U.S. concerned over atrocities in Zaire

[Reuters]

WASHINGTON (Reuter) - The United States Tuesday voiced
concern over ``mounting evidence'' of abuses of civilians by
rebel fighters in eastern Zaire but said the international
community was uncertain what to do about the crisis there.
``There is mounting evidence, unfortunately, of a series of
atrocities that have been committed just in recent weeks in
eastern Zaire, State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns said,
laying blame on ``the Banyamulange rebels, the Tutsi rebels in
Zaire.''
``Recently there have been consistent reports by refugees
repatriating at Gisenyi of killings by rebel forces in northern
Zaire, allegations of slayings of refugees in the southwestern
part of the rebel-held territory, and rumors of executions of
Zairian government officials in Bukavu, as well as allegations
that returning young male refugees have been separated before
they've reached the border and have disappeared,'' Burns told
reporters.
He urged rebel leaders to halt the abuses and allow
independent observers to investigate. The international
community would ensure violators were brought to justice, he
added.
However, he said the United States and its international
allies still had not decided what if any action to take there.
Rebel leaders have been taking towns as part of an intensive
offensive in the eastern region that could be a serious blow to
the government of Zaire, a key resource-rich country in central
Africa.
President Clinton announced several weeks ago that the
United States would be willing to send some 4,000 troops as part
of a multinational force in eastern Zaire to help get food and
supplies to an estimated 1.1 million refugees fleeing the border
into the Zairean interior.
But many of those refugees -- Washington has said 600,000 --
have since returned to Rwanda, throwing plans for the
international force into disarrary.
Canada, which was tapped to lead the international force,
had mooted the idea of airdropping food and supplies to refugees
said to be still at risk in Zaire, but Burns said this idea
remained ``in the planning stage.''
An international working group on Zaire operates on
consensus ``and there is, I think, no consensus, but even no
inclination from the organizing countries to proceed yet with
this operation,'' Burns said.
``The same is true about the contingency plans that had been
written about the possible deployment of a multinational
military force. That is still something that is a possibility,
but by no means a certainty,'' he said.
On the atrocities, Burns said it was believed that hundreds,
maybe more, civilians have been killed in recent months but
international observers would have to be allowed in to affected
areas to establish an exact count.
``Obviously, we want to do everything we can to increase
public pressure on these rebel groups, the rebel alliance in
eastern Zaire to make it cease and desist from this type of
outrageous behavior,'' he said.
He stressed that the United States supported Zaire's
territorial integrity and was ``not supporting in any way, shape
or form these rebel movements and their military objectives.''