In Congo, refugees risk returning home to escape violations in camps
Congolese refugees pass through the Bunagana border with Uganda as they flee from fighting between M23 rebels and DRC government forces on October 24, 2022.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, official estimates show that seven million people have been forced out of their homes by constant violent clashes and natural disasters.
Now faced with uncertainty, some of those displaced have chosen to return to their homes, hoping that the peace will hold.
In recent days, the territories occupied by M23 rebels have seen the return of those who fled the clashes between the rebels and the Congolese army.
According to civil society sources in North Kivu, a massive return has been recorded in some areas. Muhindo Tafuteni, a civil leader here said people have been returning in the past two months.
“The return of displaced persons began at the end of August, because their living conditions (in the camps) are very difficult. Some have preferred to return to monitor the progress of the solution,” he said.
In the camps, they face cold, rain and other elements. They are also vulnerable to attacks by rival armed groups, diseases, or sexual pests.
One recent report by medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières said that there had been alarming numbers of sexually violated women and children in the camps. These conditions are also fuelling the departure from the camps.
But this return has also been encouraged by the absence of major fighting. Despite the lull, civilians are not completely safe from danger. On September 12, for instance, three children were killed near Goma by a mortar explosion. The ordnance had been lying on the ground for days.
This week, Defence Minister Guy Mwadyanvita said that North Kivu had recorded "incidents that have affected some areas.” The minister said these were "acts of aggression in continuous violation of the ceasefire."
Once again, the Congolese government has accused Rwanda of the ceasefire violations, a charge Rwanda denied.
Huang Xia, United Nations Special Envoy to the Great Lakes Region, said the M23 and the Uganda’s Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels were “fuelling the violence.”
The whole region is therefore under threat from this violence, Huang said. The first victims of this volatile situation are “civilians who continue to pay the heavy daily price of war: loss of human life, sexual violence, health problems and malnutrition in the camps for displaced persons,” Huang Xia told the UN Security Council.
According to a report by the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC, Monusco, civilians are victims of not just of the M23 but also the Codeco, ADF and DRC armed forces (FARDC).
The report says that between June and September, these different groups were responsible for numerous human rights violations and deadly attacks against civilians, mainly in North Kivu and Ituri provinces.
ADF is blamed for the greatest number of atrocities, including the killing of 467 people, while the M23 is blamed for the deaths of 71 people, Codeco 61 people; and other Mayi-Mayi groups active in North Kivu and Ituri 36.
The report also accuses the Congolese army and police of rights violations and summary executions of 346 people during the period.
“Much remains to be done to put an end to the suffering of the Congolese people and achieve lasting peace in the Great Lakes region,” warned Huang.
The east of the DRC is in a state of hope for peace, just as it is in fear of an insecurity.
The Luanda Peace Agreement mediated by Angola has not yet succeeded in restoring peace and reducing tensions between Rwanda and the DRC. But, thanks to the Luanda talks, a ceasefire is holding, and the guns are increasingly falling silent.
“For the first time since the resurgence of the M23 rebel group in November 2021, there is a real glimmer of hope,” said Mr Huang. “I can testify that the recent peace talks under the Luanda process are encouraging and represent an important step towards silencing the weapons and achieving lasting peace."
The Luanda process is an initiative of the African Union, led by Angolan President João Lourenço, aimed at defusing tensions between the DRC and Rwanda. On July 30, the ministers of Rwanda and the DRC signed a commitment to pursue peace.
Kinshasa undertook to dismantle the FDLR, the forces accused of being responsible for the genocide in Rwanda in 1994. According to some sources, the Congolese army has resumed its hunt for FDLR leaders.
In Huang’s view, the Security Council must get involved to ensure lasting peace in the Great Lakes region. For him, there are three essential paths to lasting peace: Strengthening mutual trust between the countries of the region, improving inclusion, in particular the full participation of women and young people, and coherent international efforts to support regional peace processes.
