Burundi/Congo: HRW Report Praised by Congo Minister for Aiding Peace

In rare praise from government officials in Africa, the human rights minister from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) commended Human Rights Watch's September report on the August 2004 slaughter of more than 150 civilians (including many Congolese) at Gatumba refugee camp in Burundi. The report called on the United Nations and the Burundian government to protect civilians and bring those responsible for these crimes to justice. The minister praised our report's neutral stance, saying that it "saved the peace process in the DRC," and that it "had a huge impact in decreasing tensions amongst government ministers."