DR Congo: UN chief deeply concerned by reports of army mistreating detainees
18 July 2013 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed concern over reports of serious mistreatment of detainees belonging to the rebel group known as M23 by the national armed forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
According to the reports, M23 detainees have not just been victims of human rights violations, but their corpses have also been desecrated by members of the national armed forces, known as FARDC.
"The Secretary-General calls on the DRC to bring the perpetrators of these reported acts to justice and underlines that mistreatment of detainees is a violation of human rights and international humanitarian law," Mr. Ban's spokesperson said in a statement issued last night.
Fighting recently broke out close to Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, between the FARDC and the M23 after a two-month lull.
Since March, tensions in the region have been increasing, leading the Security Council to deploy an intervention brigade within the existing UN peacekeeping force in DRC (MONUSCO) to carry out targeted offensive operations with or without the FARDC, against armed groups that threaten peace in the eastern part of the country.
The statement said MONUSCO has raised the issue of mistreatment of detainees with the FARDC, and is also reviewing its support to FARDC units suspected of being involved in these incidents.
"The Secretary-General urges the parties to exercise restraint and reiterates the importance of working within the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework to address the root causes of conflict in the DRC," the statement said.
The Framework was signed in February by 11 African leaders, and aims to end the cycles of conflict and violence in eastern DRC and to build peace in the wider region.
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