DO YOU REMEMBER THIS?If not please click here
AN UNDERGROUND DUNGEON AS NEW TORTURE CENTRE BY THE CONGOLESE REBEL MOVEMENT RCD.
An underground dungeon maintained by the Congolese rebel movement RCD as a torture Centre
The relation between the rebel movement and the local populations of Kivu continue to be at its lowest
An underground dungeon maintained in Kaziba by the RCD-rebel movement. Kaziba is a district within the commune of Walungu in the eastern part of the Congo.
On April 4, 2001, Mrs. LUKANERHA BASENGEZI LUBATI, and MUGOMBEKERE NGOLOLE were arrested by le RCD Commanders, Mr. Zababe and Katanyama, at Chibamda/Kaziba. The two victims were accused of having circulated false information relating of the capture and eventual death of the RCD commander Oliver by the militia mai-mai.
They were also accused of disseminating false allegations against the family of the Governor of South Kivu, Mr. Norbert katintima and to have panicked the local population of Chibanda/Kaziba with the new of a potential attack by the militia mai-mai.
Each victim was given 50 beatings before being locked into the underground dungeon known as 'KATOPE'. This dungeon increasingly used by the rebel movement RCD was an old cave on which a door was fixed to become one of RCD's worst detention and torture centres. This dungeon is found at Kelemba in the Chibanda area of the district of Kaziba. It has no window and the detainees remain in bending position due to its very limited height. In addition to the corporal punishment Mrs. LUKANERHA BASENGEZI LUBATI, and MUGOMBEKERE NGOLOLE were fined 30 US dollars each. The former who has only paid 14 US dollars so far continue to be pursued for the remaining 16 US dollars.
In the Uvira area (second urban centre of the South-Kivu region found at the borders between Congo and Burundi), the civilian populations continue to pay with their lives the cost of the ongoing Congo-war. Saturday 21 April, 2001 soldiers of the Rebel movement RCD opened fire to a group of civilians in the schools grounds of the primary school 'La Chapelle Ecole EP Tanganyika'. Un young man died as a result of this shooting. In the furtherance of this same incident, a local woman communally known as 'MAMA SOFILLE' was injured by a bullet not far from a local parish of the CADAF (Communaute des Assemblee de Dieu en Afrique Centrale) at Kakungwe in the Uvira area.
Still in the Uvira area, on Tuesday April 24, 2001 a coalition of RCD's soldiers of Banyamulenge origin and members of the Rwandese army launched an attack in Kitundu area in pursue of mai-mai. A total of 37 houses of local people, who had just returned from hiding after their villages being burned down before, were put on fire again. The musical instrument of the choir the local church of the CEPAC, 29 goats and numerous belongings of local people were looted by the same RCD-RPF's soldiers.
Mr. SIBICHOCHI, who lives near the Filipi local church, was visited by soldiers of the rebel movement RCD. The victim was tied up and taken to an unknown destination. During his ordeal or abduction of Mr. SIBICHOCHI, the auteur of this crime took with them his radio and several other items belonging to the victim.
On the evening of April 17, 2001 all the patients who were hospitalised at the CEPAC Kasenga/Uvira medical centre evacuated the hospital in fear of retaliation following the death of an RCD's soldier who had been injured in a battle against the militia mai-mai at Nakyoya. During this incident, there was a heavy presence of soldiers in the streets of uvira and surrounding areas. Abuses and human rights violations by these soldiers were reported in several areas, such as Mulongwe-Uvira, Ndimba where soldiers looted several items including money belonging to local populations.
Within the Commune of Kalehe, North-east of the South-Kivu region the trend of violence, crimes against innocent civilians by the rebel movement RCD continue to extend with the same speed. In April Mr. HABALI, a resident of the Luziba area/Kalehe and accountant of the local comity of parents of children attending the primary schools 'EP Buguli' was arrested and detained for 24 hours for having questioned the arrest of parents who had failed to pay for the schools fees of their children on time. He paid twenty US dollars for being released. Numerous other arbitrary arrests are being committed in this area. Mrs. KITENGE and MASUMBUKO were, for example, arrested and detained for simply having refused to pay a drink for soldiers passing by.
On April 28, April 2001, a minibus on its way to Goma, the main town of the North Kivu region, was intercepted around the 'Pharmakina's plantation of Kanagal/Bushushu-Kalehe by a group of armed men, who looted almost all the belonging of the people on board. In the same week, a truck Fuso coming from Butemba and carrying commercial goods was intercepted and looted in the same area by similar group of men.
In the week before these events, the RCD Commander in charge of Bushushu-Kalehe area arbitrarily arrested and detained Mr. BUBESI CHIBANGUKA of Bushushu for three days. He was released after paying 20,000 Congolese franc.
The new administrative authority of the District of Kamanyola (an area found within the Ruzizi valley), Mr. Ntabagoye Amani is paralysing the activities of local non-governmental organisations of the area by threatening to arrest all the leaders of these organisations. He is also requiring a regular reporting on the activities of these organisations. Furthermore, Mr. Ntabagoye Amani is putting in place parallel groupings of young peoples aiming to supplant the existing non-governmental organisations involved in development and human rights.
For example, the NGO 'Groupe d'Education, Nutrition et Intensification d' Elevages Ruraux' (GRENIER) was summoned to give details on the beneficiaries of the humanitarian assistance that it receives for distribution from the international agencies operating in the region. Furthermore, the main warehouse of this local NGO was visited and searched by the local political authority.
The CODEKA (Comite de Development de Kalunga) and the CMD (Comite de Mediation et de Defense) of Kamanyola have also been victims of this campaign of intimidation and harassment by the local authority of Kamanyola. These two NGOs were summoned to give details on their activities as well as the beneficiaries of their actions.
Mrs. Michee Gamuhanya, a nutritionist working for the Lemera hospital, Daniel Mbaka, a nurse, Isaac Hoga and others are said to be part of a ring created to disrupt the normal functioning of local NGOs involved in human rights and development. The ring's action consists of mounting members of these NGOs against the leaders.
In this same vein, the local authority of Kamanyola has created a alleged non-governmental organisation called 'Association de Devellopement de Kamanyola (ADEKA) in order to infiltrate the existing local NGOs and make sure it controls their activities. All existing NGOs are required to report to this newly created body, which has just been given the monopoly of providing humanitarian assistance to populations. The ADEKA is thus playing the role of a platform for all existing NGOs operating in human rights and development in the Kamanyola area.
The very limited number of cases of tortures, killing, arbitrary arrests and detention of innocent civilians by the rebel movement RCD and armed group constitute only tips of the iceberg of the war crimes and crimes against humanity that are taking place in the Congo.
Since January 2001, Heritiers de la Justice is campaigning for justice in the crimes that are being committed in the Congo, where millions of civilians have lost their lives unlawfully.
Please visit out site and take part to the campaign by adding your signature to the electronic petition. (http://www.heritiers.org)
Heritiers de la Justice
May 27, 200
La Reporting on Kivu Villages
Mwenga centre | Kamituga |
Kalambi | Baraka | Bideka | Ibanda-Ngweshe
| Baraka | Ville de Bukavu |
Uvira | Luvungi
| Kalehe | Sange | Lemera| Bunyakiri
|
Nyabibwe | Kitutu | Kalonge | Kaziba
Funders
What is Heritiers?
Objectives and Aims,...
Staffs
Current Projects
Human Rights
Reports & International
Media on Kivu
Human Rights
Watch
1.Latest Report
de Mai 2000)
2.French version
Previous Report
International Rescue
Committee
a. 1.7 million deads in 22
months (June 2000):Summary
b. 1.7 millions dead in 22 months
(June 2000):Whole raport
ACROBAT READER
Amnesty International
1. Latest Report
(Juin 2000, version Anglaise)
2. East of Congo: Horror
HALT! International prosecution
for human
rights violations
1. Hussein Habre case
in Senegal
2. Hussein Habre
next
3. International
Criminal Court
Links on the Congo
(MONUC:
UN in Congo)
Observatoire de l'Afrique
New Congo Net
