Should Be Charged with War Crimes
As the Democratic Republic of Congo prepares for elections, the government’s failure to take prompt and effective action against soldiers and others responsible for killing, raping and torturing civilians in Katanga could encourage further violence and insecurity in the southern province, Human Rights Watch said today....
Security Council Must Push Government to Protect Rights of Journalists, Civil Society
(New York, June 9, 2006) – When U.N. Security Council members visit the Democratic Republic of Congo on June 11 and 12, they should insist that the transitional government protect the rights of journalists and human rights defenders, who have increasingly come under attack ahead of the coming elections, Human Rights Watch said in a briefing paper released today....
Katangan Warlord 'Gédéon' Should Be Charged and Tried for War Crimes
(New York, May 18, 2006) – The Democratic Republic of Congo’s transitional government must bring to justice the recently surrendered Mai Mai warlord known as Gédéon, who is accused of war crimes in the southeastern province of Katanga, Human Rights Watch said today....
Children Increasingly Accused of Sorcery, Abused and Abandoned
As presidential elections approach, Congo’s tens of thousands of street children risk political manipulation and physical harm, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today....
Prosecutor Says First Accused Sent to Hague
The International Criminal Court (ICC) announced today that it has issued its first arrest warrant in its investigation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and that the suspect is in custody en route to The Hague. The news is a welcome first step toward ending impunity in Congo, but more is needed, Human Rights Watch said today....
Government must act on Parliamentary Commission’s Recommendations
The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo must act promptly on the recommendations of a Congolese parliamentary investigation that uncovered illegal natural resource exploitation and profiteering from armed conflict, said a leading group of international human rights, environmental and aid organizations today....
Military and U.N. Should Act to Protect Civilians
The transitional government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and U.N. peacekeeping troops must immediately arrest Laurent Nkunda, a former officer in the Congolese army who has been charged with war crimes and whose rebel forces have renewed military operations in eastern DRC, Human Rights Watch said today. Nkunda’s whereabouts have been well-known to the Congolese authorities and U.N. peacekeepers since the warrant for his arrest was issued in September 2005....