20120512
KINSHASA, May 11 (Xinhua) -- UN Assistant Secretary General Ivan Simonovic is urging the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) to respect the Rome Statute in the case of general Bosco Ntaganda, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague.

"It is not enough to arrest him, but he must also be transferred to the ICC because this will serve as a lesson to other war lords and more so because DR Congo is a signatory to the Rome Statute," Simonovic said on Thursday.

At the end of nine-day trip to evaluate the human rights situation in DR Congo's South Kivu and Kasai Occidental provinces, the UN official advised the local authorities to continue cooperating with the UN Mission for Stabilization of Congo (MONUSCO), so that the success of Amani Leo (Peace Today) and Amani Kamilifu (Long-lasting Peace) operations could be extended to other provinces.

Simonovic also noted that the country lacked structures for civilian protection.

Regarding the situation of those who have been expelled from Angola, the UN official asked the Congolese government to open talks with Angola in order to resolve this problem.

On May 16, he said, he is to report to the United Nations Security Council on the development of the human rights situation in DR Congo.

Ntaganda used to be the deputy of Laurent Nkunda, the leader of the rebel National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP), who was arrested in January 2009 in Rwanda while fleeing a joint military crackdown by the two neighboring countries in the eastern part of DR Congo. Ntaganda and his men were later integrated into government forces FARDC.

Since April 29, FARDC and the men loyal to Ntanganda have been fighting in the eastern region of Masisi in North Kivu, where at least 40,000 people have been displaced, according to the UN sources.