UN draft report: Rwandan army attacks on Hutu refugees in Congo in the 1990s could be genocide
By APFriday, August 27, 2010
UN: Rwandan attacks on Hutus could be genocide
JOHANNESBURG — A U.N. draft report says the Rwandan army and Congolese rebel allies now in power committed massacres of Hutu refugees in Congo in the 1990s that could be classified as genocide.
Le Monde newspaper of Paris reports that Rwanda’s president is threatening to withdraw troops from peacekeeping missions if the genocide allegation is published.
About 1 million Hutus including perpetrators of Rwanda’s 1994 genocide fled to Congo. Rwandan troops invaded. Thousands were slaughtered in U.N. refugee camps.
The draft from the High Commissioner for Human Rights says systematic and widespread attacks “could be classified as crimes of genocide” by a competent court.
It says “probably several tens of thousands” were killed by various forces.
(This version CORRECTS APNewsNow. Deletes ‘the draft’ from graf to correct that newspaper is reporting. For global distribution.)
Tags: Africa, Conscription, East Africa, Genocides, Johannesburg, Rwanda, South Africa, Southern Africa
