US wants UPDF to account for DRC war crimes
By John Stephen Katende
11th Oct 2010
Victims of DRC crimes
The US government has “strongly” demanded that countries like Uganda and Rwanda that were accused of committing serious war crimes in the Democratic Republic of Congo [DRC] be held accountable.
Uganda’s UPDF and Rwanda’s RPA were among the regional armies and armed groups that were implicated in a UN mapping report released on October 1st 2010 of committing serious war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in the DRC.
Uganda, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, and Angola were among several countries and proxy militia fighting groups that were sucked into the DRC conflict that was kicked off by Uganda and Rwanda’s desire to oust the late President Laurent Kabila from power in DRC.
In a statement issued on October 1st by Philip J. Crowley, the United States Assistant Secretary-Bureau of Public Affairs, the US government said the “…report raises serious allegations of brutal and horrific mass killings, rape and other abuses during the period [1993-2003] in question”.
In the same statement, the US government added that it is crucially important that the focus remains on the tens of thousands of victims in the DRC. Secretary Crowley added that the US “…strongly supports accountability for violations of human rights and international humanitarian law around the world, including in the DRC”.
It said accountability is an important step toward ensuring that such incidents do not occur again. “…The United States is firmly committed to helping the DRC and other nations in the region take positive steps to end the corrosive cycle of violence and impunity”, the statement read in part.
Both Uganda and Rwanda tried unsuccessfully to dissuade the UN from publishing the damning report, warning that they would withdraw from all UN peacekeeping missions if the report is published. Uganda’s Foreign Minister Sam Kutesa dismissed the report as “deeply flawed”. END. If it’s Monday, it’s Uganda Correspondent. Never miss out again!
