Congo, Humanitarian disaster
Saturday, November 8th, 2008
Today I attended a demonstration in manchester organised by Congolese people living in Manchester about the humanitarian crisis in their homeland, the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The demonstration was attended by about two hundred people and was supported by: DC-UK, APARECO, Bundu Dia Congo, Congo Support Project, Cong Action Group, The Green Party, Manchester Committee to defend asylum seekers, WAST, RESPECT, Manchester Trades Council, NCADC.
This week the world’s press has Suddenly become aware of what was previously just another forgotten war simmering in the Kivu Provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo, they have noticed this tragedy simply because the scale of the suffering has increased so dramatically in recent weeks, for more information on the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo see recent reports from: reuters nation UN IPS News
The fighting between the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC) and the
National Congress for People’s Defense(NCPD) in North Kivu province has been escalating since 28th August following the breakdown of the peace deal known as the act of engagement had been signed by both parties in Goma on 23rd January this year.
The Goma Accords peace deal was signed by 22 Congolese armed groups and the Congolese government and included provisions for an immediate ceasefire, demobilization of all militias and the acceleration of the peace process,
The peace deal also provided for the phased withdrawal of all rebel forces in North Kivu province, the resettlement of thousands of villages, and granted immunity to Laurent Nkunda’s NCPD forces.
A previous agreement signed between the governments of Congo and Rwanda November, 2007 which was known as the Nairobi Communiqué, pledged a common approach to end the threat posed to peace and stability in both countries and the Great Lakes Region, it sought to address the issue of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a Rwandan Hutu militia based in eastern Congo.
Under the previous 2005 Rome Agreement, between the FDLR and the Congolese Government, the FDLR was committed to reconciliation and disarmament, but there has been a failure by both parties to implement this agreement.
Neither, the the Rwandan government or the Rwandan Hutu rebels of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda were involved in the Goma talks, and neither were a party to that agreement.
It is principally the Kabila government’s failure to eliminate the FDLR rebels which has keep alive the justification for Nkunda to continue maintaining his own armed rebellion as he claims to be defending the interests of the Tutsi minority (Banyamulenge) in eastern Congo who were subjected to attacks by the Hutu FDLR militia.
The militia known as the FDLR (Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda) was originally formed by Hutu extremists from the Interamhwe militia and Rwandan Army (FAR) who fled to eastern Congo after their involvement in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, they have now been based in eastern Congo for many years, where they have been fighting alongside the Congolese army against Congolese rebel groups such as the NCPD.
So far there has been three separate agreements between the various parties involved in this conflict in South Kivu, we have had the Rome Agreement, the Nairobi Communique and the Goma Agreement, however there has never been any comprehensive discussion or agreement between
all parties.
In order to avoid further humanitarian disaster, the Civilian population of Eastern Congo urgently need the fighting to stop, The Rwandan Government should cease any logistic or military support for Nkunda’s NCDP, the Congo Government needs to adhere to the ceasefire agreements, they must take responsibility for the actions of the Mai Mai forces and must immediately stop co-operating with and supporting the FDLR who are the principal source of this conflict.
The situation urgently needs diplomatic effort which will involve all parties, including representatives from Kigali, Kinshasa and all of the militias involved in the current fighting.
Any negotiations should include opportunities for the militia members to be reintegrated into civil society and to participate in the political process in their country of origin, in addition to holding all individuals accountable for any war crimes which they have committed.
For further reading on the South Kivu conflict see:
