Authorities arming DR Congo militia, UN says

Geneva, Tuesday

The UN human rights chief accused authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo of backing a new militia behind “horrific attacks” in the Kasai provinces, including hacking and burning hundreds of civilians to death.

“I am appalled by the creation and arming of a militia, the Bana Mura, allegedly to support the authorities in fighting the Kamwina Nsapu (rebels), but which has carried out horrific attacks against civilians from the Luba and Lulua ethnic groups,” Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein told the UN Human Rights Council.

A UN spokesman said it remained unclear whether it was local or national authorities supporting the militia. He called for an “independent, international investigation” to be set up to probe the situation in the region.

Meanwhile, more than 3,000 people have been killed in eight months of spiralling violence in DR Congo’s Kasai region, a report by the Roman Catholic church said.

According to figures compiled by the church and listed in a report by the papal envoy, some 3,383 people have died in violence between security forces and a tribal militia.

The UN’s MONUSCO peacekeeping mission had previously spoken of “more than 400 dead” while about 1.3 million people are estimated to have fled their homes in the Kasai provinces.

The papal envoy’s note, which was dated June 19, said that 20 villages have been “completely destroyed”, 10 of them by the DRC armed forces (FARDC), four by the tribal militias and six by unidentified forces. It mentioned 30 mass graves, while the UN mission has spoken of 42. -AFP

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