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The human rights organisation Amnesty International on Wednesday said all parties involved in the DRC conflict were involved in a catalogue of human rights abuses, which included the unlawful killing, rape, torture and 'disappearance' of civilians. In areas controlled by foreign government forces and armed Congolese opposition groups, "most of the human rights
abuses are reported to have been committed by members of the Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie (RCD)," it stated in its latest report, entitled: 'DRC: Killing Human Decency'. The rape of women in rebel-occupied areas - by Congolese rebels and soldiers from Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda - is reported to be widespread, and armed groups have also deliberately abducted and killed unarmed civilians, the report said.
Children were also being deprived of their basic rights as they were forced to fight in this conflict, it added. "It is not too late, however," Amnesty stated. "The international community should expect and demand that military and political leaders of the forces in the DRC take effective action to prevent further human rights abuses, and bring those among their forces responsible for abuses to justice."
[for full report, see http://www.amnesty.org/]
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