REF: OM/ __ 216 __ /10
LOBITO, 3rd September 2010
LOBITO, 3rd September 2010
C/C: His Excellency the President of the Republic - LUANDA
To His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces - LUANDA
To His Excellency the Minister of Defence - LUANDA
His Excellency the Secretary of State for Human Rights - LUANDA
To His Excellency the Minister of External Relations - LUANDA
To His Excellency
the President of the National Assembly
L U A N D A
OPEN LETTER: REPORT “DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO, 1993-2003 - Report of the Mapping Exercise documenting the most serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law committed within the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, between March 1993 and June 2003, 2010”
Best regards.
The organization OMUNGA is seriously concerned with the report “DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO, 1993-2003 - Report of the Mapping Exercise documenting the most serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law committed within the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, between March 1993 and June 2003, 2010””, to be released by the United Nations’ High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The following paragraphs can be read on pages 169 and 170 of the report (unofficial translation of the French version):
331. During their advance along the Moanda-Boma-Matadi-Kisantu road, the FAA killed civilians, committed rape and pillaged hospitals and homes. When they entered an area, the FAA would carry out a systematic search operation and execute all those it suspected of collusion with their enemies. The FAA took advantage of these operations to rape women and pillage homes. The property pillaged was then sent to Angola by river, road and even by helicopter. The FAA killed any civilians, including women and children, who tried to oppose the atrocities. The scale of the pillaging gave both the victims and witnesses the impression that this was a planned operation. It is clear that the Angolan military hierarchy and the authorities in Kinshasa at least tolerated the commission of these various violations.
· On 23 August 1998, on their arrival in Moanda, elements of the FAA raped at least 30 women and girls, most of them in the Bwamanu neighbourhood. In some cases, the soldiers obliged the members of the victims’ families to applaud during the rapes, on penalty of execution.
· From August 26th, 1998, elements of the FAA summarily executed an unknown number of civilians in the centre of Boma. They also raped an unknown number of women and girls. They pillaged civilian property, primarily in the city’s suburban neighbourhoods.
· From 27 August 1998, elements of the FAA raped six women shopkeepers and at least three girls in the village of Manterne, 19 kilometres from Boma, on the road to Matadi.
· Around August 27th, 1998, in the village of Kinzau Mvwete, halfway between Boma and Matadi, elements of the FAA killed 45 civilians, including women and children.
• From September 4th, elements of the FAA raped an unknown number of women and girls, in particular during search operations in the Mvuadu and Kinkanda neighbourhoods in the town of Matadi. The troops also pillaged tens of private homes.
• Around September 6th, in Kimpese, elements of the FAA committed rapes and acts of pillaging on a large scale.
Considering the severity of the information mentioned above, which jeopardizes the image and consciousness of every Angolan, OMUNGA finds it important to demand the following:
1 – The National Assembly should give its assent to create an international and independent technical commission, with recognized credit in the field, with the support of the United Nations’ High Commissioner for Human Rights, to assess the veracity of the information contained in this report, with a view to:
a) Identify and hold accountable the members of the FAA’s military hierarchy who followed-up on the actions described in the report through disciplinary and criminal processes;
b) Demand clarifications from the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces on the facts described in the report;
c) Evaluate the damage caused to the victims and to allow for them to be duly compensated.
2 - A public apology should be made to the victims and to the Congolese people for the actions described in the report, which were the Angolan state's responsibility.
3 - A public apology should be made to all Angolan citizens who feel injured, in their image and consciousness, for the intolerable and unacceptable actions described in the report.
We are confident that His Excellency the President of the National Assembly will give due importance to this subject. Please accept our best regards
José A. M. Patrocínio
General-Coordinator
To His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces - LUANDA
To His Excellency the Minister of Defence - LUANDA
His Excellency the Secretary of State for Human Rights - LUANDA
To His Excellency the Minister of External Relations - LUANDA
To His Excellency
the President of the National Assembly
L U A N D A
OPEN LETTER: REPORT “DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO, 1993-2003 - Report of the Mapping Exercise documenting the most serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law committed within the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, between March 1993 and June 2003, 2010”
Best regards.
The organization OMUNGA is seriously concerned with the report “DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO, 1993-2003 - Report of the Mapping Exercise documenting the most serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law committed within the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, between March 1993 and June 2003, 2010””, to be released by the United Nations’ High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The following paragraphs can be read on pages 169 and 170 of the report (unofficial translation of the French version):
331. During their advance along the Moanda-Boma-Matadi-Kisantu road, the FAA killed civilians, committed rape and pillaged hospitals and homes. When they entered an area, the FAA would carry out a systematic search operation and execute all those it suspected of collusion with their enemies. The FAA took advantage of these operations to rape women and pillage homes. The property pillaged was then sent to Angola by river, road and even by helicopter. The FAA killed any civilians, including women and children, who tried to oppose the atrocities. The scale of the pillaging gave both the victims and witnesses the impression that this was a planned operation. It is clear that the Angolan military hierarchy and the authorities in Kinshasa at least tolerated the commission of these various violations.
· On 23 August 1998, on their arrival in Moanda, elements of the FAA raped at least 30 women and girls, most of them in the Bwamanu neighbourhood. In some cases, the soldiers obliged the members of the victims’ families to applaud during the rapes, on penalty of execution.
· From August 26th, 1998, elements of the FAA summarily executed an unknown number of civilians in the centre of Boma. They also raped an unknown number of women and girls. They pillaged civilian property, primarily in the city’s suburban neighbourhoods.
· From 27 August 1998, elements of the FAA raped six women shopkeepers and at least three girls in the village of Manterne, 19 kilometres from Boma, on the road to Matadi.
· Around August 27th, 1998, in the village of Kinzau Mvwete, halfway between Boma and Matadi, elements of the FAA killed 45 civilians, including women and children.
• From September 4th, elements of the FAA raped an unknown number of women and girls, in particular during search operations in the Mvuadu and Kinkanda neighbourhoods in the town of Matadi. The troops also pillaged tens of private homes.
• Around September 6th, in Kimpese, elements of the FAA committed rapes and acts of pillaging on a large scale.
Considering the severity of the information mentioned above, which jeopardizes the image and consciousness of every Angolan, OMUNGA finds it important to demand the following:
1 – The National Assembly should give its assent to create an international and independent technical commission, with recognized credit in the field, with the support of the United Nations’ High Commissioner for Human Rights, to assess the veracity of the information contained in this report, with a view to:
a) Identify and hold accountable the members of the FAA’s military hierarchy who followed-up on the actions described in the report through disciplinary and criminal processes;
b) Demand clarifications from the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces on the facts described in the report;
c) Evaluate the damage caused to the victims and to allow for them to be duly compensated.
2 - A public apology should be made to the victims and to the Congolese people for the actions described in the report, which were the Angolan state's responsibility.
3 - A public apology should be made to all Angolan citizens who feel injured, in their image and consciousness, for the intolerable and unacceptable actions described in the report.
We are confident that His Excellency the President of the National Assembly will give due importance to this subject. Please accept our best regards
José A. M. Patrocínio
General-Coordinator
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