(Goma, May 18, 2009) – The United Nations Security Council, visiting
the Democratic Republic of Congo beginning today, should press for
urgent action to protect civilians, a coalition of 68 aid and human
rights groups said today. The groups said the council should make clear
to both the UN peacekeeping mission in Congo (MONUC) and the Congolese
army that stronger measures to protect civilians are urgently needed
during military operations against Rwandan militias.
The Security Council gave the green light to UN peacekeepers to support
Congolese armed forces in military operations in eastern Congo against
the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) and the Rally
for Unity and Democracy (RUD). But since military operations began in
late January 2009, first supported by the Rwandan government and later
by UN peacekeepers, these militias have deliberately targeted the
civilian population in North and South Kivu in apparent “reprisal”
attacks.
“The military operations were intended to end the attacks on civilians,
not to bring more deadly reprisals,” said Anneke Van Woudenberg, senior
researcher in the Africa division of Human Rights Watch. “As the
operations expand into South Kivu, the consequences are likely to be
just as dire. Urgent action is clearly needed to protect the people in
these areas.”
In a recent attack on May 9 and 10, dozens of civilians, including many
children, were killed and many others wounded in Busurungi, in Walikale
territory. Reports from local officials indicate the FDLR were the
attackers, but due to the remoteness of the region the information has
not yet been confirmed. A UN team has been sent to investigate the
incident.
The coalition stressed that while the militias pose a grave threat to
civilians, and are committing war crimes, the military operation
against them, known as Kimia II, has contributed to further suffering
of civilians trapped in conflict areas. Rampant abuses reportedly
committed by Congolese army soldiers against civilians are exacerbating
an already dangerous situation.
Since the beginning of military operations against the two Rwandan
militia groups, 250,000 civilians have been displaced from their homes.
Hundreds of women and girls have been raped, and at least 200 civilians
have been killed, the vast majority reportedly by FDLR combatants.
The organizations called on the Security Council delegates to take effective action to:
During the visit to eastern Congo, Security Council members are
scheduled to go to Kiwanja, 75 kilometres north of Goma, where more
than 150 people were killed in November 2008 and camps and housing for
27,000 displaced people were deliberately destroyed. The coalition
urged council members to meet with Congolese civil society leaders and
victims in Kiwanja to hear firsthand the suffering they endured and the
inability of MONUC peacekeepers to protect them.
“UN peacekeepers face huge challenges in promoting both lasting peace
and immediate security, but the Security Council cannot afford to
sacrifice the protection of the very civilians it aims to protect,”
said Marcel Stoessel, head of Oxfam in the DRC. “It’s time for the
council to pull out all the stops, give peacekeepers the resources they
need, and push for non-military action to be given greater priority
than at present.”
For more information, please contact:
In Washington, DC, for Enough, Colin Thomas-Jensen (English): +1-202-682-6136
In New York, for Human Rights Watch, Anneke Van Woudenberg (English, French): +44-77-1166-4960 (mobile)
In Kinshasa, for Oxfam, Marcel Stoessel, (English, French, German): +243-81-700-7135
In Goma, for CRONGD, Kubuya Muhangi (French, Swahili): +243-99-861-0651
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The Congo Advocacy Coalition, made up of local and international
nongovernmental organizations, was established in July 2008 to advocate
for greater protection of civilians and respect for human rights in
eastern Congo. The following organizations are members of the
coalition’s steering committee: ActionAid, ENOUGH, Human Rights Watch,
Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), Oxfam, Conseil Régional des
Organisations Non Gouvernementales de Développement (CRONGD) - North
Kivu, Promotion et Appui aux Initiatives Féminines (PAIF) – North Kivu,
Initiative Congolaise pour la Justice et la Paix (ICJP) – South Kivu,
and Association des Femmes Juristes du Congo (AFEJUCO) – South Kivu.
Other signatories:
International NGOs:
Beati i costruttori di pace (Blessed Are the Peacemakers - Heureux les
artisans de paix), Change Agents for Peace International (CAPI), Global
Witness, IEDA Relief, International Alert, Jesuit Refugee Service
(JRS), Refugees International, Trocaire, War Child Holland, World Vision
Congolese NGOs :
Action de Promotion et d'Assistance pour l'Amélioration du Niveau des
Vies des Populations (APANIVIP), Action des Chrétiens Activistes des
Droits de l'Homme à Shabunda (ACADHOSHA), Action Pour Enfants Oubliés
(APEO), Action Sociale pour la Paix et le Développement (ASPD), ACTP,
ADPS, AFEM, AMALDEFEA, APACI, APROFEDD, ASAVO, ASSALAK, ASSK,
Association Africaine de Défense des Droits de l'Homme (ASADHO)-Sud
Kivu, Association des Filles et Mamans Violées (AFMV), Association des
Jeunes pour la Prévention des Violences (AJPREV), Carrefour d'Idées
Pour le Développement Intégral (CIDI)/Nord Kivu, CCJT, Centre d’Appui
pour le Développement Rural Communautaire (CADERCO), Centre de
Recherche sur l'Environnement, la Démocratie et les Droits de l'Homme
(CREDDHO), Centre d'Etudes et de Recherche en Education de Base pour le
Développement Intégré (CEREBA), Centre Olame, CIDHOP, Collectif des
Organisations des Jeunes Solidaires du Congo (COJESKI)-Nord Kivu,
CRAF/Nyamalisa, CREF, Dauphins Muzihirwa-Kataliko, DCMD, FASI, FCA,
GRAM-Kivu, Groupe Organisés pour le Développement (GRODE), Heal Africa,
Héritiers de la Justice, La Synergie des femmes pour les victimes des
violences sexuelles (SFVS), Ligue pour la Solidarité Congolaise (LSC),
LINAJEUN-RDC, Mamans Organisées pour le Développement (MAODE), OGP,
Perspectives "Monde Juste", PROFE, Programme de Protection des Femmes
et Enfants (PROFE), RAFLCOVIHG Réseau, Réseau des Associations des
Droits de l’Homme du Sud Kivu (RADHOSKI), Réseau Provincial des ONG de
Droits de l'Homme (REPRODHOC)/Nord Kivu, SAFEDI, SAIFE, Solidarité pour
la Promotion sociale et la Paix (SOPROP), Villages Cobaye (VICO)
