As a result of a vicious treatment by UN forces, 42 year old Rwandan refugee Yvonne Kayitesi is now in coma, after suffering a heart attack due to injuries suffered at the hands of MONUSCO soldiers.. As was previously reported, a UN delegation along with some Congolese soldiers entered the compound where former soldiers who laid down their weapons are camped and ask to have a meeting with the representatives of the refugees away from the compound. Four refugee representatives left the compound with the UN delegation among them two females representatives, one of them being Ms Yvonne Kayitesi. Once outside the compound, soldiers with the UN delegation proceeded to assault the representatives, stripping them naked, then tying them up and physically and verbally abusing them. Following the injuries she suffered during the assault by these soldiers, Mr Yvonne Kayitesi suffered a heart attack, and now she is lying in coma with no one to attend to her. Another female refugee representative by the name of Jacqueline Kabayire suffered the same treatment and she was separated from her children who are now left to fend for themselves. Without a question, it is now clear that the UN has abandoned its role as a neutral peace broker and has taken the side of those responsible for the refugee situation in Eastern DRC, meaning the Rwandese Government and its foreign backers.
As it happened in Kamina about 15 years ago when hundreds of unarmed Rwandan refugees were slaughtered in front of MONUC , it is now clear that MONUSCO cannot be trusted to honour its commitment to protect unarmed civilians, instead it is actively involved in the mistreatment of refugees in an effort to force them back into the country they ran away from. It is imperative that the UN proves its neutrality by fully investigating the recent human rights abuses by its own personnel in Eastern DRC, and the world community must pay attention as another catastrophe seems to be unfolding in the Great Lakes region of Africa.
Louise Mukasine
