During a press conference on Thursday in Kinshasa, Government spokesman Lambert Mende blasted what he called an "avalanche of corrosive reports being poured lately" by NGOs about the situation in eastern Congo.

He said in a statement that, in response to these reports, he has written a booklet to put in context the situation in eastern Congo, stressing its history, people, resources, but also its social and security problems which are fueling “the fertile imagination of some humanitarians and members of the media looking for catastrophes and sensational stories to sell".

Lambert Mende said that, historically, massive violations of human rights in the Democratic Republic of Congo began in the early 90s, with the arrival of Rwandan Hutu refugees in the North-East of the country after the Rwandan genocide. This influx heightened insecurity at the DR Congo-Rwanda border.

He said that, after 5.400.000 deaths due to war and its consequences during the last decade, some NGOs are only focused on its immediate effects and not on solving its causes, at the risk of letting the same effects occur over and over again.

“Those who are always telling others what to do, as if they know the Democratic Republic of Congo better than the Congolese themselves”, are suffering from “the illusion of immediate knowledge” that usually affects “amateur ethnologists”, he said.

He said that these NGOs have drastically changed their position since January 2008. First, they called on the government to sign the Goma peace accords with armed groups to stop the fighting and protect the population. Now, he said, they are claiming that these populations are suffering even more than when they were living under the control of these armed groups.

He reminded the NGOs that the Goma peace accords called for all armed groups to disarm and for those who refused to be disarmed by force.

"Today, the Government, with the support of MONUC, is busy restoring State authority throughout the national territory, particularly in the East and North-East", he said.

He added that the NGOs that are now calling on the government to stop its military operation (Kimia II) against Rwandan Hutu militiamen (FDLR) are the same ones who have documented the numerous atrocities committed by the FDLR against the local population since they crossed the border from Rwanda in the 90s.

It is "nonsensical" for these NGOs to call for a return to the "status quo", he said.

He also said that several headquarters of the FDLR have been destroyed during Kimia II and the militiamen have been forced to abandon regions rich in mineral resources which they occupied and used to fund their operations.

"The remaining FDLR are now cut off from all their sources of income, tens of thousands of displaced people in North and South Kivu have been able to return home. The military structure of the FDLR has been permanently destabilized. More than 10,000 Rwandan Hutu refugees, who were the FDLR recruitment base, have been repatriated. Relations between Rwanda and the DRC have improved. The CNDP and other armed groups have integrated the FARDC”, he said.

He also said that, "It is legitimate for the Government to question the intentions of NGOs that, regardless of this progress, constantly strive to produce ultra-negative reviews of FARDC operations”.

He said that, even though some members of the FARDC have been involved in acts of violence against civilians, it's an "exaggeration" to put the FARDC in the same basket as these "armed terrorist groups".

“The reform of the judiciary initiated in DR Congo is a priority for the ruling majority. Who can say otherwise after the decrees on the Judiciary by the Head of State and the ongoing recruitment of 1,000 new judges by competition?”, he asked.

“Operation Zero Tolerance against corruption and other anti-values continues “, he said.

He also said that, “Just for the year 2008, 3453 police and soldiers were detained in our country, either as convicts or as defendants”. He added that, “It should be noted that these soldiers and police officers were prosecuted or convicted for crimes related mainly to cases of murder, sexual assault, and robbery with violence”.

“Why does Human Rights Watch choose to ignore this data?”, he asked.

“In an army of around 130,000 soldiers, these figures represent around 2% of the FARDC.
Can a government honestly be accused of condoning impunity when it imprisons 2% of its soldiers in time of war?”

"The minimization of the successes of Operation Kimia II, as well as the omission of the cost in lives made by FARDC soldiers killed in this operation (55 until October 14), captured by the FDLR (7) or wounded (20), gives an idea of the true ideological predispositions of the authors of Human Rights Watch report", he said.

He said at the end that, “it is useful to note that despite all of this; the human rights NGOs are not the enemies of the Congolese Government, which in any event, does not consider them as such. The Government continues to believe that the work of these support structures, when properly done, can help the Government to improve services to the population”.

Read full statement in French

On the web: Congo News Agency

1. • Key excerpts from UN report on Rwandan army genocide in DR Congo (August 27, 2010)
2. • UN report says Rwandan army committed genocide in DR Congo (August 26, 2010)
3. • UN Security Council calls for urgent action over mass DR Congo rape (August 26, 2010)
4. • UN Defends Inaction on Mass Rapes in Eastern Congo, Government Missing in Action (August 26, 2010)
5. • FDLR Rebels Continue Campaign of Terror in Eastern Congo (August 23, 2010)
6. • Two Suspects Arrested in Attack on MONUSCO Base (August 20, 2010)
7. • Report: Uganda LRA rebels 'on massive forced recruitment drive' (August 12, 2010)
8. • Congo Army Killed Ugandan Rebels Commander in North Kivu - Government (August 4, 2010)
9. • Huge DR Congo gold mine to open, displacing 15,000 (July 22, 2010)
10. • Joint Government and UN Inquiry Needed into Death of Floribert Chebeya (June 3, 2010)
11. • U.S. Official Sees Improvement in Africa's Great Lakes Region (May 26, 2010)
12. • Leader of Enyele Rebels Arrested in Equateur (May 5, 2010)
13. • 54 FDLR Rebels Relocated from North Kivu to Katanga (May 4, 2010)
14. • DR Congo army regains control of Mbandaka (April 4, 2010)
15. • Enyele rebels enter major city in Equateur province (April 4, 2010)
16. • Behind Human Rights Watch Report on LRA, a Plea for MONUC to Remain in the Congo (March 29, 2010)
17. • New strategy needed against LRA in DR Congo, says UN chief (March 28, 2010)
18. • UN mission in DR Congo vows continued support for army (March 24, 2010)
19. • President Joseph Kabila meets Chinese army deputy chief of the General Staff (March 12, 2010)
20. • Ex-rebels take over mineral trade extortion racket (March 11, 2010)
21. • UN: 90 Rwandan Rebels Killed in Eastern DRC (March 10, 2010)
22. • U.S. Senator Durbin Calls on Rwanda to Name Rebels Involved in Genocide (February 16, 2010)
23. • Official Says MONUC Continues Help with Integrating Ex-Combatants Into Army (February 11, 2010)
24. • Russia gets involved in the reform of the Congolese Armed Forces (January 26, 2010)
25. • UN agency assisting thousands uprooted by insecurity in eastern DR Congo (January 26, 2010)
26. • Peacekeepers Plan Operation Amani Leo with FARDC in North Kivu (January 19, 2010)
27. • DR Congo, Rwanda, Burundi to hold meeting of chiefs of general staff (January 18, 2010)
28. • MONUC outlines cooperation with FARDC in Operation Amani Leo (January 7, 2010)
29. • DR Congo launches 'Amani Leo' military operation (January 2, 2010)
30. • Alan Doss: Human Rights Watch attack on MONUC 'shortsighted' (December 28, 2009)

Live TV Radio

Congo Planet RadioCongo Planet TV

Congo Planet Radio IICongo Planet TV II