HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSIONER CONCERNED AT KILLINGS IN CONGO-KINSHASA’S ITURI,

SAYS STRONGER RIGHTS PRESENCE MAY BE NECESSARY

(Reissued as received.)

GENEVA, 14 May (UN Information Service) -- United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Sergio Vieira de Mello today expressed his grave concern at the latest reports of indiscriminate killings in Bunia, in the Ituri region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and in particular at reports that civilians are again being killed because of their ethnicity.

In anticipation of a clear Security Council mandate, the High Commissioner urged all States with the necessary military capacity to heed the Secretary-General's request for troops and materiel to help bring peace to the region.  The High Commissioner welcomed France's quick response to the emergency in Ituri, in support of the Uruguayan contingent of 700 troops already in Bunia. 

A joint effort by the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has just completed its report on the massacres that took place only last month north-east of Bunia, in the Drodro area of the Ituri region.  The document is to be submitted to the Security Council shortly.

The Ituri Peace Commission is already working in the Ituri region to find a peaceful solution to the conflict within the context of the Luanda agreement between the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.  The High Commissioner calls on all parties to immediately cease using violence and to cooperate with the United Nations in building peace in Ituri.  The High Commissioner also pledges his complete support to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in investigating these events -- and he warns the authors of crimes in the region that there will be no impunity.

Mr. Vieira de Mello also said that a stronger human rights presence may be necessary to monitor the situation closely, especially with respect to the conditions of the most vulnerable groups, namely, displaced women, children and the elderly.

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