Human rights NGO decries rights violations

Human rights violations continue unabated in Burundi, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), according to a new report issued by a regional human rights NGO, Ligue des Droits de la Personne de la Region des Grands Lacs (League for Promotion of Human Rights in the Great Lakes). In its 92-page annual report, the organisation said as a result of years of civil strife in the three countries, poverty levels and insecurity had increased, forcing people to abandon their daily activities and to be constantly on the move, retarding development. Conflict in the region had resulted in a "massive" abuse of people’s rights by warlords and governments, especially in war-stricken Burundi and the DRC, the NGO said. In Burundi, it said, war had led to a standstill in government programmes, denying the local populations access to public services. "Rape, murder, robbery and economic crimes, lack of freedom of expression have become a daily menu in the war zones of the region," the report said. The NGO criticised Rwanda's ruling party, the Rwanda Patriotic Front for "targeting liberty of opinion, freedom of expression and association." [The report is available online, in French, at: www.ldgl.org]