It is unfortunate to note that the UN mapping report is often used erroneously and superficially to dramatically amplify the death toll in DR Congo and launch unjustified accusations against individuals whom the report has never identified as accountable. Definitely, the mapping report falls short as a credible reference by any standard, as it fundamentally failed in its official purpose to establish the truth and deliver justice to the victims. However, its partisan political exploitation, particularly by pointing to 'false' culprits associated with 'false' crimes, greatly undermines efforts to promote peace and reconciliation. In this article, we will seek to clarify what the mapping report actually indicated regarding the death toll and the origins of the figure of 'six million' widely cited by Congolese and some Europeans self-proclaimed experts on Africa. Our aim is to provide a more accurate understanding of this complex issue.

Inventory of human rights and humanitarian law violations

The "United Nations Mapping Report on the most serious human rights and international humanitarian law violations committed between March 1993 and June 2003 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo," hereinafter referred to as the "mapping report," lists 617 incidents distributed across the various periods of the Congolese conflict as follows: