[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 91 (Wednesday, June 25, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S6383]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             THE SLAUGHTER OF REFUGEES IN CONGO MUST CEASE

 Mr. BIDEN. 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 Kabila's 
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, it's unclear what confidence there will be for his promises 
of democracy and peace for the Congolese people.

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