No recent published information on the situation of Hutus in areas controlled by Kabila's regime, or on their treatment by the rebels-particularly with regard to the systematic search for Hutus in Kisangani in order to kill them-could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints for this Response.

However, upon his return from a 10-day visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Human Rights Watch (HRW) representative responsible for DRC-related matters stated the following in an 8 June 2000 telephone interview.

Since the Interhamwe Hutu militia and former Rwandan armed forces (Forces armées rwandaises, FAR) support Kabila's regime, the Tutsis, considered to be the instigators of the rebellion, have more problems in territories under government control than do the Hutus, who are perceived to be allies of the Kabila administration.

However, in areas controlled by the rebel faction of the Congolese Rally for Democracy (Rassemblement congolais pour la démocratie, RCD-Goma) and its allies (Rwandan soldiers who are predominantly Tutsi), Hutus (Rwandan or Congolese) are sometimes indiscriminately perceived as being members or supporters of the Interhamwe Hutu militia, and they are therefore often [translation] "persecuted for their supposed alliance with that militia."

According to HRW, other groups made up of Congolese and Rwandan Hutus have joined the remnants of the Rwandan Hutu militia, which led the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, in fighting the current government of Rwanda (HRW 20 May 2000).

In a recent document titled Background Paper on Refugees and Asylum Seekers from Democratic Republic of the Congo, published in May 2000, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) indicated that since hostilities resumed in August 1998, armed Hutu groups have been supported by Kabila's government (May 2000, 12). According to the same source, Congolese Hutus have increased recruitment of Hutu refugees from Rwanda and other neighbouring countries, with the knowledge and consent of Kabila's regime, which welcomes their support against the RCD rebels dominated by Tutsis and assisted by the Rwandan government (ibid., 24).

No current information on the systematic search for Congolese and Rwandan Hutus in Kisangani by rebels seeking to kill them could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

See also RDC33892 of 7 March 2000, available at all Regional Documentation Centres.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

United Nations High Commissioner for Refuges (UNHCR), Geneva. May 2000.

Background Paper on Refugees and Asylum Seekers from Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Human Rights Watch (HRW). 8 June 2000. Telephone interview with a respresentative responsible for DRC-related matters.

_____. May 2000. Democratic Republic of Congo: Eastern Congo Ravage: Killing Civilians and Silencing Protest. http://www.hrw.org/reports/2000/drc/Drc005.htm. [Accessed 9 June 2000]

Additional Sources Consulted

Africa Confidential January - April 2000

L'Autre Afrique August 1998 - January 2000

Resource Centre country file: DRC

Info-Congo/Kinshasa January - April 2000

Jeune Afrique January - June 2000

Keesing's Record of World Events January - March 2000

LEXIS/NEXIS

Le nouvel Afrique-Asie January-April 2000

World News Connection (WNC)

Internet sites, including:

Amnesty International Online

ASADHO.

Congo2000

Congonline

FIDH

Héritiers de la Justice

Human Rights Watch Online

International Crisis Group (ICG)

Missionary Service News Agency (MISNA)

Panafrican News Agency (PANAM)

ReliefWeb

La Voix des sans voix (VSV)