UN Records 411 Human Rights Violations In DR Congo

The United Nations Joint Human Rights Office said that it documented at least 411 cases of human rights violations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) in January.
The agency in a statement in Kinshasa said that the figure represented an increase compared with the figure of the previous month when 347 violations were documented.
“The most affected provinces were those in the eastern part of the country such as North Kivu, Ituri and Haut Uele provinces,” the report stated.
According to the report, state officials such as police, the army, intelligence services and other administrative authorities were responsible for 274 violations that affected 468 victims.
It stated that fighters of armed groups were responsible for 137 violations of human rights which left at least 265 victims.
The UN agency welcomed the imprisonment of 14 soldiers and six police officers last month, who engaged in acts that constitute violation of human rights.
It, however, expressed concern over the significant increase in the number of prison escapes, which rose to 119 people last month, and which occurred with complicity from prison guards. (Xinhua/NAN)