Last Update: Sep. 29, 2008 **From the Genocide Intervention Network**
Since August of 2007, non-combatant civilians have again become victims of widespread atrocities in the North Kivuregion of the Democratic Republic of Congo.These acts of violence include murders, mass rapes, looting and other major violations of human rights.During the past year, over 500,000 Congolese were displaced due to violence, bringing the total number of refugees to more than 1.6 million people.Combined with disease and malnutrition, this violence causes an average of 45,000 civilian deaths per month.Since this phase of conflict in the DRC began in 1998, more than 5.4 million people have died, making this the deadliest global conflict since World War Two.
The January ceasefire between the Congolese government and rebel militias was intended to halt the conflict, but was broken within a week.This recent eruption of violence has increasingly hampered humanitarian aid deliveries, as organizations are unable to safely transport supplies throughout the region. Human Rights Watch reports that over 200 civilians were killed since this ceasefire was brokered.
The recent decision by the United Nations to classify rape as a war crime and a security issue, coupled with the war crimes trial of Thomas Lubanga, Germain Katanga and Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui at the ICC may serve to reduce the culture of impunity that surrounds the crimes committed in eastern Congo.
Who are the parties to the conflict?
There are three sets of actors that are currently committing mass atrocities against non-combatant civilians
The Congolese Army (FARDC). The army consists of poorly trained and frequently unpaid soldiers that lack supplies and is known for committing widespread human rights violations. Its soldiers loot and pillage villages throughout the military campaigns against General Laurent Nkunda and other insurgent groups. According to the UN Mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC), 40% of all human rights violations in the second half of 2006 were perpetrated by the Congolese Army.
General Laurent Nkunda's militias. These militias frequently clash with the Congolese army and the FDLR, are known to give no warnings to civilians when they shell or open fire upon government-controlled areas or villages. It has also been reported that Nkunda's soldiers indiscriminately kill, rape, and severely injure scores of non-combatant civilians. Additionally, Nkunda's forces have been linked to mass graves discovered throughout the region.
Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda (FDLR). These forces are comprised of former Rwandan militias, primarily of Hutu extraction. These fighters fled to the Kivu regions after the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Reported patterns of violence indicate that FDLR forces give preferential treatment to Hutu areas and commit widespread atrocities in areas where the Tutsi and other ethnic groups are the majority.
How are civilians being harmed?
All of the actors listed above have committed many, if not all, of the following types of widespread, mass atrocities against non-combatant civilians:
