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UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs |
DRC-RWANDA: Rwandan militias accused of killing 12 farmers in South Kivu
KINSHASA, 19 Mar 2004 (IRIN) - Rwandan militias have been accused of killing a dozen farmers in Walungu, 25 km southwest of Bukavu, capital of South Kivu Province in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Mayi-Mayi militiamen in the region told IRIN on Friday.
Congolese National Radio and Television, RTNC, issued a similar report, citing 15 victims.
"Interahamwe [Rwandan Hutu militants] attacked farmers and killed those who refused to surrender their cows," Gilbert Muke, a leader of the local Mayi-Mayi - now calling themselves "Action pour la defense de la Republique" - stated.
"I saw the corpses of eight men and two women left behind by the attackers, who fled eastward towards Kanyola when they heard that we were coming," Muke said.
Mayi-Mayi, traditional Congolese militias, are one of several former belligerent parties now represented in the DRC's two-year transitional national government.
The UN Mission in the DRC (MONUC) said it had been informed of the killings, but could not confirm anything until an inquiry team that had been sent completed its mission.
"The murders are alleged to have taken place last week, according to the reports we received," Eliane Nabaa, MONUC information officer in Bukavu, told IRIN.
[ENDS]
This material comes to you via IRIN, a UN humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its agencies. If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post this item, please retain this credit and disclaimer. Quotations or extracts should include attribution to the original sources. All materials copyright © UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2004
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