UN Report Announces Acts of Genocide in Democratic Republic of Congo

If you missed my post earlier in the week detailing the absolutely horrendous humanitarian disaster in the Eastern half of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) catch up here, Hell in Congo. Today's post deals with the recent leak of a UN report which states that in the 1990's during the period known as the African World War Congolese and Rwandan rebels committed what could be classified genocide.

In 1994, after the quashing of the Rwandan Genocide of 800,000 Tutsi's remaining forces were then moved West into the Congo then known as Zaire, where they went to hunt down Hutu forces who had fled into the notion after the genocide .Rwandan Tutsi forces then kept the Congolese ADFL rebels in power led by Laurent Kabila. Bothe groups have been accused of shocking human rights abuses in the nations.

Kigali (the Rwandan capital) has threatened to withdraw peacekeeping troops in Sudan over the allegations according to France's Le Monde newspaper.  However, it is not simply Rwanda that is targeted in the draft report. 600 serious offences are detailed, carried out by a number of nations although its neighbour to the West is clearly responsible for a number of atrocities.

There is a debate whether the allegations of genocide should be included in the final report as there are fears among Congolese and Rwandan diplomats that such a move would unsettle the regime of Paul Kagame who has only recently himself been re-elected and faced unprecedented backlash with the Tutsi elite. Whatever the ruling of the UN I hope that in some way the Congolese people are given the retribution they deserve for decades of the most brutal hardship and oppression.