Mercenary enquiry called “frivolous”

A government representative on Thursday rejected the latest findings of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Use of Mercenaries, terming his enquiry “frivolous”. The representative, Henri Blaise Gotienne, told a committee of the UN General Assembly that the report was “full of false allegations and incorrect information on his country”, according to a UN press release. In his latest report, released last month, the rapporteur, Enrique Bernales Ballesteros, said the situation in the Republic of Congo had “steadily worsened after two years of armed conflicts”. Civil resistance had been harshly put down by the government “to the point where the situation has given rise to reports of ethnic extermination in South Brazzaville, South Congo and the Pool region”.

The presence of Angolan, Chadian and French mercenaries alongside government troops has been reported, as has the presence of mercenaries in the opposition forces, the rapporteur stated. He cited reports as saying that a “major European power” was behind the conflict “for reasons concerning its interest in controlling Congolese petroleum”. Armed conflict in the Congo continued, giving rise to massive human rights violations, he added. However, Gotienne told the UN committee that violence in the Congo had been “eradicated” and political dialogue with the opposition had started.