Democratic Republic of the Congo / Joint Congolese-Rwandan military operation against DRC-based Hutu militias continues in the east of the country.
KINSHASA, Dem. Rep. of Congo (DRC) January 28, 2009/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Daily press briefing by the office of the spokesperson for the UN secretary-general
The UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo says that the joint Congolese-Rwandan military operation against DRC-based Hutu militias continues in the east of the country. Meanwhile, in Goma, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Alan Doss, and the Mission’s Force Commander, Babacar Gaye, are meeting with Congolese authorities to discuss the possible impact of the operation on civilians and on the Mission’s work in general.
Earlier today, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, said that, unless they are properly planned and carried out, joint military counter-operations can lead to further gross abuses of civilians’ rights. Pillay called on the warring parties across eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo to respect human rights and international humanitarian law. She appealed to the international community to include accountability measures in its efforts to bring about a peaceful settlement of the crisis. Her statement is available upstairs.
UNICEF, meanwhile, has called for an immediate end to abductions, forced recruitment and extreme violence against children and women in northern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
SOURCE : United Nations – Office of the Spokesperson of the Secretary-General
