Returns Outnumber New Displacements in the East
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DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO: Returns outnumber new displacements in the east A profile of the internal displacement situation 26 April, 2007 This Internal Displacement Profile is automatically generated from the online IDP database of the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC). It includes an overview of the internal displacement situation in the country prepared by the IDMC, followed by a compilation of excerpts from relevant reports by a variety of different sources. All headlines as well as the bullet point summaries at the beginning of each chapter were added by the IDMC to facilitate navigation through the Profile. Where dates in brackets are added to headlines, they indicate the publication date of the most recent source used in the respective chapter. The views expressed in the reports compiled in this Profile are not necessarily shared by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre. The Profile is also available online at www.internal-displacement.org. About the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, established in 1998 by the Norwegian Refugee Council, is the leading international body monitoring conflict-induced internal displacement worldwide. Through its work, the Centre contributes to improving national and international capacities to protect and assist the millions of people around the globe who have been displaced within their own country as a result of conflicts or human rights violations. At the request of the United Nations, the Geneva-based Centre runs an online database providing comprehensive information and analysis on internal displacement in some 50 countries. Based on its monitoring and data collection activities, the Centre advocates for durable solutions to the plight of the internally displaced in line with international standards. The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre also carries out training activities to enhance the capacity of local actors to respond to the needs of internally displaced people. In its work, the Centre cooperates with and provides support to local and national civil society initiatives. For more information, visit the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre website and the database at www.internal-displacement.org. Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre Norwegian Refugee Council Chemin de Balexert 7-9 1219 Geneva, Switzerland Tel.: +41 22 799 07 00 [email protected] www.internal-displacement.org 2 CONTENTS CONTENTS 3 OVERVIEW 9 DR CONGO: RETURNS OUTNUMBER NEW DISPLACEMENTS IN THE EAST 9 CAUSES AND BACKGROUND 15 POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS 15 DRC POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS- CHRONOLOGY: 1870-2007 15 MONUC PEACEKEEPING MISSION WORKS TO BRING SECURITY TO EASTERN DRC (1999- 2007) 17 UN SECURITY COUNCIL CONDEMNED ACTIVITIES OF ARMED GROUPS AND URGED INCREASED ASSISTANCE TO IDPS (2006) 19 NATIONAL ELECTIONS PAVE WAY FOR IMPROVED SECURITY (2006-2007) 21 THE CHALLENGE OF DEMOBILISATION OF CONGOLESE AND FOREIGN COMBATANTS (2003- 2007) 22 INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT HAS JURISDICTION TO INVESTIGATE CRIMES COMMITTED IN DRC (2003-2007) 27 INSECURITY CAUSED BY CONTINUOUS ATTACKS BY HEMA AND LENDU MILITIAS IN ITURI DISTRICT (2002-2007) 28 KATANGA PROVINCE: A VIOLENT YET NEGLECTED REGION (2006) 31 NORTH KIVU: A STRATEGIC PROVINCE MARRED BY VIOLENCE (2005-2007) 33 OVERVIEW OF ARMED GROUPS 36 OVERVIEW OF ARMIES AND GROUPS INVOLVED IN EASTERN DRC (2005-2007) 36 MAIN ARMED GROUPS IN ITURI (2007) 42 MAIN CAUSES OF DISPLACEMENT 42 PLUNDER OF NATURAL RESOURCES BY WARRING PARTIES CONTINUES TO BE MAJOR FACTOR CAUSING DISPLACEMENT (1998-2007) 43 90 PERCENT OF NEW DISPLACEMENT IN DRC IS DUE TO ARMED CONFLICT (AUGUST 2006) 45 ARMED GROUPS CAUSE DISPLACEMENT IN THE KIVUS (2004-2005) 45 FIGHTING AMONG GOVERNMENT TROOPS, SOME LOYAL TO DISSIDENT COLONEL CAUSE DISPLACEMENT IN SOUTH KIVU (JANUARY 2007) 47 DISPLACEMENT IN NORTH KIVU, DUE TO ARMY OPERATIONS AGAINST MILITIAS, AND MILITIAS ATTACKS (2006-2007) 48 DISPLACEMENT IN SOUTH KIVU (2006) 50 FIGHTING BY LOCAL MILITIAS, AND BETWEEN THE ARMY/MONUC AND MILITIA ALL CAUSED MAJOR DISPLACEMENT IN ITURI DISTRICT (1999-2006) 50 DISPLACEMENT CAUSED BY HUTU RWANDAN MILITIAS (2005-2007) 54 PYGMY POPULATIONS IN NORTH KIVU FLEE FORESTS (2006) 56 PEOPLE FLEE MAI MAI ATTACKS IN KATANGA PROVINCE (2003-2006) 56 3 500,000 NEW IDPS FOLLOWING MILITARY ACTIONS AGAINST MILITIA GROUPS (2006) 58 OTHER CAUSES OF DISPLACEMENT 58 THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE DISPLACED DUE TO FLOODS IN MANIEMA AND IN KATANGA (2007) 58 FIRE CAUSES INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT (2006) 59 POPULATION FIGURES AND PROFILE 60 GLOBAL FIGURES 60 OVER A MILLION IDPS IN MARCH 2007 60 TOTAL ESTIMATE OF IDPS DROP TO 1.1 MILLION IN NOVEMBER, COMPARED TO 1.48 MILLION IN AUGUST (END 2006) 61 1.6 MILLION IDPS AS OF THE END OF 2005 63 2.3 MILLION IDPS AS OF END 2004 63 FROM 2 TO 3.4 MILLION PEOPLE DISPLACED IN DRC (2000-2003) 64 FROM 500,000 TO CLOSE TO A MILLION IDPS (1998-1999) 66 100,000 BELIEVED TO BE DISPLACED BY THE END OF 1997 67 400,000 BELIEVED TO BE DISPLACED BY THE END OF 1996 68 DISAGGREGATED FIGURES 68 CENTRAL KATANGA: SOME 92,000 PEOPLE DISPLACED BY CONFLICT IN A YEAR (2006) 68 IN KATANGA, UNHCR DELIVERS DIGITAL CARDS TO IDPS TO SYSTEMATIZE ASSISTANCE (MAY 2006) 69 DISTRIBUTION OF IDPS BY PROVINCE (MID-99-MID 2006) 69 PATTERNS OF DISPLACEMENT 73 GENERAL 73 SHORT DISPLACEMENTS AND PRE-EMPTIVE DISPLACEMENTS IN ITURI AND NORTH KIVU (JANUARY 2007) 73 DOUBLE SIMULTANEOUS MOVEMENTS OF DISPLACEMENT AND RETURN COMPLICATES HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE (JUNE 2006) 73 DISPLACEMENT IS CONSTANT FEATURE IN THE LIFE OF MOST PEOPLE IN CENTRAL AND NORTHERN KATANGA (2006) 73 NIGHT COMMUTERS IN SOUTH KIVU (2005) 74 BATWA “PYGMY” POPULATION HAS BEEN DISPLACED AND MARGINALIZED (2003-2004) 75 MAJORITY OF IDPS ARE NOT HOUSED IN CAMPS BUT HAVE MERGED INTO HOST COMMUNITIES (1999-2006) 76 IDPS SEEKING SHELTER IN THE FOREST CONSTITUTE BE THE MOST VULNERABLE IDP GROUP (2000-2007) 77 PHYSICAL SECURITY & FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT 78 GENERAL 78 SERIOUS PROTECTION CONCERNS FOR IDPS AND OTHER CIVILIANS DESPITE SUCCESSFUL ELECTIONS (2005-2007) 78 IDP REPRESENTATIVE RECOUNTS ORDEAL TO UN EMERGENCY RELIEF COORDINATOR (SEPTEMBER 2006) 80 ITURI: INCREASED HARASSMENT OF IDPS IN GETY CAMPS, RAPE IN NEIGHBOURING AVEBA (AUGUST 2006) 81 4 CORRUPTION HAS IMMEDIATE IMPACT ON HUMANITARIAN SITUATION (JULY 2006) 81 TENSIONS BETWEEN IDPS AND DEMOBILISED MAI MAI IN KATANGA (JUNE 2006) 82 PROTECTION IS MOST CRUCIAL NEED OF NEWLY DISPLACED PEOPLE IN NORTH KIVU (FEBRUARY 2006) 83 IDPS ARE SUBJECT TO THEFT AND WIDESPREAD VIOLENCE IN CENTRAL KATANGA (JANUARY 2006) 83 SOME CONGOLESE TROOPS GUARDING IDP CAMPS ARE REPORTED TO EXTORT IDP BELONGINGS (2005) 84 RWANDAN HUTU REBEL GROUPS BASED IN DRC COMMITTED MASSIVE HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN SOUTH KIVU (2005) 85 MONUC REPORTED MASSIVE HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN TERRITORIES OF SOUTH KIVU (MAY 2005) 85 UN REPORTS CANNIBALISM, SYSTEMATIC KILLING AND RAPE (2003-2007) 86 LANDMINES ARE DIFFICULT TO LOCATE BUT PRESENT DANGER FOR CIVILIAN POPULATION AND HUMANITARIAN WORKERS (2002-2004) 87 WOMEN 88 INVESTIGATION OF SEXUAL ABUSES COMMITTED BY UN PEACEKEEPERS (2004-2007) 88 RAPE OF HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF GIRLS AND WOMEN BY ALL FORCES IN EASTERN DRC (2000-2005) 90 HIGH INCIDENCE OF RAPES AMONG DISPLACED AND OTHER WOMEN CONTINUE (2006-2007) 91 CHILDREN 94 DISPLACED CHILDREN NEED PROTECTION FROM RECRUITMENT BY ARMED GROUPS (2001- 2007) 94 WATCHLIST ON CHILDREN AND ARMED CONFLICTS DOCUMENTS VIOLATIONS AGAINST DISPLACED AND OTHER CHILDREN (2006) 98 FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT 99 ARMY RESTRICTS FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT OF IDPS IN CENTRAL KATANGA (MARCH 2006) 99 SUBSISTENCE NEEDS 100 GENERAL 100 THOUSANDS OF IDPS IN ITURI GO TO BAFWASENDE TO GET ASSISTANCE, OVERWHELMING STRUCTURES IN PLACE (FEBRUARY 2007) 100 MAJOR HEALTH RISKS AND LACK OF FOOD AMONG IDPS IN ITURI (JANUARY 2007) 100 JOINT EVALUATION OF IDPS' NEEDS IN PART OF KATANGA (MAY 2006) 101 MSF DRAWS ATTENTION TO THE URGENT HUMANITARIAN NEEDS OF IDPS IN RUTSHURU, NORTH KIVU (JAN 06) 104 MSF DRAWS ATTENTION TO LACK OF FOOD AMONG IDPS IN CENTRAL KATANGA (MARCH 2006) 105 AT LEAST 37,000 IDPS NEED URGENT HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE IN NORTH KIVU (FEBRUARY 2006) 105 HUMANITARIAN SITUATION PER PROVINCE - ASSESSMENT FINANCED BY DFID (2005) 106 HEALTH 107 CONFLICT CAUSES DEGRADATION OF THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM (2001-2007) 107 3.9 MILLION PEOPLE ARE ESTIMATED TO HAVE DIED AS A RESULT OF DRC WAR, ACCORDING TO IRC (2006) 109 IDPS IN BUKAVU CANNOT LEAVE HOSPITAL DUE TO LACK OF FUNDS (JUNE 2006) 111 OVERCROWDING AND POOR SANITATION KILLS IDPS IN ITURI (MARCH 2005) 111 LACK OF DATA ON HIV/AIDS PREVALENCE AMONG IDPS (2006) 111 CIVIL WAR INFLICTS UNBEARABLE HARDSHIP ON WOMEN AND CHILDREN (2000-2007) 112 5 NUTRITION AND FOOD 114 FOOD SECURITY REMAINS ISSUE, PARTICULARLY AMONG RETURNING IDPS AND REFUGEES (2006) 114 URGENT NEED OF FOOD FOR IDPS IN ITURI (AUGUST 2006) 115 MULTIPLE DISPLACEMENTS IN NORTH KATANGA CAUSE HEIGHTENED MALNUTRITION (AUGUST 2006) 116 MILITIA ATTACKS AND CROP DESTRUCTION HAVE LEFT IDPS AND OTHERS DEPENDENT ON FOOD AID IN ITURI (APRIL 2005) 116 SHELTER 117 ILLUSTRATION OF DECISION TO SET UP IDP CAMP IN NORTH KIVU (JUNE 2006) 117 IDPS IN CAMPS IN CENTRAL KATANGA NEED URGENT ASSISTANCE (JANUARY 2006) 117 MSF REPORTS TERRIBLE LIVING CONDITIONS IN CAMPS IN ITURI (AUGUST 2005) 118 ACCESS TO EDUCATION 120 GENERAL 120 CONFLICT HAS HAD TERRIBLE IMPACT ON ALREADY FAILING EDUCATION SYSTEM (2001-2007) 120 ISSUES OF SELF-RELIANCE AND PUBLIC PARTICIPATION 123 SELF-RELIANCE 123 MOST IDPS CANNOT BE SELF-RELIANT, DUE TO INSECURITY AND LOOTING (2006) 123 POPULATIONS HOSTING IDPS