ituri: “covered in blood” - Human Rights Watch

At that time it was clear the UPC were in charge. Commander Bosco had been at the head of the attack
but he didn’t stay long after it was over. The troops of the MLC were led by the UPC. They all spoke
Lingala. I spoke to a person I knew from this group. He told me that the UPC from Aru had asked them
to come and attack Mongbwalu. They had been promised gold if they helped. As soon as they had
captured Mongbwalu they set up a system of collecting taxes and gold from people who were mining. 128
Soon after the attack, the UPC attempted to start up the gold operations. This required labor and the most
experienced diggers were Lendu and “non-originaires”. The UPC sent out messengers to encourage the
population to return. According to a witness, “ The UPC commander said in a meeting that the UPC was for
everyone. He asked the population to return, especially the Lendu, but they refused.” 129 When a few people
returned, the UPC tried to use them to persuade others to come also. A witness said:
Gbala also came back and the Hema asked him to go into the forest and call for the others to return. He
did go into the forest and told the people the truth, that their homes had been looted. Some people
refused to return but others did. When Gbala returned on 16 December 2002 he was arrested and accused
of being against the UPC as he had denounced the looting. He was taken to prison and then killed. 130
Because most Lendu refused to return, UPC troops forced others to begin mining. A witness said:
Many people fled but those who stayed in Mongbwalu were made to work for the Hema militia digging
gold. There were three shifts: those who worked in the morning, those who worked in the afternoon, and
those who worked at night. They were not paid. It was hard labor. They had to dig under big stones
without machines. They had only hand tools like pick-axes. They were given bananas and beans to eat
and they were beaten. Some tried to run away by pretending to go to the toilet. The Hema militia were
keeping watch over the workers. As the Lendu had fled, all the other groups were made to dig. I saw
them working there on the first day. The Ugandans were also there to ensure security. If they hadn’t
been there, it would have been terrible. The quarry belonged to Mr. Baou. Before, everyone used to dig
gold, but the Lendu were considered the experts. 131
In this case Ugandan soldiers present to protect the gold mining operations apparently also limited militia abuses
of persons forced to work there.
Local witnesses report that some Rwandans were present during the Mongbwalu attack, claiming they recognized
them by their language, their accents, and their appearance. According to one person, Lendu combatants captured
several Rwandans along with Ugandans in the fighting. He said, “They found their ID cards which showed they
were Ugandan and Rwandans. I saw them bringing Rwandans into Saio. The Lendu called out to us to come and
see the Rwandans they had captured.” 132
With the tension between Uganda and Rwanda, it is unlikely that regular soldiers of their armies would have
cooperated in military operations, but it is possible that dissidents or rebels from one force could have joined with
regular forces from the other. Such was the report in one journal that specializes in mining affairs. The
Rwandans, reportedly already supplying training and arms to the UPC, would have been prompted in part by a
desire to exploit local resources in gold. Lubanga reportedly promised to ship the gold out through Kigali rather
than through Kampala. 133
128 Human Rights Watch interview, Bunia, February 2003.
129 Ibid.
130 Ibid.
131 Human Rights Watch interview, Oicha, February 2003.
132 Human Rights Watch interview, Erengeti, February 2003.
133 “UPC Rebels Grab Mongbwalu’s Gold”, African Mining Intelligence No. 53, January 15, 2003.
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July 2003, Vol. 15,No. 11 (A)