The International

On December 23, 2009, the UN Security Council extended the UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (MONUC) mandate until May 31, 2010, through the adoption of UN resolution 1906. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) – a country afflicted with ongoing violence – has been designated as being in the midst of one of the world’s greatest humanitarian crises by numerous organizations including the BBC, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), and the United Nations. The resolution, in which the Council stresses that “the protection of civilians must be given priority in decisions about the use of available capacity and resources, over any of the other tasks,” was voted in unanimously.

While Resolution 1906 officially extends MONUC’s mandate by six months, the UN News Service reports that the Council intends to increase MONUC’s mandate by an additional twelve months in early- to mid- 2010. MONUC has been working in the DRC as a UN peacekeeping mission since November 1999 and has an approved budget of about $1.3 billion. The mission operates in collaboration with the government of the DRC and the Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC).

Civilian suffering in the DRC

The DRC has been afflicted with unrest for years and a major international conflict was fought in the country less than a decade ago. The Second Congo War, popularly referred to as the “African World War,” involved eight African nations and about 25 armed groups. Though the war officially ended in July 2003, the DRC still suffers years later. Surveys conducted by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in 2008 estimated that 45,000 people died every month in the DRC, and that many of these deaths were caused by hunger or disease. The New York Times called these statistics signs that DRC was still struggling with post-war consequences such as degraded infrastructure, millions of displaced people, and a damaged economy.

According to MSF, throughout 2009 civilians endured continuous violence from different armed groups in the DRC: “hundreds of people were killed, thousands of women, children, and, sometimes, men were raped and hundreds of thousands of people fled their homes.” This violence stems from fighting in eastern DRC between Rwandan rebels from the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) and the Rwandan and Congolese armies, the latter of which receive support from MONUC.

FDLR and FARDC actions

After UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited eastern DRC in February 2009, he released a public statement discussing what he has witnessed in the region. In addition to providing an outsider’s perspective on violence and civilian abuses in the DRC, the statement emphasized the prevalence of sexual violence affecting women, children, and sometimes men. Upon the conclusion of his visit, which included a meeting with the DRC president Joseph Kabila, Secretary-General Ki-moon asserted his views on the importance of ending civilian abuses in the DRC. His statement included the fact that both rebel groups and government forces commit civilian abuses: “I discussed with President Kabila the issue relating to the civilian population and sexual violence. It is very widespread in the DRC and must stop. It’s abominable to realize that in the zones of conflict, 8 out of 10 rapes are committed by men in uniform, be they members of armed groups or the security forces.”

Human Rights Watch, an independent humanitarian organization, published interviews with DRC civilians in a 183-page report titled “You Will Be Punished”: Attacks on Civilians In Eastern Congo. One interview recounted a woman’s experience with FDLR. She was abducted by the FDLR during an attack on her village in January 2009, told Human Rights Watch: “They [FDLR] … killed my husband with a machete and two of them raped me. They also killed my father and raped my mother and sister before killing them as well, all with machete. Ten other Hutu women and girls from my village were raped and killed with machete the same night. They abducted me and brought me to their camp where I was made the ‘wife’ of Captain Jean Claude. He raped me every day until I managed to escape six months later. … The FDLR said they were brothers of the Congolese Hutu and didn’t understand why we had welcomed the FARDC. That’s why they were punishing us.”

FDLR is composed of ethnic Rwandan Hutus who oppose the Rwandan Tutsi rule and influence in Rwanda, as well as in the eastern region of the DRC that borders Rwanda. Currently, the ruling party of Rwanda is the Tutsi-run Rwandan Patriotic Front (FPR). Mr. Callixte Mbarashimana, FDLR’s executive secretary, described his organization to BBC as a “military-political organization to protect Rwandan refugees and … to liberate the Rwandan people from the yoke of the fascist regime of the RPF.” Mr. Mbarashimana also defended FDLR against accusations of civilian abuses, telling BBC that FDLR had a clean record in that regard: “There is no FDLR policy to attack any civilian population. We condemn all those abuses. We have consistently called for an international investigation so that they can identify the authors of those abuses and bring them to justice. That is our policy.”

FARDC, for their part, admits that some of their members have committed crimes against civilians. But the army also says that these crimes are taken seriously, and the FARDC members who are found guilty are punished accordingly. According to IRIN, a humanitarian news and analysis agency created by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the FARDC command says: “Cases have been brought against the FARDC, where we caught and punished them. Military justice is so active … You can go to prison and you will see soldiers who have been accused and jailed for the raping and harassment of the population.” FARDC continues asserting their commitment to protecting DRC civilians by announcing their coalition with MONUC and their belief that the mission’s extension will help bring peace to the DRC.

As Secretary-General Ki-moon pointed out in his statement, security forces including FARDC have been accused of committing civilian abuses. Witness accounts in Human Rights Watch’s report also provided descriptions of civilian abuses committed by Congolese and Rwandan soldiers. In February 2009, when FARDC and other security forces stormed the remote DRC village of Ndorumo, numerous civilians lost their lives and countless more were subjected to cruel abuses. Witnesses of the massacre told Human Rights Watch: “The soldiers arrived at the school and said they wanted to meet with the population. … Some civilians had already gathered in the classrooms when they instead started killing us. They said we were being punished for being complicit with the FDLR, but there weren’t even FDLR in our village when they attacked.”

Humanitarian organizations in the DRC

MSF is one of the prominent non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working in the region. In the town of Kabizu, MSF runs a program that managed measles epidemics and provides internally displaced people (IDPs) in the area with health care. MSF members also assist local hospitals with surgeries, vaccinations, and consultations, and in 2008, the organization began administering mobile clinics for IDPs. For victims of sexual violence, MSF provides specialized medical care and counseling in various programs throughout the provinces and North and South Kivu.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is another active NGO in the DRC. As one of the largest providers of humanitarian aid in the country, it provides IDPs with various emergency response services including medical care and drugs, clean water, sanitation, educational programs, and aid for rape survivors. According to an IRC fact-sheet, the organization has helped over 400,000 survivors of sexual violence and their families during their time in the DRC.

There are also numerous Congolese NGOs working to help civilians affected by violence. The Congolese Women’s Campaign Against Sexual Violence in the DRC (CADRE) is one local initiative, and it was launched by a coalition of women’s associations in Eastern DRC. CADRE is focused on strengthening the fight against sexual violence, and recently, they launched an online petition outlining demands for all parties involved in DRC conflicts to end all acts of sexual violence against females. CADRE is supported by the Coalition for Women’s Human Rights in Conflict Situations and the Rights and Democracy organization, both of which are international NGOs.

MONUC: Part of the United Nations’ solution for DRC recovery

A prominent UN strategy for improving stability in conflict-ridden countries is organizing peacekeeping missions that can support governments. The United Nations describes these missions as “a way to help countries torn by conflict create the conditions for lasting peace.” Thus, MONUC is the United Nations’ efforts to help bring resolution to DRC conflicts. MONUC has the largest budget out of any current UN peacekeeping missions. The mission says that it has made remarkable progress during its time in DRC: according to a MONUC fact-sheet, it has assisted in establishing all necessary transitional institutions, including “a government of national unity mostly composed of belligerent parties, a two-chamber parliament more representative of the society at large, and five citizen commissions including an independent Electoral Commission.”

MONUC has had other successes as well. In 2006, the mission helped facilitate the DRC’s first democratic elections in 40 years. The elections, which resulted in a victory for President Kabila, were a landmark in DRC politics. The International Crisis Group called them a “landmark electoral process largely devoid of major violence or gross irregularities.” MONUC’s other primary responsibilities include civilian protection, negotiating and monitoring ceasefires between armed groups and government forces, and disarming foreign armed combatants. For 2010, the mission has set its sights on dismantling FDLR forces, protecting civilian communities from violence, and establishing state, authority, and the rule of law.

However, the United Nations also emphasizes that though peacekeeping missions support a peace process, they are not substitutes for one. MONUC believes that the international organizations and forces involved in DRC must work with local Congolese leaders to clearly establish and agree upon the responsibilities and contributions of all involved parties. MONUC also argues that the relations between DRC and its neighboring countries need improvement, and that the international community should help with this issue, in particular by opening up opportunities for diplomatic dialogue.

Amnesty International speaks out

Amnesty International is one of several NGOs that have repeatedly urged the UN to do more to protect civilians in the DRC. While the organization supports MONUC’s mandate, it criticizes the implementation of its mandate by calling it “weak.” Amnesty International argues that for reporting abuses to the United Nations, a much stronger human rights process is needed.

Moreover, the organization emphasizes that the DRC court system is great need of reform. Despite the rhetoric to end impunity within UN resolutions, Amnesty International believes that no actual measures are taken for justice. Mr. Peter Splinter, Amnesty International’s representative at the United Nations Geneva office, believes that the UN bodies involved, particularly the Human Rights Council (HRC), should work on implementing a mechanism dedicated to enquiring into and reporting back to the HRC and other parts of the UN on DRC’s human rights situation. He says: “The Council has mandated a weak follow-up procedure that will depend on already over-taxed human rights experts to keep it informed of developments in the eastern DRC. … It is time for all members … to assume their responsibility to effectively address situations of gross and systematic violations of human rights. The half measures that they served the population of the eastern DRC today are not enough.”

International NGOs plea for political resolution

Numerous other NGOs have announced that key concerns in the DRC – including civilian casualties, a lack of accountability, and insufficient MONUC capacity – need to be effectively addressed as soon as possible. The International Crisis Group and Refugees International urge that political solutions to DRC conflicts are a priority. They have also called upon the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and the European Union to invest in sending field-based senior envoys to support mediation efforts in DRC, and to gather together political resources to support a sustained and comprehensive effort. These NGOs believe that with more international involvement, efforts can succeed in establishing to a lasting political solution for regional, national, and international dimensions of DRC’s crisis.

Other NGOs, such as the International Rescue Committee, CARE, and the Enough Project, urge the Congolese government to protect civilians from human rights abuses. They assert that one effective way of doing so is holding its own commanders and troops accountable for human rights abuses, especially with regards to sexual attacks in eastern DRC. These organizations also argue that MONUC has failed in protecting civilians, and has done so because its mission is stretched beyond its capacity. Refugees International has urged the UN Security Council to emphasize that civilian protection is MONUC’s primary responsibility. They argue that to do this, clear guidance must be provided to MONUC on how to fulfill their responsibilities to civilians, and that MONUC must be provided with sufficient resources.

The Congolese call for action

Civilians in the DRC have released pleas for more security support from international forces. In November 2008, 44 Congolese NGOs in the eastern DRC province of North Kivu wrote a letter to the UN Security Council calling for an immediate reinforcement of MONUC peacekeeping troops. The letter, which was published by Human Rights Watch, says: “It is time for the government and the international community to protect the civilians who have fallen victim to the atrocities of the conflict. … MONUC has fallen short of fulfilling its mandate to protect civilians … but no concrete action has been taken. Powerless, MONUC witnesses all the atrocities committed by the armed forces and groups. At times, its interventions are delayed, if not ineffective. We can no longer continue to rely on MONUC to protect us. … We therefore urge you to: 1) Immediately send EU troops which can deploy quickly to provide protection and security for civilians … 2) Increase the number of troops for MONUC and provide them with a mandate that allows them to sufficiently protect civilians and to do so as their top priority.”

The DRC is located in central Africa and borders nine other African countries, so if solutions are not effectively pursued prolonged violence from the country could spill over its borders. Therefore, Mr. Joseph Yav Kathsung, an associate professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Lumbashi, DRC, believes that African leaders must step up. In his paper titled When reality contradicts rhetoric: Civilian protection in the DRC, he writes: “On a continent where gross human rights abuses and violence are rampant, African leaders have not demonstrated the will to exercise the African Union’s right to intervene to stem gross human rights violations in either a concerted or consistent manner. … Generating the political will, therefore, remains a priority in Africa.”