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1 hour, 11 minutes ago |
By HENRY WASSWA, Associated Press Writer
KAMPALA, Uganda - The leader of a Congolese rebel group backed by Uganda denied Monday that his forces were involved in cannibalism, as U.N. investigators claim.
Roger Lumbala, leader of the Congolese Rally for Democracy-National, or RCD-National, said people living in the northern and northeastern Congo areas under his group's control were safe from such atrocities.
"RCD-National, the people under it and its army do not eat people," Lumbala said in Kampala.
U.N. investigators have found evidence of cannibalism, rape, killing and torture in northeastern Congo and accused RCD-National and another rebel group, the Congolese Liberation Movement, of being the perpetrators.
The Congolese government has said it will press for World Court prosecution of the offending rebels.
Lumbala accused the U.N. mission of being biased and said a rival rebel faction was spreading the cannibalism allegations.
On Friday, Congolese Liberation Movement leader Jean-Pierre Bemba told The Associated Press he was "shocked" and an internal investigation found no evidence of cannibalism.
But Bemba said one of his senior commanders and seven soldiers will appear in a rebel court this week to face charges of rape, looting and killing civilians. The suspects could be executed if convicted.
There have been two civil wars in Congo in the past seven years, with the latest erupting in 1998 and dividing the country into government- and rebel-held zones.
The U.N. team said rebels carried out a systematic campaign of terror against villagers in November and December in Ituri province.
Investigators reported instances in which the hearts of infants allegedly were removed and consumed, and instances in which people were forced to eat the bodies of relatives. The U.N. findings were based on testimony from victims and witnesses.
Under a power-sharing deal signed in December, Bemba's movement is guaranteed a top role in a transitional government meant to pave the way for democracy in Congo.
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