SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR FOR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO PAYS TRIBUTE TO TWO UN MILITARY OBSERVERS

21 May 2003






The Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iulia Motoc, has expressed her deep shock at the death of two military observers of the United Nations Observer Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC). Ms. Motoc hailed the courage, the determination and the heroism of the two military observers, from Malawi and Jordan, who died while seeking to guarantee peace in Ituri.

Ms. Motoc offered her condolences to the families of the two military observers and to their respective governments, as well as to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in charge of MONUC. She also expressed her compassion and sympathy to all the members of the Observer Mission.

The Special Rapporteur reminded the parties to the conflict in the Ituri region that the security of the military and civilian personnel of MONUC was their responsibility. She requested them to fully cooperate with the Mission in its inquiry with regard to the death of its two observers. The perpetrators of those horrible acts should not remain unpunished.

Ms. Motoc stated, once again, her deep alarm at the massive violations of human rights in Ituri and requested the international community to envisage, following the Secretary-General's proposals, an effective military presence in Ituri in order to ensure the protection of the civilian population and to prevent the perpetration of massacres.

As she has mentioned in her previous releases, Ms. Motoc exhorted the ethnic communities and the armed groups to lay down their arms as soon as possible, to end their attacks, to demonstrate their attachment to the peace process and to collaborate with the United Nations in order to restore a favourable climate for a definitive cessation of hostilities.





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