DR Congo soldiers, militias 'execute' 92 in September - UN

A UN rights group said Wednesday that armed groups and security forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo had carried out 92 "extra-judicial executions" in September.

The Joint UN Office for Human Rights (BCNUDH) recorded 623 human rights violations in the sprawling central African country last month, up from 620 in August and 515 in July.

"State agents are responsible for 52 percent of the documented violations, including the extra-judicial executions of at least 25 people," the BCNUDH's monthly report said.

It added that 48 percent were perpetrated by fighters from armed groups, including the summary executions of at least 67 people.
Most were committed in the conflict-wracked eastern provinces of North and South Kivu, Ituri and Tanganyika.

Government spokesman Lambert Mende told AFP the justice ministry had been alerted to the report and that the military prosecutors' office "is already leading inquiries to bring justice to the victims".

However, he added: "No justice (system) works under pressure, even less in the public glare.
"What's the real aim of this report? To discredit what they like to call this 'infamous government'."

According to the Congo Research Group, a project at New York University, more than 130 armed groups are active in the region.
The fighting first flared a generation ago following the 1994 genocide in neighbouring Rwanda, when hundreds of thousands of Rwandan Hutus streamed across the border, fearing reprisals after hardline Hutus were ousted from power.

The conflict developed into two wars that sucked in countries around eastern and southern Africa, claiming millions of lives.
The BCNUDH, set up in 2008, groups the UN peacekeeping force MONUSCO's rights division with the former Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights in the DR Congo.