Inter Press Service (Johannesburg)
2 July 2009
United Nations-backed Congolese armed forces conducting intensified military operations in eastern and northern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have failed to protect civilians from brutal rebel retaliatory attacks and instead are themselves attacking and raping Congolese civilians, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Thursday.
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It is a surprise that DRC Diamonds are still not labelled as blood diamonds, or even conflict diamonds.With all the conflicts and well documented evidence of crimes against innocent civilians, by rebel groups back by Rwanda and Uganda, minerials are still being exported without restrictions or sanctions, unlike Zimbabwe, were its accusation are being made, and the HRW have already made it known that Zimbabwean diamonds should be banned from the market. The Zimbabwean Military was sent into the area to stop illegal mining, and its like the HRW want the illegal mining to continue as long as the money does not get into the main government coffers its okay. Secondly why the concern of the Zimbabwean security using the military to stop any unknown crimes which could move into this area and start a civil war using diamonds to maintain the war. Who benefit from the sell of illegal diamonds, not Africans, why so much concern about stopping Zimbabwe from recovering?