Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
Arbitrarily shooting, stabbing, raping and abducting people, rebels in eastern Congo have killed at least 131 people and inflicted "unspeakable violence" against civilians, says a new U.N. report.
The M23 rebel group killed men, women and children in two villages in Congo's Rutshuru territory in North Kivu province last month, according to a preliminary investigation by the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office in Congo and MONUSCO, the U.N. peacekeeping mission in the country.
The investigation, based on interviews with 52 victims and witnesses, details a brutal campaign of killings, rapes, kidnappings and looting in Kishishe and Bambo villages, between November 29 and 30 by the rebels. At least 60 people were abducted, 22 women and girls raped, property looted and houses burned, says the report.
The killings were among the latest in clashes between the rebels and a coalition of armed civilian protection militia, which have been fighting each other in eastern Congo for more than a year, since M23 rebels resurfaced after being dormant for nearly a decade.
The M23 rose to prominence 10 years ago when its fighters seized Goma, the largest city in Congo's east, which sits along the border with Rwanda. The group derives its name from a March 23 peace deal in 2009, which it accuses the government of not implementing.
After the attacks, rebels prevented survivors from leaving ransacked villages and allegedly buried bodies of victims in what might have been an attempt to destroy evidence, said the U.N. report. Due to security constraints, investigators were unable to access the villages and instead spoke to survivors and witnesses at a U.N. peacekeeping base in a nearby town where people had sought refuge.
The report comes amid a spate of tit-for-tat accusations by both groups accusing the other of atrocities. While a cease-fire was agreed to last month, analysts say the new attacks could lead to further violence.
"Despite M23's recent statements expressing willingness to withdraw, the group's attacks against civilians could potentially indicate an escalation of the conflict, and are likely to lead to further violence between M23 and other armed groups, some of whom have also committed violations. Civilians, as always, will pay the price," said Daniel Levine-Spound a researcher focused on Congo with the Center for Civilians in Conflict.
M23 did not immediately respond to the findings of the U.N.'s investigation but has previously dismissed similar accusations as propaganda. It said that it is committed to abiding by the cease-fire agreed to in Angola in November. Speaking to The Associated Press by phone, Lawrence Kanyuka, the rebel group's political spokesman asserted that M23 is entitled to defend itself if attacked.
However, the group has gained ground in recent weeks, inching close to Goma and expanding into Masisi, increases in their territory that make it hard to believe the rebels are only acting in self-defense.
"When you look at how much terrain they've gained since October it's hard to believe that argument that they're just defending themselves," said Eliora Henzler, coordinator for the Kivu Security Tracker. "The problem is that it's still not clear to us what they want. It's difficult to understand what they see as an end game."
In an attempt to help Congo's government to stabilize the country, on Thursday the Council of the European Union added eight names to a list of people subject to restrictive measures, including a member from M23 as well as four other armed groups in Congo, said a statement by the council. Measures include a ban on entering the EU and asset freezes. Most of the people on the list are alleged to be responsible for serious human rights abuses as well as maintaining the conflict in Congo, said the EU.
The violence is exacerbating a dire humanitarian crisis in eastern Congo. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced, living in squalid conditions in damp schools, churches and stadiums. Locals want the Congolese government to do more to stem the violence, but say they won't support negotiations with a group as brutal as M23.
"I would like our government to start fighting and finish the M23 rebels and refuse any negotiations with these terrorists," said Stephanie Mbafumoja a resident in the nearby town of Beni. "Why negotiate with them? It is enough to annihilate them for peace to return to Congo."
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.