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DR Congo

Field Reports  In-Depth Reports  Letters & Testimonies

Overview
The long-running conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been one of the deadliest in the last half century.  More than 5 million people have died from causes associated with the conflict.  Over 2 million people remain internally displaced and there are more than 300,000 Congolese refugees in neighboring countries.  Civilians in eastern DRC continue to endure targeted attacks by all armed groups.  Before conditions can improve for displaced Congolese, the ongoing violence and insecurity in eastern DRC must be addressed.

Current Humanitarian Situation
Since the signing of the Goma agreement in January 2008, fighting between armed groups continued, and an escalation in violence in late 2008 led to over 250,000 new displacements in North Kivu.  Joint military operations carried out by the Congolese and Rwandan national armies against the FDLR rebel group in North Kivu in early 2009 forced thousands of civilians to flee.  After the withdrawal of Rwandan army, the Congolese army has expanded its military campaign against the FDLR into South Kivu, leading to massive new displacements and targeted abuses against the local population.  At least 800,000 people have been displaced since January 2009 as a result of the military operations against the FDLR.  The UN peacekeeping mission MONUC plays a vital role in protecting civilians, but it is hampered by resource constraints and by supporting a national army that is poorly trained and ill-equipped.

As the insecurity continues and people remain displaced for longer periods, displaced people and host communities in eastern DRC require assistance beyond basic services, particularly livelihood and education programs.  A decrease in violence in some parts of the DRC has allowed increasing numbers of displaced people to return home.  However, infrastructure, particularly roads, remains poor, and returnees are often cut off from services and access to economic opportunities.

Action Needed

  • The US must increase its support for the protection of civilians and the overall humanitarian response and promote political alternatives to the current military strategy.
  • The UN Security Council must ensure that MONUC has a clear and achievable mandate that prioritizes the protection of civilians, as well as the resources – both military and civilian – to do the job that is asked of it.

 

Field Reports
  • RDC : Les Activites Ameliorees de Protection des Civils ont Besoin D'etre Soutenues
    11/13/2009
    La sécurité en République Démocratique du Congo s’est considérablement détériorée à la suite de l’offensive militaire contre les FDLR, groupe rebelle composé d’anciens génocidaires Rwandais. Cette opération militaire a fait fuir des centaines de milliers de personnes dans les provinces du Nord et Sud Kivu. Face à cette situation, le mandat de la mission onusienne de maintien de la paix en RD Congo (MONUC) est de soutenir les forces armées Congolaises (FARDC), faibles et souvent criminelles, tout en protégeant les civils de la violence environnante. Les dirigeants de la MONUC et le Conseil de sécurité de l’ONU doivent renforcer les stratégies de protection de la mission, et s’assurer de l’application rigoureuse des critères concernant les droits de l’homme afin que le soutien aux FARDC ne compromette pas le travail de protection des civils.
  • DR Congo: Improved Civilian Protection Activities Still Need Support
    11/13/2009
    The security environment in the Democratic Republic of Congo has worsened dramatically with the launch of a military offensive against the FDLR rebel group. In the face of this conflict, the UN peacekeeping mission to the Congo (MONUC) has been mandated to support the weak and often criminal Congolese military, the FARDC, while simultaneously protecting civilians from ongoing violence.  MONUC mission leadership and the UN Security Council must reinforce the mission’s protection strategies, and ensure the rigorous application of human rights criteria to ensure that support given to the FARDC does not undermine overarching protection objectives.  
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In Depth Reports
  • Last Line of Defense: How Peacekeepers Can Better Protect Civilians
    02/24/2010

    When violent conflict breaks out, the United States and other United Nations member states often call for the deployment of UN peacekeeping forces to create stability and protect people from harm. The UN Security Council has explicitly instructed peacekeepers to protect civilians under “imminent threat of violence” in most UN peacekeeping mandates since 1999. But there is no clarity as to what “protection” means in practice. Which circumstances require action and what level of force should be used? This has resulted in a lack of proper training, guidance and resources for peacekeepers to accomplish protection activities.
  • Seizing This Moment of Hope: Towards a Secure Future in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
    10/17/2006
    For more than a decade, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has struggled with one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. Yet, improbably, that situation has improved markedly over the past few years. Seventy percent of the electorate has voted in the first democratic contest for president in four decades; violence in the east has eased, largely due to the presence of the UN peacekeeping force, MONUC; and humanitarian response has improved even as internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees begin to return home.
Advocacy Letters
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Congressional Testimony
Successes

In 2009, the UN Security Council followed our recommendations and demanded that all human rights violations committed by the Congolese army be “thoroughly investigated” and that “an appropriate mechanism” be established to assess the impact of UN peacekeeping support to the Congolese army.