DRC: UN Says Some 1,300 Civilians Dead, Half A Million Displaced Due To Violence

The United Nations on Friday said about 1,300 civilians have died from conflict and violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the last few months, while over half a million people have fled their homes, reported All Africa.

United Nations rights chief Michelle Bachelet warned some attacks may amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Bachelet’s office said the casualty toll in the east of DRC had increased in recent weeks as conflicts in Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces had spread with disastrous repercussions for the civilian population.

“I am appalled by the increase in brutal attacks on innocent civilians by armed groups, and by the reaction of the military and security forces who have also committed grave violations, including killings and sexual violence,” Bachelet said in a statement.

“These are not only reprehensible and criminal acts, but they also break the trust between people and the state representatives, both security and political,” she added.

Bachelet said there is a serious risk that in the absence of effective protection by DRC security forces, the various communities will feel compelled to form self-defence groups, which would most likely exacerbate an already worsening situation.

In DRC’s Ituri region, violence spread into new areas after the biggest armed group, CODECO, launched violent attacks after the killing of its main leader, Ngudjolo Duduko Justin, in March. At least 531 civilians were killed by armed groups in Ituri between last October and the end of May, 375 of them since March.

According to the UN, violence committed by the armed groups in the region had grown increasingly more gruesome pointing to sexual violence, beheadings and the mutilation of corpses. It said that the Congolese armed forces and police also allegedly killed 17 civilians during the same period.

Bachelet appealed DRC authorities to take all necessary measures to prevent the repetition of such violent incidents in future.