Fresh Warnings of Tension and Instability in Congo

Annan issues fresh warning about tension, instability in DR of Congo

Voicing concern at the continuing instability and tension in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), especially in the eastern city of Bukavu, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today urged all parties to respect and uphold the country’s fragile peace process.

In a statement released by a UN spokesman in New York, Mr. Annan warned that the peace process is in peril after the recent wave of violence across the DRC.

Thousands of Congolese refugees have fled across the border into Burundi and Rwanda following a surge in ethnic-related violence in the country’s east, especially in and around the city of Bukavu.

At least 66 people were killed, 31 raped and 77 injured in Bukavu during an insurgency that began on 26 May and climaxed at the start of this month with the brief seizure of the city by rebels.

Last week there was an attempted coup in the capital, Kinshasa, against the DRC’s Transitional Government.

Mr. Annan “urges all components in the Transitional Government to address the crisis in Bukavu and all other issues in a consensual manner,” according to the statement.

Urging all sides to respect international humanitarian law, the Secretary-General also expressed his concern about the ongoing influx of refugees into Burundi.

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