Contacts:
Dr. Alafuele M. Kalala
Mr. Rohan Carney
Phone: (202) 463-9373
Fax: (202) 463-9374
Email: cdzcrm@freewwweb.com

Washington, DC - On June 30, 1998 the United Nations released its long awaited report on the massacres of Hutu refugees and other civilians which took place in the former Zaire during the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire (ADFL) war that toppled the brutal regime of Mobutu Sese Seko.  The report details the relentless efforts that the UN investigative team made in the Congo to probe the allegations, in spite of the various deliberate obstacles that the Congolese government created continuously to prevent the UN team from fulfilling its mandate.

The RNS welcomes the report and congratulates the United Nations for finally releasing this report which documents serious human rights violations, some of which could be qualified as genocide and crimes against humanity, if they were to be proven.  This report which charges the various parties to the conflict (ADFL forces, the various foreign troops that backed the ADFL, Zairian soldiers (FAZ), mercenaries paid by the Zairian government, etc.) is important for the future of the Congo and the region, because it establishes a framework for those who committed massacres or genocide to be brought to justice, hence working as a deterrent against the cycle of killings and violent retributions.

Therefore, the RNS supports the call for an International Tribunal to try those who have been guilty of these serious and heinous crimes.  It is in the best interest of the Congo and the region for these trials to take place so that democracy and good governance can occur from a sound foundation of justice, trust and transparency.

The RNS has been calling for an investigation since 1996 when we first heard of the atrocious human rights abuses that were being carried out against innocent civilians.