IN PRESIDENTIAL STATEMENT, SECURITY COUNCIL CONDEMNS MASSACRE IN BURUNDI OF REFUGEES FROM DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

IN PRESIDENTIAL STATEMENT, SECURITY COUNCIL CONDEMNS MASSACRE IN BURUNDI

OF REFUGEES FROM DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

The Security Council this evening condemned with “the utmost firmness” the massacre of refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which occurred in Gatumba, Burundi on 13 August.  [In that attack, more than 160 people were killed, and 101 others were wounded.]

In a statement read by Council President Andrey I. Denisov (Russian Federation), the Council requested the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Burundi, in close contact with the Secretary-General’s special Representative for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to establish the facts and report them to the Council as quickly as possible.  The Council called upon the authorities of Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to cooperate actively so that the perpetrators of the crimes would be brought to justice without delay.

[After a long-standing internal conflict between the largely Tutsi army and Hutu rebels, a Peace and Reconciliation Agreement was signed by most of the parties on 28 August 2000 in Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania.  On 1 November 2002, a power-sharing plan came into force that allows for a Hutu and Tutsi President to alternate at the helm of the country.  The Forces Nationales de Liberation (FNL) remains the only rebel group that has not yet joined the Arusha process.]

The meeting, which started at 6:33 p.m., was adjourned at 6:38 p.m.

Presidential Statement

The full text of presidential statement S/PRST/2004/30 reads, as follows:

“The Security Council condemns with the utmost firmness the massacre of refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo which occurred on the territory of Burundi, in Gatumba, on 13 August 2004.

“The Security Council requests the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Burundi, in close contact with the Special Representative of the Secretary General for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to establish the facts and report on them to the Council as quickly as possible.

“The Security Council calls upon the authorities of Burundi and of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to cooperate actively so that the perpetrators and those responsible for these crimes be brought to justice without delay.

“The Security Council calls upon all States in the region to ensure that the territorial integrity of their neighbours is respected. It recalls in this respect the Declaration on the principles of good neighbourly relations and cooperation adopted in New York on 25 September 2003.  It encourages them to redouble their efforts in order to provide security for the civilian populations on their territory, including for the foreigners to whom they grant refuge.

“The Security Council requests the United Nations Operation in Burundi and the United Nations Organisation’s Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to offer their assistance to the Burundian and Congolese authorities with a view to facilitating the investigation and to strengthening the security of vulnerable populations.”

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