Democratic Republic of Congo Human Rights

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Background

» Video: Update on the Democratic Republic of Congo

Early in 2009, there was a dramatic turn of events in the conflicts in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The DRC government reached agreements with its often-hostile neighbors Uganda and Rwanda, permitting them to pursue their enemies by joint military operations on Congolese soil.

In Ituri district, in the far northeast of DRC, the American government reportedly helped finance and plan the joint operation of Uganda, South Sudan and DRC against the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). This operation led to dispersal of LRA forces but also to LRA reprisal attacks on Congolese civilians, in Ituri and neighboring Haut-Uele. Hundreds of Congolese reportedly were killed, and thousands displaced. 

To the south of Ituri, in North Kivu province, Rwanda and Uganda apparently reached an agreement to end proxy warfare. Rwanda allegedly withdrew its support from Congolese Tutsi warlord, General Laurent Nkunda, and detained him in Rwanda. In return, the DRC government withdrew its support from the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). The Rwandan and DRC armies began joint operations against the FDLR. These operations enjoyed some success, in that large numbers of Rwandan Hutu, including FDLR members and their dependents, began returning home or turning themselves in to the UN mission (MONUC). A small American military mission was observed in North Kivu; its precise role is unclear.

Nkunda remained in Rwanda, as of February 7, and a spokesman for the Rwandan government said "negotiations" were going on between DRC and Rwanda over his return to DRC. Both Nkunda and his successor, General Ntaganda, have been accused of war crimes. 

In South Kivu, political figures, civil society activists and ordinary citizens expressed concern over the possibility that Rwandan military forces would be sent to their area. There are FDLR forces in the province, and the Congolese of South Kivu no doubt would be glad to see the last of them. However, they have bitter memories of the violence of the Rwandan invasions of 1996 and 1998 and the Rwandan occupation that lasted (officially) until 2002.
Some of the FDLR fighters reportedly are moving south, into North Katanga Province, in anticipation of the arrival of Rwandan soldiers in South Kivu. North Katanga was occupied by Rwanda in the 1990s, and a period of chaos followed the withdrawal of Rwandan troops. 

The situation in the entire eastern strip of DRC, from Haut-Uele in the North to Haut-Katanga in the South, is very dangerous. Systematic abductions of women and children remain widespread. Direct or indiscriminate attacks against civilians and peacekeepers are war crimes and can constitute crimes against humanity, and are punishable under international law.

Learn More:

» Violence in the DRC. Radio show with country specialist Tom Turner
» Armed groups and government forces continue to abuse women and children in North Kivu (Report)
» DRC: Open letter to all members of the Security Council
» In Congo, a Little Fighting Brings a Lot of Fear (NY Times)

Building a More Secure Environment for Human Rights

Despite an international agreement in 2003 to end the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and two further agreements at the beginning of 2008 to end fighting in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, DRC remains a combat zone. Millions of Congolese have perished, and over a million more have been displaced.

As in the past, fighting is fueled by the vast mineral resources of DRC. Armed groups control mines and export minerals illegally, using the minerals or the cash obtained for them to buy more arms. A further problem concerns contracts with foreign mining companies, often granted during the war at a time when the Congolese government was strapped for cash. The government now is attempting to renegotiate some of these contracts, in order to retain a larger share of the mining operations.

Conflict in DRC can be seen as “war against women,” in which women and girls were and are being raped in great numbers, as a means of destroying their families and communities. All sides have committed these offenses. In recent months the Congolese armed forces have been responsible for the greatest number of rapes.

© International Crisis Group

All or nearly all of the contending military forces in DRC made heavy use of minors, as combatants, as porters, as cooks, and as sex slaves. More than two years after DRC launched a countrywide program to release and reintegrate child soldiers into civilian life, at least 11,000 children are still with armed groups or are unaccounted for. The majority of girls are either abandoned or misidentified as "dependents" of adult fighters. In some areas girls make up less than two percent of the children released from armed groups and passing through the DRC's disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration program (DDR), despite the fact that they make up approximately 40 percent of the children used by armed groups. The government has taken no steps to trace and recover these missing children. Implementation of the demobilization program has been hampered by a lack of political and military will, serious management and technical problems and continuing insecurity in eastern DRC.

Throughout the war and the 2006 election campaign, human rights defenders have faced threats, violence, and even murder. To date, few of those responsible have been punished. Unchecked impunity reflects both a lack of will and the ineffectiveness of the Congolese criminal justice system.

The United Nations Mission in DRC -- MONUC -- plays essential roles in restoring order, particularly in eastern DRC, and in providing professional training (including training on human rights) to Congolese security forces. At the same time, some MONUC personnel have been accused of participation in human rights abuses against women and girls, and of involvement in illegal trafficking of minerals and arms.

Urge US Government to Stop the War Against Women in the DRC
If the peace process in the DRC is to succeed, it requires, as a fundamental first step, an immediate end to sexual violence, the recruitment and use of child soldiers, and the immediate and unconditional release of children from the armed groups. The US Government can play a key role in making these measures a priority via the International Facilitation Team and its own diplomatic relations with the DRC. » More actions

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