Sharp spike in human right violations in DRCongo: UN

By Godfrey Olukya

ARU, Democratic Republic of Congo (AA) - The UN has documented 3,316 human rights violations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the last six months, UN radio in the DRC reported Thursday.

This represents a sharp increase compared to the same period in the previous year (2,822 violations), said a UN Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO) statement.

Abdul Aziz Thioye, director of the UNJHRO, called the increase worrying, especially in view of the increasingly widespread violations of civil and political rights as the Central African country prepares for presidential elections this December.

"There are several factors that come into play. The province that tops the list among the provinces is North Kivu. This is the place in the DRC where you meet the largest number of armed groups and militias per square kilometer,” he added.

“The presence of armed groups leads to military operations, and the military operations also generate human rights violations."

Long-delayed presidential elections are set for Dec. 23.