UN delays Congo atrocities report

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The United Nations decided to delay publication of its report on atrocities in Congo until Oct. 1, letting Rwanda address genocide allegations while urging Kigali to keep its peacekeeping troops in Africa.

The comprehensive report had been expected to be published this week, but a UN statement said it would give concerned states a chance to comment over the next month.

Rwanda said on Tuesday that it was considering pulling out all its troops from UN peacekeeping missions, starting with Darfur, following a leaked draft of the report seen by Reuters in which it was accused of genocide.

``There is a strong willingness on the part of the United Nations to publish the report while also taking account of the potential negative effects,'' a Western diplomat told Reuters.

``Rwanda has reacted strongly and could take measures to remove its peacekeepers.''

The government of President Paul Kagame has rejected the genocide charges as malicious and ridiculous.

``Following requests, we have decided to give concerned states a further month to comment on the draft and I have offered to publish any comments alongside the report itself on 1 October, if they so wish,'' UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said in a statement.

The report covers more than 600 serious crimes committed by various forces in the former Zaire during the period 1993-2003 in which tens of thousands of people were killed, Pillay said.

``Most of these attacks were directed against non-combatant civilian populations consisting primarily of women and children,'' she said.

PREVIOUSLY UNDOCUMENTED INCIDENTS

More than 1,280 witnesses were interviewed about the crimes, including previously undocumented incidents, and more than 1,500 documents were analysed during two years of research, she said.

Pillay, a former UN war crimes judge, said the report's main aim was to help Congo's government find judicial mechanisms to deal with the legacy of these crimes, including reparations.

The period saw the fall of dictator Mobutu Sese Seko and a five-year conflict involving six foreign armies, including Rwanda's Tutsi-led force. Millions of people died, most from hunger and disease rather than violence.

After quashing the 1994 genocide of 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus in Rwanda, Kigali's army invaded Congo, ostensibly to hunt down Hutu fighters who had taken part in the killings and fled to the east of the vast mineral-rich country.

Under Kagame, re-elected last month, Rwanda has become a showcase for economic reform and investment in Africa. Foreign direct investment soared to $119 million in 2009 from just $16 ($NZ22.34)  million three years earlier, a UN report said on Thursday.

Rwanda now has some 3,485 soldiers and 143 police officers deployed in Darfur.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, asked for reaction to Rwanda's threat, said the world body was very grateful for the ``strong support'' of the Rwandan government in sending its men and women as peacekeepers to hotspots including Darfur.

``It is very important and I sincerely hope that such support and contribution will continue for the peace and security in the region. The peace and security of Darfur and Sudan has very important implications for peace and security in the region,'' he told reporters in Vienna.

- Reuters