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DR Congo: An Update on North Kivu
October 28, 2008 | Camilla Olson | Tagged as: DR Congo, United Nations, Humanitarian Response
Two items on the situation in eastern Congo caught my eye recently. The first is a slideshow of photos taken by an international fashion photographer, of internally displaced people in one of the Mugunga camps located outside Goma in North Kivu. The portraits depict the range of emotions experienced by the people forced to live in the difficult situation of these camps.
I visited the Mugunga camps in April of this year and spoke with many displaced people who had been living in huts made of straw and plastic sheeting for much longer than had been anticipated, as the security situation in eastern Congo continued to worsen. Since August, fighting between the Congolese military and rebel forces loyal to the dissident General Laurent Nkunda has escalated, leading to over 100,000 people being newly displaced in North Kivu.
Those who are already living in camps like the ones outside Goma will probably not be able to return home anytime soon. Given the likelihood that this crisis will last a long time, international aid organizations need to move beyond providing just basic services to the displaced and host communities, and focus on increasing livelihood and emergency education programs.
In addition to forced displacement, rape continues to be an all too frequent abuse that people in eastern Congo, particularly women, must endure. An article in the New York Times this past weekend discusses the process of building up the justice system in South Kivu in order to hold perpetrators accountable. Rampant impunity is a huge issue in dealing with the ongoing problem of sexual violence in eastern DRC. Building up the justice system and punishing perpetrators of rape will hopefully create a stronger deterrent for those who might otherwise take advantage of the lawlessness in the east.
But, while the problem of impunity is slowly starting to be addressed, there continues to be a lack of adequate longer-term assistance for women who survive sexual violence. Well-known centers such as Panzi Hospital in Bukavu and Heal Africa in Goma provide vital medical assistance and counseling to thousands of women, but once the physical and mental scars begin to heal there is not much additional assistance to get them back on their feet. The City of Joy center that is mentioned by the New York Times will teach women leadership skills and self-defense once it opens. This is a nice gesture, but what these women could really use is longer-term socio-economic assistance to help them rebuild their lives and provide for their families.
I visited the Mugunga camps in April of this year and spoke with many displaced people who had been living in huts made of straw and plastic sheeting for much longer than had been anticipated, as the security situation in eastern Congo continued to worsen. Since August, fighting between the Congolese military and rebel forces loyal to the dissident General Laurent Nkunda has escalated, leading to over 100,000 people being newly displaced in North Kivu.
Those who are already living in camps like the ones outside Goma will probably not be able to return home anytime soon. Given the likelihood that this crisis will last a long time, international aid organizations need to move beyond providing just basic services to the displaced and host communities, and focus on increasing livelihood and emergency education programs.
In addition to forced displacement, rape continues to be an all too frequent abuse that people in eastern Congo, particularly women, must endure. An article in the New York Times this past weekend discusses the process of building up the justice system in South Kivu in order to hold perpetrators accountable. Rampant impunity is a huge issue in dealing with the ongoing problem of sexual violence in eastern DRC. Building up the justice system and punishing perpetrators of rape will hopefully create a stronger deterrent for those who might otherwise take advantage of the lawlessness in the east.
But, while the problem of impunity is slowly starting to be addressed, there continues to be a lack of adequate longer-term assistance for women who survive sexual violence. Well-known centers such as Panzi Hospital in Bukavu and Heal Africa in Goma provide vital medical assistance and counseling to thousands of women, but once the physical and mental scars begin to heal there is not much additional assistance to get them back on their feet. The City of Joy center that is mentioned by the New York Times will teach women leadership skills and self-defense once it opens. This is a nice gesture, but what these women could really use is longer-term socio-economic assistance to help them rebuild their lives and provide for their families.
