Home › Where We Work › Africa › Dr Congo
Email | Print

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.  Close to 2 million people remain internally displaced and there are more than 450,000 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.  The governments of the DRC and Rwanda should also be pressured to address the root causes of the conflict.

Current Humanitarian Situation
Military operations carried out by the Congolese army against the FDLR rebel group in North and South Kivu in 2009 forced hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee due to targeted abuses, including sexual violence, against local populations by all armed actors.  Access for humanitarian organizations to assist displaced populations remains incredibly challenging due to ongoing insecurity and poor roads.    

The UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO (reconfigured from MONUC as of July 2010) 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.  New outbreaks of violence in other parts of the DRC than the east, most notably in Equateur province, demonstrate the ongoing need for a UN peacekeeping presence in the Congo.     

While military operations continue to cause new displacements, a shift in the security situation in some parts of eastern DRC led to an increase in returns in 2009 and 2010.  There is a need to better coordinate assistance for returnees and ensure that issues such as ethnic tensions and land disputes are addressed at the community level.  At the same time, assistance for displaced people and host communities, who remain affected by the ongoing violence for longer periods, must go beyond basic services to include a focus on livelihoods and education.  

Action Needed

  • The U.S. must articulate a coherent inter-agency foreign policy strategy on the DRC in order to respond effectively to the current humanitarian and protection needs.  
  • The UN Security Council must also ensure that further drawdown of MONUSCO be linked to a cessation of hostilities in the east, an improvement in the performance of the Congolese army, and a restoration of government authority.  

 

Field Reports
  • RDC: La réponse d’urgence aux violences sexuelles reste essentielle
    06/28/2010
    Même si l’on se réjouit du lancement d’une nouvelle stratégie contre les violences sexuelles en République démocratique du Congo (RDC), de nombreux défis sont encore à relever. La stratégie, qui fait partie du plan de stabilisation de l’est de la RDC du gouvernement congolais a, sans le vouloir, provoqué une baisse de l’attention et des fonds destinés à la lutte contre les violences sexuelles dans un nombre accru de zones touchées par le conflit. Par ailleurs, le manque de coordination et d’implication des groupes locaux fait obstacle à la réponse dans son ensemble. Afin de garantir une approche véritablement compréhensive visant à combattre et répondre aux violences sexuelles en RDC, les gouvernements des pays donateurs doivent soutenir la nouvelle stratégie tout en assurant que les besoins d’urgence soient satisfaits.
  • DR Congo: Emergency Response to Sexual Violence Still Essential
    06/28/2010
    The launch of a new strategy on sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is welcome, but numerous challenges remain. The strategy, which is part of the Congolese government’s stabilization plan for eastern DRC, has unintentionally led to a loss of attention and funding to address sexual violence in more conflict-affected areas. Further, poor coordination and lack of engagement with local groups are hindering the overall response. To ensure a truly comprehensive approach to combating and responding to sexual violence in the DRC, donor governments need to support the new strategy while ensuring that emergency needs are met.
more »
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
more »
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.