NAIROBI, May 13 (Xinhua) -- The UN-backed military plans against rebels in South Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) are likely to lead to civilian deaths and widespread suffering, international aid agency Oxfam warned on Wednesday.
The warning comes as the UN-led peacekeeping force in DR Congo (MONUC) prepares to support the Congolese army (FARDC) in a new offensive against the remnants of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), which is linked to the 1994 Rwanda massacre.
"Four months ago an offensive against the FDLR set in train a spiral of violence against civilians which has forced 250,000 to flee their homes and caused untold death and suffering that continues to this day. By any yardstick it has been a humanitarian disaster, and one the world has ignored," Marcel Stoessel, head of Oxfam in DR Congo, said in a statement issued in Nairobi.
"The UN force's top priority in Congo must be to protect the lives of innocent civilians. The UN needs to be aware of the full implications of continuing to support military action in the present circumstances," Stoessel said.
The agency said although it recognizes that a solution is needed to halt appalling levels of human rights abuses committed by armed rebels, the answer cannot be action that knowingly increases levels of human suffering.
Oxfam stressed any military action should ensure that risks to civilians are kept to an absolute minimum and in accordance with international humanitarian law.
The agency also called for appropriate sanctions for any violations of international humanitarian law. For too long, human rights abuses, including by government soldiers, have gone largely unpunished.
The aid agency urged the United Nations to set out and stand by clear preconditions, based on rigorous observance of international humanitarian law, for MONUC support to any military action by the FARDC.
It also called for greater emphasis on non-military efforts to disarm rebel groups, which present less risk to civilians but so far have not been given sufficient priority.
The previous joint offensive against the FDLR in North Kivu, launched in January 2009, has already created immense suffering for thousands of civilians. An estimated 250,000 people are still unable to return to their homes, according to the agency.
Villagers say thousands of homes have been burned to the ground in reprisal attacks mainly by the FDLR. Rape and looting by all sides, including government forces, have also been reported.
Recent reports said 100,000 people had fled their homes in South Kivu, even before the new offensive started. Aid agencies are planning for the possible displacement of a further 400,000 people in South Kivu.
Oxfam had to expand its programs in North Kivu after the first offensive, bringing life-saving assistance to at least 85,000 people, in addition to those it was helping already.
Oxfam has also opened a new rapid response office in Bukavu, South Kivu, to be prepared for possible humanitarian fallout.
The international agency urged all major donor countries to give sufficient attention to the humanitarian crisis, which has been raging since January. Oxfam is helping to support more than 500,000 people affected by the conflict.
UN-Karte der betroffenen Region 
 Bei einem Überfall Bewaffneter auf die Stadt Busurungi in der Provinz Nord-Kivu im Osten der Demokratischen Republik Kongo wurden am 9. und 10. Mai mindestens 62 Bewohner getötet. Überlebende sagten aus, dass Einheiten der Hutu-Rebellenorganisation Forces Démocratiques de la Libération du Rwanda (FDLR) den Angriff ausgeführt hätten, teilte am 13. Mai die Mission de l’Organisation des Nations Unies en République Démocratique du Congo (MONUC) mit.

Viele der 15.000 Einwohner Busurungis sind nordwärts nach Hombo geflohen. In der Region kam es auch zu Zusammenstößen zwischen der FDLR und regulären kongolesischen Truppen.

Bei einem anderen Überfall auf die Stadt Ekingi in der Provinz Süd-Kivu wurden nach Angaben des United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in der Nacht zum 14. Mai mehr als 90 Personen getötet, darunter rund 60 Zivilpersonen und etwa 30 Soldaten. Auch für diesen Zwischenfall wird die FDLR verantwortlich gemacht.

Die FDRL-Rebellen operieren im Osten der Demokratischen Republik Kongo seit dem Völkermord in Ruanda 1994. Etliche ihrer Angehörigen werden der Täterschaft bei den Massakern an den Tutsi und gemäßigten Hutu beschuldigt.

Die UN-Friedenstruppen und die reguläre Armee des Landes (FARDC) haben eine gemeinsame Operation zur Auflösung der Rebellenmilizen begonnen. Schon zu Beginn des Jahres hatten die Demokratische Republik Kongo und Ruanda kooperiert. Beide Staaten hatten die Militäraktion im Hanuar als Erfolg bezeichnet. Nun planen UN-Friedenstruppen und reguläre Armeeeinheiten die Fortsetzung des Feldzugs. An der Offensive mit dem Namen „Kimya II“ sollen 15.000 Soldaten der FARDC teilnehmen, die logistisch von 3.500 pakistanischen Blauhelm-Soldaten unterstützt werden. Ein Ziel der Offensive ist es, die Goldminen in Shabunda und Mwenga zu erobern, um den Hutu-Rebellen die Finanzierungsquellen abzuschneiden.

Datei:DCongoSouthKivu.png|thumb|left|Lage der Provinz Sud-Livu