This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/africa/7747271.stm

The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 6 Version 7
UN head outlines DR Congo 'abuse' UN head outlines DR Congo 'abuse'
(about 1 hour later)
All sides in eastern DR Congo have committed serious human rights abuses, the UN secretary general has said.All sides in eastern DR Congo have committed serious human rights abuses, the UN secretary general has said.
Ban Ki-moon said both government forces and rebels loyal to Gen Laurent Nkunda had carried out arbitrary executions, mass killings, rape and torture.Ban Ki-moon said both government forces and rebels loyal to Gen Laurent Nkunda had carried out arbitrary executions, mass killings, rape and torture.
The report covers July to November, when the most recent fighting flared.The report covers July to November, when the most recent fighting flared.
In a separate report, a rights group has accused the government of using violence to eliminate political opponents following polls in 2006.In a separate report, a rights group has accused the government of using violence to eliminate political opponents following polls in 2006.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Congolese security forces had deliberately killed more than 500 people in a campaign against opposition groups in the capital, Kinshasa, and the western province of Bas Congo. Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Congolese security forces had deliberately killed more than 500 people in a campaign against opposition groups.
Opposition groups had also used violence, HRW said.
Intelligence services accusedIntelligence services accused
In his 28-page report for the UN Security Council, Mr Ban says the human rights situation in DR Congo is a "cause for grave concern". In his 28-page report for the UN Security Council, Mr Ban said the human rights situation in DR Congo was a "cause for grave concern". FORCES AROUND GOMA CNDP: Gen Nkunda's Tutsi rebels - 6,000 fightersFDLR: Rwandan Hutus - 6-7,000Mai Mai: pro-government militia - 3,500Monuc: UN peacekeepers - 6,000 in North Kivu, including about 1,000 in Goma (17,000 nationwide)DRC army - 90,000 (nationwide) Source: UN, military experts class="" href="/1/hi/world/africa/7724088.stm">Congolese children forced to fight class="" href="/1/hi/world/africa/3075537.stm">Q&A: DR Congo conflict
FORCES AROUND GOMA CNDP: Gen Nkunda's Tutsi rebels - 6,000 fightersFDLR: Rwandan Hutus - 6-7,000Mai Mai: pro-government militia - 3,500Monuc: UN peacekeepers - 6,000 in North Kivu, including about 1,000 in Goma (17,000 nationwide)DRC army - 90,000 (nationwide) Source: UN, military experts class="" href="/1/hi/world/africa/7724088.stm">Congolese children forced to fight class="" href="/1/hi/world/africa/3075537.stm">Q&A: DR Congo conflict Elements of the Congolese army and national police "were responsible for a large number of serious human rights violations during the reporting period, namely arbitrary executions, rape, torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment", he said.
He states that elements of the Congolese army and national police "were responsible for a large number of serious human rights violations during the reporting period, namely arbitrary executions, rape, torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment". Rebels, including Gen Nkunda's Tutsi CNDP and the Rwandan Hutu FDLR militia - some of whose fighters are believed to have taken part in the 1994 Rwandan genocide - were meanwhile accused of perpetrating "serious human rights abuses with impunity".
Rebels, including Gen Nkunda's Tutsi CNDP and the Rwandan Hutu FDLR militia - some of whose fighters are believed to have taken part in the 1994 Rwandan genocide - are meanwhile accused of perpetrating "serious human rights abuses with impunity". These included "mass killings, torture, abductions, forced recruitment of children, forced displacement and destruction of [refugee] camps, force labour, sexual violence", the report added.
These include "mass killings, torture, abductions, forced recruitment of children, forced displacement and destruction of [refugee] camps, force labour, sexual violence", the report adds. The Congolese national civilian and military intelligence services were also accused of making arbitrary arrests, followed by "torture and extortion". name="text"> class="bodl" href="#infographic">See detailed map of the area
The Congolese national civilian and military intelligence services are also accused of making arbitrary arrests, followed by "torture and extortion". Last week, the Security Council approved an additional 3,000 soldiers and police for the UN peacekeeping mission in DR Congo in an effort to prevent the conflict in the east escalating.
Mr Ban adds that government officers and politicians threatened and detained journalists and human rights campaigners. The recent violence has triggered a humanitarian crisis, forcing an estimated 250,000 people to flee their homes. Aid agencies have struggled to assist those most affected by the violence.
name="text"> class="bodl" href="#infographic">See detailed map of the area On Monday, a UK-based aid group said it had been able to get medical supplies to the towns of Kanyabayonga and Kirumba for the first time since they were captured by rebels 10 days ago.
Last week, the Security Council approved an additional 3,000 soldiers and police for the UN peacekeeping mission in DR Congo in an effort to prevent the conflict in the country's east escalating.
The recent violence has triggered a humanitarian crisis, forcing an estimated 250,000 people to flee their homes.
On Monday, a UK-based aid group said it had been able to get medical supplies to eastern towns for the first time since they were captured by rebels 10 days ago.
AdvertisementAdvertisement
Aid is distributed in DR CongoAid is distributed in DR Congo
A spokeswoman for Merlin said a truckload of basic medication had gone to 20 clinics around Kanyabayonga and Kirumba. Mr Ban's special envoy, Olusegun Obasanjo, has urged Congolese President Joseph Kabila to talk with Gen Nkunda in order to prevent the situation from worsening.
Rebel demands Gen Nkunda had three demands, Mr Obasanjo said: direct talks with the government, protection of minorities and integration of his soldiers into military and administrative structures.
Meanwhile, Mr Ban's special envoy, Olusegun Obasanjo, has urged Congolese President Joseph Kabila to talk with Gen Nkunda in order to prevent the situation from worsening. 'Repression'
Gen Laurent Nkunda has criticised the deployment of extra UN troops Human Rights Watch, meanwhile, accused Mr Kabila's government of "brutal repression" following polls in July 2006 aimed at bringing democracy to the country after years of fighting.
Mr Obasanjo said Gen Nkunda had presented three main demands - direct talks with the government, protection of minorities, and the "integration of his soldiers with the national army, and integration of those responsible for administration in the areas he occupied with the administrative cadre of the government". Five hundred political opponents had been killed since then in the capital, Kinshasa, and the western province of Bas Congo, it said in its report, and another 1,000 had been detained.
"He will want some form of a guarantee to ensure that those from inside who are integrated are safe and secure. He also talked about good governance and a professional army, well-trained, well-equipped and well-disciplined," he added. Many of those held reported being tortured, the rights group said.
The former Nigerian president said he did not consider the demands "outrageous" and that Mr Kabila "did not say he will not talk" when they met recently. Efforts to build a democratic nation were being stifled not just by the fighting in the east of the country but "by the Kabila government's repression", Anneke Van Woudenberg, a senior researcher for HRW, said in a statement.
"The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is not averse to such a dialogue," he told reporters in New York.
Mr Obasanjo said his next round of talks in the country would focus on arranging a meeting between the government and Gen Nkunda.
Return to topReturn to top
Are you in Democratic Republic of Congo? Send us your comments on this story using the form below:Are you in Democratic Republic of Congo? Send us your comments on this story using the form below:
In most cases a selection of your comments will be published, displaying your name and location unless you state otherwise in the box below.In most cases a selection of your comments will be published, displaying your name and location unless you state otherwise in the box below.
Name
 Name