Recent clashes threaten peace
in Democratic Republic of Congo

Recent fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo included indiscriminate murders, sexual violence against women and girls and uprooting of more than 25,000 people. The outbreak threatens to derail the fragile peace process just as the country is undergoing a difficult transition after six years of civil war that has claimed the lives of more than 3 million people.

Furthermore, tensions between Rwanda and the Congo have prompted the Congolese government to deploy thousands of soldiers in strategic positions in the eastern part of the country. Analysts fear that a full scale regional war could erupt between the two nations.

The urgency of the latest humanitarian crisis became even more apparent when more than 180 Congolese Tutsis fleeing the violence in their native land were massacred recently at a United Nations refugee camp in neighboring Burundi. For a report on the Burundi massacre, visit UUSC saddened by massacre of Congolese refugees in Burundi.

Action  

Contact U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell to express your concern and urge that the U.S. government provide critical support to the newly established National Unity and Transition Government in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Please visit our online Legislative Action Center to send an immediate message by e-mail or fax, or send a letter by regular mail to:

The Honorable Colin Powell
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
21st and C Streets, N.W.
Washington, DC 20050

Message

·        The latest insurgency in Bukavu may be a prelude to yet another outbreak of war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, making it the third war this nation has faced in almost seven years.
·        Continued loss of civilian life and the inhumane treatment of women and children must be stopped.
·        The people of the Congo have already endured five years of war and have suffered enough at the hands of rebels, government forces and neighboring nations.
·        The U.S. government must provide much-needed support to the transition government in the Congo capital of Kinshasa and to ensure that the peace process continues to move forward.
·        The U.S. government must use its influence in the international community, as it does in some countries, to make the protection of innocent civilians their number one priority.

Background

Prior to the outbreak of renewed violence on May 26, 2004, the peace process has been threatened several times, but has remarkably managed to be restored. This time, however, as tensions continue to rise between the Congolese government and its neighbor, Rwanda, the eastern part of the DRC may once again become a battleground for the third time in the last six years.

The recent fighting in the eastern town of Bukavu in the South Kivu Province has been camouflaged as a war of ethnicities in which two leaders of the former rebel group, the RCD (Congolese Rally for Democracy) in Goma, claim to be shielding the Banyamulenge, or ethnic Congolese Tutsis, from persecution at the hands of the Congolese government. Ancestors of the Banyamulenge migrated from neighboring Rwanda and Burundi to the Congo several hundred years ago. The two renegade leaders in the newly established Congolese national army, General Laurent Nkunda and Colonel Jules Mutebutsi, seized the town of Bukavu which ultimately led to clashes with government forces. The two leaders accused the regional military commander assigned by the government, General Mbuza, of widespread ethnic persecution in the region.

UUSC partners in the Congo continue to monitor the security situation in Bukavu and call on the international community to step up its efforts in protecting defenseless civilians against the atrocities committed against them.

Partner reports atrocities

The coordinator of UUSC program partner, HADEFE (People's Group for the Support and Advancement of Women's and Children's Rights), was in Bukavu at the time the town came under siege by the rebels. The coordinator, Ildephonse Birhaheka reported that grave human rights violations took place on May 26, including the killing of civilians and widespread sexual violence against women and girls. He also reported widespread looting of homes, businesses, and offices of international organizations. According to Refugees International, the latest clashes forced the suspension of 80 percent of humanitarian assistance earmarked to 3.3 million vulnerable people in the region.

Mr. Birhaheka notes that people have been severely traumatized and feel abandoned by the United Nations and the international community. He adds that people are wondering what will happen after Bukavu. This, he says, seriously risks the beginning of another war and jeopardizes the country's peace process in which Congolese citizens sacrificed for many years to finally achieve.

The Banyamulenge, afraid of being targeted and anxious of further reprisals if they stay in Bukavu, have fled to neighboring Burundi. Two other ethnic groups, the Bafulero and the Babembe, have also fled for fear of getting caught in the crossfire. To date, this recent insurgency has displaced more than 25,000 people. Hundreds of families have registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The majority of refugees have been moved to Burundi's eastern province of Cankuzo, while others are staying with family or friends.

Rwanda aids rebels

Congo President Joseph Kabila accused the government of Rwanda for assisting the rebel commanders and their soldiers in the capture of Bukavu. Rwanda has denied all claims made against it by the Congolese government, but warned the DRC against persecution of Congolese Tutsis. In response to the accusations, Rwanda closed its border with the DRC, blocking the passage of refugees and the delivery of humanitarian aid. Not long ago, Rwanda had troops on Congolese soil, claiming its military presence on the capture of Hutu extremists responsible for the 1994 genocide who fled across the border to the Congo. (Visit International community observes 10th anniversary of Rwanda genocide for a report and photo essay on the 1994 Rwanda genocide.) However, Rwanda has been accused of plundering Congo's rich mineral resources and supporting rebel groups fighting against the government. An unpublished report recently released by the United Nations cites evidence that Rwanda has broken the arms embargo by supplying rebels with arms and munitions.

The United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in the Congo, otherwise known as MONUC, was also accused of negligence in the capture of Bukavu. MONUC is accused of failing to protect civilians and for not implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1493 drafted in July 2003. The resolution authorizes MONUC “to take the necessary measures to protect civilians and humanitarian workers under imminent threat of physical violence; and to contribute to the improvement of the security conditions in which humanitarian assistance is provided.” MONUC has more than 10,000 troops already deployed in the Congo, but is still under-resourced considering the large size of the DRC. 

Posted August 18, 2004