UN News Service (New York)

Congo-Kinshasa: UN Envoy Hears of Revenge Attacks By Hutu Militia on Locals

23 April 2009

A recent deadly attack by Hutu rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has left five children dead and hundreds of homes burned to the ground, village leaders told the head of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the DRC (MONUC) today.

The Secretary-General's Special Representative Alan Doss was told that seven people were killed and 255 houses torched in Luofu, a locality of North Kivu province, by the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), which has been operating in eastern DRC since the 1994 genocide of Tutsis and moderate Hutus in Rwanda.

While visiting Luofu, the official met with several chiefs to voice their security concerns resulting from the retaliation exacted on them by the FDLR, the target of a joint military operation conducted by DRC troops and Rwandan forces since January aimed at driving the rebel militia out of the area.

Mr. Doss assured the people of Luofu and the other localities that he will convey their message to the relevant Government officials and reiterated MONUC's resolve to contribute to the restoration of peace to the region.

The temporary base of MONUC's Indian contingent in the region will remain in place and be reinforced to protect the local population, stressed Mr. Doss.

Tagged: Arms and Armies, Central Africa, Conflict, Conflict, Congo-Kinshasa, East Africa, External Relations, International Organisations, Peacekeeping, Rwanda

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Comments 1 to 2 of 2 Post a comment

  • gishol
    Apr 24 2009, 11:50
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    HOW DID PEOPLE KNOW FOR CERTAIN THAT THE ATTACK IS BY HUTU REBELS? ATTACK COULD BE BY RWANDAN TROOPS.

  • Jean Marie Thibault, Belgium
    Apr 24 2009, 12:39
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    I think this should convice the International Community that the InterRwandan dialogue is needed: The so-called RDF and FARDC joint operations were meant to uproot by force the FDLR from the East of Congo. It was proven that both RDF and FARDC joint operations failed to reach ttheir objectives. You can see that they are now thousands of refugees in the East. I am conviced that FDLR and government of Rwanda problem will never be solved militarily, otherwize it will remain a bloodshedding game only without any positive results!! Rwandans were fed up with seeing human blood; since 1990, 1994,1996,1997,1998,2001,2003,.....untill now!!!!!

    People should now sit at the same table and discuss their substantial divergence of political opinions; and that is what democratie is. The government of Rwanda should stop calling Genocidaires all of their opponents.