Speech #1050047821

Mr. President. the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo must bring to an immediate end the systematic search and slaughter of Rwandan refugees. or else face isolation from the international community. Recent media reports allege the methodical execution of Rwandan refugees still hiding in the former Zaire by the Congolese military. Unless these atrocities are halted. Mr. Kabila should not expect ready support in the United States for his efforts to rebuild his country. News reports the last several weeks have alleged the existence of mass grave sites of Rwandan refugees. As of yet. we do not know for certain If these reports are accurate. and if so. by whose hands the refugees were slaughtered. A team of United Nations Investigators arrived in Congo last week to initiate an investigation of these claims. Media reports of Congolese government directives to hinder this investigation. if accurate. are intolerable. The government of Congo must bring to an immediate end the persecution of the remaining Rwandan refugees. and actively assist the U.N. in its efforts to locate and repatriate these Rwandan nationals. According to reports of the United Nations and various nongovernmental organizations. thousands of Rwandan refugees continue to hide in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that between 200.000 and 250.000 refugees are still missing in Congo. While the actual number may be uncertain. what is clear is that a significant number of Rwandan refugees remain within Congolese borders. These refugees consist mostly of Rwandan Hutus who fled their country after the 1994 genocide that took the lives of an estimated 800.000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus. Despite the large numbers of refugees who have already returned to their homes in Rwanda. a considerable number remain in Congo. many of them women and children. Many are exhausted and weak from almost three years of constant movement. malnutrition and illness. Clearly there exists the very real likelihood that among the Rwandan refugees who remain in Congo are those responsible for the 1994 Rwandan genocide. If so. they should be returned to Rwanda and held accountable for their crimes before their own countrymen at the International War Crimes Tribunal. There is absolutely no justification for the execution of any Rwandan refugee in Congo. Unfortunately. reports of persecution of Rwandan refugees in Kabilas Congo are not entirely new. Such claims have been associated with the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo since its early battlefield victories in eastern Zaire. However. Laurent Kabila earlier this month in a meeting with Ambassador Bill Richardson committed himself to assist international efforts to account for and repatriate Rwandan refugees in his country. The successful resolution of the refugee issue in Congo has serious consequences for the future of his country. Failure to follow through on this commitment seriously calls into question the credibility of the Kabila government to deliver on its promises to the world and its own people. The U.N. team in Congo so far has not encountered any difficulties. If Mr. Kabila expects to receive the support of the international community. it is imperative that he fulfill his earlier pledge and secure the access the United Nations needs to locate and repatriate the refugees. If Mr. Kabila does not live up to his existing commitments on the issue of the Rwandan refugees. its unclear what confidence there will be for his promises of democracy and peace for the Congolese people.e