Prosecute FDLR sponsors - Doss

URUGWIRO VILLAGE - The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Alan Doss has reemphasized his call for the prosecution of individuals and groups that support and sponsor the rebel Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). Doss reiterated this after meeting with President Paul Kagame at Urugwiro Village, yesterday. Currently, the majority of the FDLR sponsors and leaders are said to be based in European countries. Despite several sanctions adopted by the UN, little has been done to pursue and prosecute those individuals and groups. “The UN has adopted sanctions against a number of individuals and those sanctions are always applied by the member states of the UN, the secretariat does not impose them,” Doss said. He, however, pointed out that beyond that, there have been growing concerns that some of these FDLR leaders have been encouraging and supporting violence in Eastern Congo. “There are links between these individuals and FDLR on the ground and of course it’s a great concern to the Congolese government, to the MONUC and to Rwanda,” he said. He noted that there is need for determined efforts to make it clear in countries where they (FDLR leaders) have sought shelter that there is a problem today in the Congo and that FDLR is behaving in a criminal fashion against the Congolese people. “Besides what they did 15 years ago, in my view, they obviously deserve to be persecuted by legal means for what is happening in the Congo today.” The Monuc boss stressed that any encouragement or material support to the FDLR has an effect in the Congo. “The FDLR is everyday involved in reprisal attacks; killing, raping, looting…and that to my mind is a criminal offence that should be prosecuted.” He praised the current relations between Kigali and Kinshasa saying that since the two countries mended their relations, there has been remarkable and visible achievement in the peace progress between the two countries. He said that, he briefed President Kagame on the current situation in the DRC and what Monuc is doing to restore peace in the eastern region of DRC. Ends