08 July 2003
Text: U.S. Denounces "Climate of Impunity" in Democratic Republic of Congo
(Ambassador Williamson's UNSC remarks) (2020)
Both the international community and the leaders of the factions
fighting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been faulted by
the United States for failing to take steps to stop the brutality
reported to be occurring during the conflict in that country.
U.S. Alternate Ambassador to the United Nations Richard Williamson
said in a U.N. Security Council meeting July 7 that "The international
community has been too slow and too timid to respond to grievous
crimes, and the leaders of the various fighting factions have failed
in their responsibilities to end the excessive brutality of their
forces" in the DRC.
Williamson criticized what he called "a climate of impunity" in the
DRC during a public Security Council meeting. The council heard
reports on the political and human rights situation in the DRC from
Undersecretary General for Peacekeeping Jean-Marie Guehenno and Acting
U.N. Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Bertrand Ramcharan in
which they stressed that real progress and lasting peace would take
hold in the country only when the perpetrators of the ongoing violence
and human rights abuses are brought to justice.
Citing a series of reports, Security Council meetings and council
denunciations of the DRC atrocities over the past five months --
including current reports of atrocities -- Williamson said, "Again our
conscience is aroused. Again we say there can be no culture of
impunity, yet these crimes against humanity continue and our words
ring hollow."
"The United States Government believes the transitional national
government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) must take
responsibility for ending the pervasive culture of impunity in that
bloody, brutalized land," the ambassador said. "The tragedies of the
past years must be addressed and as appropriate, we should assist the
DRC transitional national government to achieve these goals by helping
them to strengthen the nascent, inclusive, national government."
Williamson urged the U.N. mission in the DRC to help gather evidence
of crimes in order to assist in bringing the perpetrators to justice.
But he emphasized that "international action can go only so far in
addressing the human rights problems in Congo."
"The Congolese parties themselves must be sincere and active in
addressing them. We call on the Congolese to take meaningful steps,
beginning with expediting secure and unrestricted access by
investigators and MONUC (the United Nations Organization Mission in
the Democratic Republic of the Congo) staff to areas and witnesses of
suspected human rights abuses and violations of international
humanitarian law," he said.
Following is the transcript of the ambassador's remarks:
(begin text)
Statement by Ambassador Richard S. Williamson, United States Alternate
Representative for Special Political Affairs for the United States
Mission to the United Nations, on the Human Rights Situation in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Security Council, July 7, 2003.
Thank you, Mr. President. I wish to thank Deputy High Commissioner on
Human Rights Ramcharan and Under Secretary General Jean Marie Guehenno
for their briefings to the Security Council this morning on the
situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The bloody, violent conflict in the Congo is tragic. For over three
and a half years, there have been brutal killings, rape, pillage and
looting. Innocent people have died at the hands of combatants and from
disease, from malnutrition and from other consequences of war. Some
estimate the deaths due to this war at over three million people. Some
of the worst acts imaginable, including cannibalism, have been
committed.
Women and children, in particular, have been victimized by this
conflict. And for too many, there's been a climate of impunity, in
which these vicious acts have been perpetrated.
Frankly, the international community has been too slow and too timid
to respond to these grievous crimes, and the leaders of the various
fighting factions have failed in their responsibilities to end the
excessive brutality of their forces. Approximately one year ago, the
U.N. Security Council was briefed by then U.N. High Commissioner on
Human Rights Mary Robinson about the atrocities that took place in
Kisangani in May of 2002.
The report was thorough, detailed, and very useful. The members of the
Security Council quite properly were shocked and distressed by what we
were told. The abuse of life and of human rights was appalling; the
stories of beheading repulsive.
At that time, the Security Council thanked the High Commissioner on
Human Rights for her good work and strongly condemned the perpetrators
of the awful acts in Kisangani. At that time the Security Council
reiterated the critical principle that there could be no climate of
impunity, that these crimes must stop and those responsible must be
held accountable.
Given those events and the Security Council's actions, it is
disheartening and distressing that we have had to meet again and again
on atrocities and terrible human rights abuses in the eastern Congo.
In February the Security Council met in a formal session to listen to
the High Commissioner on Human Rights Sergio de Mello report on the
catastrophic human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of the
Congo.
In his report, the High Commissioner included some of the preliminary
findings regarding the atrocity committed in the Ituri district last
fall by the Congolese Liberation Movement (MLC) troops and their ally
the Congolese Rally for Democracy National (RDC-N) rebel movement. At
that time, the United States delegation listened with revulsion and
profound sadness to the High Commissioner's descriptions of wanton
acts of torture, rape, killing and cannibalism.
The U.N. investigation confirmed that these atrocities were part of a
systematic and horrifying campaign of atrocities against civilians in
the forests of northeast Congo, with children among the victims.
Apparently rebels called their terror campaign, "Operation Clean the
Slate" and the operation was presented to the people almost like a
vaccination campaign.
At that time we expressed our condemnation of these horrendous acts
and I said in that February meeting of the Security Council "what we
have heard today about the catastrophic human rights situation in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo and the atrocities committed by
various armed factions, tragically reaffirms that we must keep human
rights at the center of our efforts to foster lasting peace and a new
transitional government in the DRC." To the more recent victims of
brutality in the Congo, our rhetoric rings hollow and our actions
insufficient.
For now, five months later, we hear details of further atrocities
committed elsewhere in the Congo. Last winter, Jean-Pierre Bemba, the
leader of the Congolese Liberation Movement promised to address the
atrocities of Mambasa. He announced that his rebel group had arrested
five of its own members, including its chief of operations in Ituri
Province, Lieutenant Colonel Freddie Ngalimo. He said the five would
face trial by rebel court. The United States Government is very
disappointed at the inadequate manner with which the MLC handled the
trials of those suspected of committing atrocities in Mambasa.
We fully share the assessment that the trials were gravely flawed. We
are concerned about the inadequate legal rights afforded to the
defendants of those trials and the callous disregard for the serious
nature of the crimes as reflected in the light sentences handed down
and the failure to charge anyone with crimes against humanity or war
crimes.
The failures of these proceedings will not end the culture of
impunity; sadly, these failures perpetuate the culture of impunity.
Just last week the U.N. Security Council issued a press statement
congratulating the Congolese parties on forming a transitional
government. The difficult issue of who will serve as Minister of Land
Resources and Chief of Staff of the Government appear to have been
resolved. On June 30 in Mbandaka, President Kabila read out the
complete list of ministers.
By the end of July it is expected that the Vice President, the
Cabinet, the Ministers and the National Assembly all will be sworn in.
The United States Government welcomed the announcement of the
transitional government and we welcome the movement to put the
transitional government in place. We welcome the compromise on
military integration.
Further, my delegation welcomes the report of Under Secretary General
Guehenno this morning, the verifications efforts are taking place in
the Ituri District, that Brunei was declared a weapons free zone on
June 27, that six thousand internally displaced persons have returned
to Bunia, that the Ituri interim administration is being more active
and that the Ituri district seems stable.
This is good news. My delegation also welcomes Mr. Guehenno's report
that the second task force will begin to deploy on August 15 and that
the multinational force in Brunei has begun to shift the balance
between the rebels and the legitimate authority. This is very
encouraging indeed. But Deputy High Commissioner on Human Rights
Ramcharan has given us yet another report of brutal crimes committed
in the eastern Congo.
This morning he has told us that in Drodro in early April people were
burned alive, there were machete attacks in hospitals, and there are
20 mass gravesites. Again we are repulsed by these acts of horrendous
inhumanity. Again our conscience is aroused. Again we say there can be
no culture of impunity, yet these crimes against humanity continue and
our words ring hollow.
The United States Government believes the transitional national
government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo must take
responsibility for ending the pervasive culture of impunity in that
bloody, brutalized land. The tragedies of the past years must be
addressed and as appropriate, we should assist the DRC transitional
national government to achieve these goals by helping them to
strengthen the nascent, inclusive, national government.
A lesson in recent years is that transitional justice is very
important for a post-conflict society hoping to move to a secure,
stable and sustainable peace. It is critical that there is no
impunity; accountability is essential, gross human rights abuses
cannot be brushed under the carpet.
A full recording of these crimes is required and the perpetrators must
be identified and held to account. My delegation urges MONUC to assist
non-governmental organizations and the U.N. High Commissioner on Human
Rights in gathering documentary evidence of violations of
international humanitarian law and human rights in order to present
these cases to the Congolese Ministry of Justice for prosecution.
A truth and reconciliation commission is described in paragraph 28 of
the report on Drodro requires an effective and functioning government,
with the formation at the end of June of the cabinet of the Democratic
Republic of the Congo's transitional national government, that
framework is in place.
The Congolese parties have agreed to work together, must now show
their hearts and minds are committed to national reconciliation and
come to agreement on extending government control throughout the
country. As I already have mentioned, on July 16, 2002, the U.N.
Security Council received a report on the events of Kisangani of May
14-15, 2002. The recommendation then that the authorities in Kisangani
should take immediate steps to arrest those who ordered or were
involved in extra-judicial killings has not been heeded and violence
continues. This is unacceptable.
The people of Kisangani who were victimized deserve better. The people
of the Congo deserve better. The years of brutal and bloody conflict
in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have exacted a terrible toll
on millions of people. The goal of a Congo free from violence that is
just and secure and sustainable can only be reached through meaningful
transitional justice that leads to national reconciliation. This
requires an end to the culture of impunity.
This requires accountability and justice. International action can go
only so far in addressing the human rights problems in Congo. The
Congolese parties themselves must be sincere and active in addressing
them. We call on the Congolese to take meaningful steps, beginning
with expediting secure and unrestricted access by investigators and
MONUC staff to areas and witnesses of suspected human rights abuses
and violations of international humanitarian law. Thank you, Mr.
President.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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