Oct 1 (Reuters) - The United Nations has issued a report documenting atrocities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) between 1993 and 2003.
* The 560-page report lists 617 of the most serious violations of human rights, based on a two-year "mapping exercise" in which more than 1,280 witnesses were interviewed and more than 1,500 documents were examined.
* The impetus for the mapping exercise came from the discovery in 2005, two years after a peace agreement came into force, of three mass graves in eastern Congo.
* It found that tens of thousands of people were killed and many more raped, mutilated or otherwise victimised in the period.
* The report lists the involvement of at least 21 armed Congolese groups in serious human rights violations as well as operations by the military forces of eight other states -- Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Angola, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Chad and Sudan.
* It lists cases where Zairean or Congolese security forces were responsible for violations of human rights.
* The report attempts to gather basic information about incidents during the period but is not a judicial investigation and does not establish criminal responsibility.
* It encourages the Congo to set up a transitional justice system, with the help of other countries to seek truth, justice, reparations and reform to end impunity for crimes.
* The report was delayed for a month to allow other countries to comment after a leak suggested it stated that Rwandan forces had committed genocide in the Congo.
* No significant changes were made to the report during this extra month, according to U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay.
* The report says that only a proper court can determine whether any of the atrocities amounted to the crime of genocide. It says many of the abuses documented could be war crimes or crimes against humanity.
* Comments by other states are not included in the report but are on the U.N. Human Rights website www.ohchr.org .
* The report finds that all combatant forces systematically used rape and sexual assault against women and girls in the period. Cases documented are probably a small fraction of the total, and the use of sexual violence continues.
* Sexual violence was a daily reality for Congolese women. It was often particularly brutal and sometimes driven by ethnic hatred.
* Children were particularly vulnerable to violence, including murder and rape. At least 30,000 were recruited or used by armed forces. Many were brutalised or forced to commit horrific crimes to toughen them up for battle.
* The struggle for control of Congo's natural wealth -- including diamonds, gold, copper, cobalt, tin ore, coltan, timber, coffee and oil -- became a driving force behind the fighting which originated in political and ethnic conflict. (For story on report click on [ID:nLDE6901XY] ) (For full report go to http://link.reuters.com/sud56p ) (Source: United Nations - Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights) (Compiled by Jonathan Lynn)
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