Human rights controversy surrounds president's visit to France

The current weeklong visit of Congolese President Denis Sassou-Nguesso to Paris has been met with protests by human rights groups based both in France and the Republic of Congo (RoC). They are angry over Brazzaville's alleged failure to prosecute those responsible for the disappearance of over 350 Congolese returning from exile in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 1999. In an open letter to French President Jacques Chirac on 18 September, the Federation internationale des ligues des droits de l'Homme (FIDH) and the Ligue francaise des droits de l'Homme et du Citoyen (LDH) recalled that since December 2001, a case against members of the Brazzaville regime - including Sassou-Nguesso, Interior Minister Pierre Oba, Commander of the Republican Guard Blaise Adoua, and Army Inspector Gen Norbert Dabira - has been pending. The case is before the High Court in the French town of Meaux for alleged crimes of torture, forced disappearance, and crimes against humanity. The case is based on the events of May 1999, when thousands of Congolese who had fled fighting that had plagued Brazzaville since 1998 chose to return to the capital, taking advantage of a "humanitarian corridor" established by the UN refugee agency UNHCR. Numerous sources present at the time determined that over 350 individuals "disappeared" during their return from exile. They have become known as the "Disparus du Beach" - those who disappeared from Brazzaville's port known as "le Beach" on the Congo River. "Under these conditions, the FIDH and the LDH, together with the victims who escaped [the Beach], can only express their stupefaction and indignation to see this delegation welcomed with the highest honours while the French justice system is in the process of determining whether [these people] are, as we allege, responsible for the most serious of crimes," said the joint letter. According to the French foreign ministry, Sassou-Nguesso and his delegation arrived in Paris on 18 September and will be departing on the 24th. During the visit, meetings are scheduled with French officials, including Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin and President Jacques Chirac. They are due to discuss "the current situation in RoC, regional matters and bilateral relations between the two countries". France, the former colonial ruler of RoC, is today its main trading partner and provider of bilateral aid, the ministry added.