PRESS BRIEFING BY SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON HUMAN RIGHTS, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
Press Briefing
PRESS BRIEFING BY SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON HUMAN RIGHTS, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
19991105At a Headquarters press briefing this morning, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Roberto Garreton, said that during the month of April, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNHCR) had renewed the mandate of the old joint mission to check the allegations of massacres undertaken by the rebel forces in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Government of Mr. Kabila had banned the mission's enquiries. But the mission would be carrying out its task again as soon as it was safe to do so. For the moment, that was not possible, since the territory where the massacres had taken place was still in a state of war despite the cease-fire. But the war was not over, and it was not safe to send a mission there. It was important at this juncture, he had, to say that the United Nations had not forgotten the victims of the so-called war of liberation of 1994-1997.
He said that the cease-fire, achieved after many tortuous discussions between the various parties and countries concerned, was the result of African efforts, for it was mainly African countries such as Zambia, The Republic of South Africa, and Libya as well, that had thrown enormous effort into establishing a cease-fire. However, the cease-fire was a very fragile thing; it would appear that there were countries and groups on the lookout for an excuse to break it.
As far as human rights were concerned, things were much worse in terms of the frequency of acts of aggression. What is going on in the East of the country?, he asked. The Security Council had apparently decided it was going to talk in terms of the armies of countries which had not been invited, since some countries had been invited to send their troops in -- such as Zimbabwe, Namibia, Angola -- while others had not been so invited -- including Burundi, Uganda and Rwanda. Even more serious, Uganda and Rwanda had started fighting each other.
Mr. Garreton also stressed the lack of democracy in the region. In the West of the country there was not even a sign of emerging democracy. There was one party movement called The Congolese Rally for Democracy. In the East, there were de facto parties. That was because Democratic Republic of the Congo President Laurent Kabila passed a law last January decreeing that the parties must be re-established. They were to be set up under a new legal provision stipulating that the Minister of the Interior had the power simply to refuse to accept a new party even after it had been re-established. The Lusaka peace agreements did have provisions for political parties, including opposition parties, and Mr. Kabila had signed it. Mr. Garreton said he had asked him which political parties would be there at the negotiating table, the so-called Inter-Congo Dialogue. Mr. Kabila replied that they would be the political parties set up under the law, all those who had re-established themselves under the new law.
As for the situation for human rights activities, it was very serious, he said, and they ran huge risks. Their liberty, their freedom and their lives were at risk.
A correspondent asked about the role that the United Nations might play at this moment. Referring to the victims of the war of 1996-1997, who had been massacred by Alliance des Forces Démogratiques de Libération (AFDL) troops, he said that investigations into those facts had not yet taken place. It was necessary to confirm that the atrocities had occurred and that the responsible could be tried. The AFDL had a Rwandan component and a Congolese component. When Kabila first arrived in Kinshasa, the AFDL had taken power with Kabila at its head. A year later the two had separated. At the moment,
Garreton Press Briefing - 2 - 5 November 1999
Mr. Kabila admitted that the massacres had been committed. Mr. Kabila also agreed to cooperate with the joint mission. Mr. Garreton emphasized that there were new scientific methods that made it possible to establish what had happened even after much time had passed. He expected cooperation in carrying out those investigations and successfully establishing the identity of the perpetrators.
Asked about a possible deployment of United Nations peacekeepers, Mr. Garreton said that only a few days ago Mr. Kabila sent a letter to the Secretary-General offering guarantees of security for the military observers who would be sent to the region. However, there were difficulties in the part of the country which was occupied by the rebels. It would be difficult to guarantee security there. The United Nations was morally committed to send troops, he said.
Asked about the possibility of finding evidence of other massacres committed by other nations in more recent fighting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and about where Mr. Kabila stood, Mr. Garreton answered that such investigations would be part of his mandate. As far as Mr. Kabila was concerned, he said that he had the duty to believe him. Mr. Kabila had said he was prepared to cooperate. However, any lack of cooperation would be reported -- while, on the contrary, his collaboration would be welcomed.
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