DR Congo: Human rights violations drop

Kinshasa, DR Congo (PANA) – The UN Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO) has reported 2,360 human rights violations in DR Congo in 2014, compared to 2,600 cases in 2013.

The UNJHRO announced the figure at the UN weekly conference in Kinshasa, DR Congo's capital, Wednesday.

It said the most affected areas are the eastern provinces, with 1,730 violations.

The UN office said state agents were responsible for 1,354 violations, representing more than 57% of the overall number of human rights violations.

Among the state agents, the military and the police were the main perpetrators of human rights violations committed in 2014, with 699 and 546 violations respectively.

Among the armed groups, the Maï Maï fighters were the main perpetrators of human rights violations, with 285 cases, followed by the fighters from the democratic forces for Rwanda liberation (FDLR), 157 violations.

In 2014, UNJHRO reported 364 adult victims of sexual violence in the provinces affected by the conflict - Eastern province (184 women), North-Kivu (122 women and three men), South-Kivu (29 women) and Katanga (26 women).
-0- PANA KON/BEH/SOC/MSA/SEG 5Feb2015