28th July 2011

The last few days have illuminated the long-term difficulties in bringing stability to the Democratic Republic of Congo. This news roundup offers details of: the latest report of the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office; Oxfam’s calls for greater protection of civilians; MONUSCO’s assessment of its performance on the ground; ongoing health issues; and the Damon Albarn project.

A report of the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO) has finally been able to confirm that on 31 December 2010 and 1 January 2011 Congolese civilians, living in the villages of Bushari and Kalambahiro in North Kivu, experienced sexual violence at the hands of men dressed in the uniform of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC). 47 women were sexually abused, at least 100 houses were pillaged, and there were further incidences of degrading treatment of ordinary civilians. The picture communicated to the rest of the world is at best mixed. The head of the UN Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) – Lieutenant-General Chander Prakash – stated on 27 July that over the last few years reports of sexual violence perpetrated by UN-backed forces have gone down. He spoke of a clear “code of conduct” as well as “orientation training”, provided to such soldiers to ensure that they understand fully the situation on the ground.

Of course, the issues being fought out in the DRC are interwoven. On 27 July it was reported that hundreds of Congolese civilians were escaping conflict in North Kivu by fleeing to Uganda. This area, responsible for four-fifths of the tin produced in the country, reveals the added difficulties faced by those regions rich in natural resources. Three-quarters of those interviewed by Oxfam in April and May 2011 – 1705 civilians from the provinces of South Kivu, North Kivu and Province Orientale – believed that over the last year there had been no improvement in their level of safety. Whatever the level of insecurity, the latest UNJHRO report clearly affirms the general need for greater protection of ordinary residents.

In this context, Oxfam has been calling for more UN soldiers to be stationed in Eastern Congo, warning that areas most threatened by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) currently only contain around 850 peacekeepers. The LRA was set up in Uganda in the mid-1980s and has since carried terror into the DRC. Prominent figures like the LRA head, Joseph Kony, have been charged by the International Criminal Court with war crimes such as mass rape and the use of child soldiers. Human rights abuses perpetrated by both rebel militia groups and the UN-backed Congolese Army, FARDC, reflect the enormous difficulties faced in re-integrating independent militias into the settlement process and ensuring that the FARDC acts as a reliable, peacekeeping force.

News of an outbreak of cholera has done little to increase optimism. One UNICEF figure stated on 27 July that the epidemic has led to 279 deaths and over 4000 infections in the previous four months. Orientale province is believed to be facing the most severe effects of the disease. Crucially, however, the situation in the DRC is not static. More positively, a UN-led campaign has meant that since May over 3.1 million children have received vaccinations against measles. Organised by the UN World Health Organisation (WHO), the benefits of the programme are being felt in Katanga, Bas-Congo, Equateur, Kasai Occidental and Orientale.

Lastly, Damon Albarn of the Gorillaz has begun producing an album in the DRC. Congolese musicians will be recorded and all proceeds generated will be given to Oxfam International. If there are obstacles to stability in DRC, that does not mean there is a lack of goodwill and commitment to tackling them both in and outside of the country.