Violence and arrests during an operation last year to expel tens of thousands of Democratic Republic of Congo nationals from neighbouring Congo-Brazzaville could amount to crimes against humanity, Amnesty International said Thursday.
"Police frequently used excessive force, carried out arbitrary arrests, extorted money and belongings, destroyed property and, in some cases, even raped women and girls," the London-based rights group said in a statement.
Under the guise of hunting for illegal immigrants accused of crimes, Republic of Congo authorities expelled or pushed to leave nearly 250,000 DR Congo nationals amid an increasingly xenophobic climate in Brazzaville.
One victim of the violence recounted to Amnesty how she was gang-raped by six policemen in her home
"As I... tried to resist, they told me they would show me how a Brazzavillois treats a Zairois (DR Congo national): like a dog," the woman told the rights group.
Local police used the media to publicise the mass deportations and recording artists even released songs inciting discrimination.
According to Amnesty, one song included the lyrics: "The Ngala (foreigners or DR Congo nationals) are going home now, let us save our jobs and let them go."
The Amnesty report is centred around the so-called "Mbata ya bakolo" operation -- which literally translates to "slap of the elders" -- that lasted from April to September 2014. The second phase of the operation began in May of this year.
"Mbata ya Bakolo was marked by widespread attacks that could amount to crimes against humanity," Evie Francq, Amnesty International DRC researcher, said in the statement.
"The organisation calls for a halt of all current plans of mass expulsions of foreign nationals from the Republic of Congo and for all those unlawfully expelled to be allowed to return, if they so desire," Amnesty said.