| Congolese commanders arrested for cannibalism Yesterday in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where there is a civil war, on the personal order of the head of the alliance of rebel fronts, Jean-Pierre Bemba (according to the peace plan prepared by the mediators, he should become one of the three vice-presidents in the transitional government), the commander of military operations was arrested in Aituri province, Colonel Freddy Ngaimo and five other commanders. The reason for the arrests was accusations of cannibalism. They were heard in the report of the UN observation mission in the DRC, which had the effect of a bomb exploding.
The document says that from October to December last year in the eastern province of Aituri, rebels from the Congo Liberation Movement and allied nationalists tortured, raped, executed and... ate their opponents. The facts of heinous crimes were confirmed by the testimony of more than 350 people. The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting and demanded that “all groups claiming a role in determining the future of the Congo demonstrate respect for human rights.”
Congolese rebels initially vehemently denied the accusations and even claimed that it was a provocation aimed at smearing their leaders on the eve of the decisive stage of negotiations to end the war in the country. However, yesterday's arrests indicate that these accusations have substance.
In many parts of Africa there is a belief that by eating the flesh of an enemy you have killed, you can acquire qualities of his character, such as intelligence or courage. In addition, the prisoners' livers were cut out and eaten to intimidate the vanquished. Even in the recent history of the Dark Continent there are examples of heads of state feasting on human flesh. A natural cannibal, they say, was the former dictator of Uganda, Idi Amin, who ruled the country from 1971 to 1979, and now lives safely in Saudi Arabia. Another famous cannibal died two years ago in France - Jean Bokassa, who declared himself Emperor of the Central African Republic, ruled from 1966 to 1979. After his overthrow, parts of dismembered human bodies were found in refrigerators in his palace. Igor TARUTIN |
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