HRW decries ethnic tumult in Ugandan-occupied area

Uganda should be held responsible for grave human rights violations taking place in territories it occupies in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Wednesday. A resurgence of ethnic fighting there has claimed scores of lives over the last few weeks, and displaced at least 15,000 people. The dispute, rooted in conflict over land, had flared up in an area contested by three Ugandan-supported Congolese rebel factions - the Mouvement de liberation du Congo (MLC), the Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie-Kisangani (RCD-K), and a lesser-known group, the RCD-Nationale, the international rights organisation said. In the light of the discussion due to be held in this week by the UN Security Council on the Secretary-General's report on the deteriorating security environment in the DRC, HRW urged the Council "to address the government of Uganda as an important agent of unrest in the eastern part in the country, and to hold it liable for the grave rights violations and massive human suffering taking place in territories under its occupation". HRW also encouraged the UN mission in the DRC (known by its French acronym, MONUC) to "exert maximum pressure on local contenders to cease fighting and [to] send additional military, humanitarian, and human rights monitors to the area". Uganda has occupied the area militarily since 1998. Under the terms of the 1999 Lusaka peace agreement, Uganda has withdrawn some troops from the DRC, but maintained others in the area. "Uganda wants to keep enough control to continue getting rich from the Congo, but doesn't want to take responsibility for protecting civilians," said Alison Des Forges, senior adviser for the Great Lakes region at HRW. Ituri Province is rich in timber, gold and diamonds, among other resources. "With ethnic clashes increasing, Uganda pulled troops back to Bunia from elsewhere in Ituri, instead of using them to contain the violence," HRW stated. "Ugandan authorities were prepared to defend the town and to prevent the conflict from spilling over into Uganda itself." Citing local sources, the Ugandan army in mid-January deployed hundreds of soldiers in the border towns of Aru, Mahagi, and at Ariwara, according to HRW. On 1 February, Ugandan Defence Minister Amama Mbabazi remarked that the situation in Bunia was explosive and called on the UN to send troops to take control of the area. "Uganda can't foist responsibility on the UN for restoring order from the chaos it has fostered," said Des Forges. "As the occupying power, under international law it must protect civilians and stop these killings." Ugandan authorities in Kampala and New York could not be reached by IRIN for comment. [For further information and analysis, the background paper "Attacks on Civilians in Ugandan Occupied Areas in Northeastern Congo" is available from Human Rights Watch at http://www.hrw.org]