UN urged to sanction perpetrators of massacre in eastern DR Congo

Source:Xinhua Published: 2012-11-6 16:48:07

 The Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) is urging the United Nations to sanction those responsible for the massacre four years ago in the eastern province of North Kivu.

North Kivu Governor Julien Paluku made the call on Monday to mark the fourth anniversary of the massacre, in which 150 people were killed in the village of Kiwanja, 80 km north of the provincial capital Goma.

According to Paluku, the ethnic-based massacre was carried out by rebels of the National Council for the Defense of the People (CNDP) then led by Laurent Nkunda and supported by Bosco Ntaganda, who is being sought by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity.

The governor deplored the current occupation of the same village by ex-CNDP members now in a M23 movement formed in April. The governor appealed to the United Nations to go beyond the "phase of observation to the phase of sanctions."

"These criminals continue to carry out targeted assassinations which have led to the massive displacement of the population to more secure regions," Paluku said.

"Some of the perpetrators of those massacres are currently holding senior positions in M23," Paluku said, adding that their names were published on a list handed over to the United Nations.

He said those identified include M23 leader Bosco Ntaganda and Sultan Makenga, the military commander for the rebellion.

Posted in: Africa

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