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LOCAL VOICES Congolese Communities & The Conflict ! press release

A Series of Photostories on Local Realities of Conflict in Eastern DRC “Our drama is that armed groups are supposedly formed in order to protect their community, but at the end of the day, it is the very same armed groups that kill their own community.” A community leader from , ! ! “All our troubles [of armed conflict] came from bad governance. We succeeded institutionalizing the culture of corruption in our country.” A Civil Society activist from Goma, North Kivu. ! ! “As long as armed groups remain, we will never be able to return to our villages!” A woman among the two millions of internally displaced persons (IDPs) that are forced to live in a camp because of armed violence in North and .

local voices - congolese communities & the - www.localvoicesproject.com A member of APCLS armed group is leaving its military base to fight Cheka armed group in Pinga, . Both groups fight for the control of Pinga and the mineral resources that are abundant in Walikale territory. Lukweti, territory, North Kivu, August 2013.

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LOCAL VOICES - Congolese Communities & The Kivu Conflict ! A Series of photostories helps make local voices heard on DRC conflict

Local Voices, Search For Common Ground and International Alert are proud to announce the launch of their joint project Local Voices – Congolese Communities & The Kivu Conflict on December 5, 2013. ! ! Local Voices – Congolese Communities & The Kivu Conflict aims to share the experiences of the local populations who, in remote areas of Kivu, have been facing militias and armed violence for 20 years. Through a series of weekly publications using personal testimonies, Local Voices - Congolese Communities & The Kivu Conflict wants to give a voice to local people, from warlords and youth to displaced women and local authorities. ! ! The project focuses on sensitive issues such as armed groups, the weakness of state authorities, or tensions between ethnic communities, and places the reader in the daily lives of the communities most affected by armed conflict.

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Local Voices aims to inform the general public as well as policy makers about the dynamics and triggers of violence in eastern Congo and aims to put local populations at the center of concerns. ! ! For Alexis Bouvy, project director and co-founder of Local Voices, the project is all about “giving a voice to populations who have no opportunities to share their experiences with armed conflicts, to express their concerns, their difficulties, their frustrations and their fears.” ! ! Maria Lange, DRC country manager at Internationa Alert says: “The exclusion of Congolese people from decision-making has been one of the obstacles to peace in DRC. Giving them a voice is an important step when it comes to building peace.” ! ! Our photostories will be published on the following websites: Local Voices — www.localvoicesproject.com International Alert — www.international-alert.org Search For Common Ground — www.sfcg.org

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Mama Angélique spends her days in the fields. She is going back home loaded with wood that she will use to cook. Buabo, , North Kivu, June 2013. local voices - congolese communities & the kivu conflict - www.localvoicesproject.com agenda for publications : ! ! o December 5 : Launch of Local Voices website and publication 1 — ‘Masisi, The Wound of Kivu’ situates the main issues and discourses at play when it comes to violent conflict in eastern DRC, and in Masisi territory in particular. ! ! o December 12 : Publication 2 — ‘Between Soldiers and Militias : A Volatile Share of Forces’ shows how armed groups and the national army can get along in some villages in North Kivu, sometimes peacefully. It also examines the impact of the presence of militias on local state authorities.

! o December 19 : Publication 3 — ‘Power, Land and Identities : The Root Causes of Violence in Masisi’ traces the history of tensions and violence between the different communities of Masisi territory and situates these tensions in the current ‘conflict context’ of Masisi. ! ! Christmas Break ! ! o January 9, 2014 : Publication 4 — ‘Armed Groups in Masisi. The Case of the People’s Alliance for a Free and Sovereign Congo’ looks at the particular case of the APCLS, a militia evolving in Masisi and usually associated to the Hunde community. The article shows the ambiguous relations that can exist between a specific armed group and a community, as well as the consequences of militias on civilians, beyond the many discourses at play.

local voices - congolese communities & the kivu conflict - www.localvoicesproject.com ! o January 16, 2014 : Publication 5 — ‘Twenty Years and a Kalach. Testimonies of Young Rebels’ proposes two first hand testimonies of twenty-years-old armed men, members of the APCLS. Two straightforward and hard-hitting testimonies, without concessions, but that reveal the history and conceptions of many of these young armed men evolving in eastern Congo. ! ! o January 23, 2014 : Publication 6 — ‘Saying ‘No’ to War (1). Testimonies of Young Civilians’, or how 20 years old men and women sharing their daily life with militias refuse to join armed groups despite the many difficulties of civilian life. ! ! o January 30, 2014 : Publication 7 — ‘Saying ‘No’ to War (2). Youth and Peace Activists in Rebel Zone’ testifies the extraordinary commitment for peace from a youth that is hardly confronted to militias and tensions between ethnic communities. ! !

local voices - congolese communities & the kivu conflict - www.localvoicesproject.com A preacher during a Sunday Mass in a protestant church of Lukweti, where APCLS armed group is based. In front of daily adversity, populations from eastern Congo go massively to churches, protestants as well as Catholics. Lukweti, Masisi territory, August 2013.

local voices - congolese communities & the kivu conflict - www.localvoicesproject.com Alliance, a young girl living in Lukweti, the village where the APCLS armed group is based. Alliance stated she prefers to marry a civilian than a member of a militia. Lukweti, Masisi territory, North Kivu, August 2013.

local voices - congolese communities & the kivu conflict - www.localvoicesproject.com Publication 1 - under embargo ! ! ! ! ! Exclusively for the press

local voices - congolese communities & the kivu conflict - www.localvoicesproject.com Masisi, the wound of kivu

local voices - congolese communities & the kivu conflict - www.localvoicesproject.com Torn apart by a 20 years bloody conflict, the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the most stricken areas of the world. In a region with colossal economic potential, many armed groups without specific goals regularly engage in fighting with dramatic consequences for the local populations. The armed conflict in the is extremely complex and made up of a mix of regional politics, anarchic exploitation of mineral wealth, ethnic rivalries, land conflicts, weakness of the state and political opportunism. A seemingly inextricable maze in which the territory of Masisi, North Kivu, occupies a central place. If the recent dismantling of M23 opens a new window of opportunity for peace, many deep-rooted challenges remain of great concerns. ! * * * ! A paradise without armed groups ! “Without the armed groups, Masisi would be a real paradise!”, Joseph Sukisa, deputy administrator of the Masisi territory in charge of economy and development stated. “We have everything here! Fields, pastures, minerals! Our lands are very fertile!” ! Despite its peaceful mountainous and green landscapes with promising potential, Masisi has been for 20 years the scene of a deadly armed conflict leading to dramatic humanitarian consequences. agencies speak of some 300,000 internally displaced persons (IDP’s) because of war in the territory of Masisi alone, out of a total of two million in North and South Kivu combined, the two provinces most affected by the war in DRC.

local voices - congolese communities & the kivu conflict - www.localvoicesproject.com A woman walks in front of an IDP camp in Lushebere. Masisi territory, North Kivu, September 2013. local voices - congolese communities & the kivu conflict - www.localvoicesproject.com Ten years after the signing of the Sun City peace agreement (2003), seven years after the first democratic elections (2006), which had to open a new era of peace and prosperity for the country, the east of DRC remains prisoner to a cycle of wars that never seems to end. FDLR, APCLS, Nyatura, FDDH, Mai-Mai Cheka, Guides, MAC... So many acronyms that refer to the many armed groups that continue to clash in Masisi and its surroundings. ! ! The reasons for this violence? ! ! They are as numerous and complex as the participating armed groups. Joseph, the deputy administrator of Masisi, gives us his point of view on the continuation of the war in his country: “If armed groups continue to exist in Masisi, this is not because of tribalism, but because of the M23 which, with the support of , seeks to balkanize our country” he said, without appeal. “But the children of Congo are hardworking and cannot accept this balkanization. That is why they continue to create armed groups!” He adds without flinching.

local voices - congolese communities & the kivu conflict - www.localvoicesproject.com Young armed men from the APCLS group, the People’s Alliance for a Free and Sovereign Congo, one of the many armed groups that remains in Masisi territory. The APCLS is commonly associated with the so called «autochthonous» Hunde community of Masisi. These young men are among the escorts of ‘Général’ Janvier Karairi, APCLS’s commander, and other APCLS high ranking officers. Kinyumba, Masisi territory, September 2013. local voices - congolese communities & the kivu conflict - www.localvoicesproject.com This discourse of ‘balkanization’ of Congo by external forces remains widespread in Kivu and in the territory of Masisi in particular. It finds its justification in the existence, until November 2013, of the M23, and before that of the CNDP and RCD, three successive rebel movements evolving in eastern Congo since 1998 and who have, according to many reports by the United Nations, received broad support from neighboring countries, in particular from Rwanda and Uganda. But it is also a political discourse that oversimplifies the profound and multiple causes of the armed conflicts and masks the internal responsibilities in Congo. ! ! For this reason, a leader of the community based in Goma condemns in strong terms a discourse that he considers manipulative: “Pointing the finger at Rwanda is a way to distract the people!” he tells us. “The discourse of balkanization serves the interests of the politicians in power. It allows them to divert the attention from the real issues, namely the lack of good governance and the incompetence of the authorities.” ! ! Sixty kilometers north from Goma, in Masisi, women displaced by war will tell us exactly the same: “What brings armed groups here? It is the weakness and the incompetence of the government! It’s our MP’s themselves who stir up our youths, who organize them and distribute weapons among them! It’s the people in power who create these armed groups!” the women exclaim, disgusted by what the candidates for whom they voted for in the last elections in November 2011 are doing.

local voices - congolese communities & the kivu conflict - www.localvoicesproject.com ‘General’ Janvier Karairi, commander of the APCLS group, holding his Bible in his hands during an interview in a classroom in Kinyumba. Behind him, his chief escort provides for his security. Kinyumba, Masisi territory, North Kivu, September 2013.

local voices - congolese communities & the kivu conflict - www.localvoicesproject.com Mama Mirimo had to flee her village because of fightings between APCLS and Cheka groups. She took refuge in an IDP camp in Nyabiondo. One of her sons recently died from disease in the camp. Access to medical care remains problematic in the area, although several humanitarian agencies intervene in the health sector. Nyabiondo, Masisi territory, North Kivu, August 2013.

local voices - congolese communities & the kivu conflict - www.localvoicesproject.com Whether real or imagined, the discourse of balkanization today continues to reflect the fears and feelings of insecurity (physical insecurity but as well economic and political insecurity) of a large part of the population in Masisi and Kivu. Masisi is indeed the center of a particularly sensitive issue, namely the return of the Congolese Tutsi (but also Hutu) refugees who, having fled the war and ethnic violence that began in Masisi in 1993, remain in Rwanda and Uganda to this day and now have to (or at least a large part of them) go back to Masisi.

! However, many people from other ethnic communities in the territory are not really in favor of these returns, describing them instead as a way to steal their lands for the benefit of populations who are often farmers. They dispute for that reason the nationality of a large number of refugees and the number of 70,000 advanced by the UNHCR. ! ! To understand this refusal, one should know that the abandoned or cheaply sold lands by refugees when they fled have often been occupied by those who remained in Masisi. The ‘new’ occupants who have sometimes exploited the land for 20 years now consider themselves as the owners and often don’t intend to give their land back to anyone. Moreover, in a context where politics are strongly influenced by ethnicity, the arrival of thousands of Hutu and Tutsi electors in Masisi doesn’t serve the interests of the Hundu community at all. In such a context, the return of the refugees, if poorly managed, can be a real time bomb for the peace process in Kivu.

local voices - congolese communities & the kivu conflict - www.localvoicesproject.com Elements of the APCLS police are guarding a small shop where their commander is talking with a major of the national police. In Nyabiondo, APCLS, soldiers from the national army and the national police stay together for more than a year. Nyabiondo, Masisi territory, North Kivu, August 2013.

local voices - congolese communities & the kivu conflict - www.localvoicesproject.com Members of a youth association dedicated to peace and peaceful cohabitation are rehearsing a play about conflict and peace in a classroom. Meanwhile, fighting between national army and the M23 rebel group was reaching its peak with bombs falling in the provincial capital of Goma. Nyabiondo, Masisi territory, North Kivu, September 2013. local voices - congolese communities & the kivu conflict - www.localvoicesproject.com The return of the refugees also depends on another particularly problematic factor for the end of the armed conflicts in Kivu: dismantling the FDLR, the Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda. These Rwandan Hutu rebels arrived in Kivu in 1994 and many of them have actively participated in carrying out the genocides (especially those in the higher ranks). The Congolese Tutsi refugees won’t ever be able to return without fearing for their safety as long as the FDLR is still there. ! ! While these two particularly complex problems were never met with complete and satisfactory solutions, some armed groups have used them to stake some claims of their own. This only heats the discussion on these topics even more and diminishes the chances of finding a solution that all parties involved can agree on. For example, the M23 rebel group, a month before being defeated militarily by the national army in early November 2013, posed as its main condition for its disarmament the repatriation of the refugees and the dismantling of the FDLR.

local voices - congolese communities & the kivu conflict - www.localvoicesproject.com This young girl and her little brother were forced to flee their village because of armed violence. Behind them, a camp for IDP’s. Lushebere, Masisi territory, North Kivu, September 2013 LOCAL VOICESlocal voices - Congolese - congolese Communitiescommunities & the & kivuThe conflictKivu Conflic - www.localvoicesproject.comt - www.localvoicesproject.com Although the military dismantling of the M23 in October constitutes a victory without precedent for the proponents of the discourse of balkanization, it should not ignore the many and profound challenges that reside both on the internal level (local and national) and on the external level. In Congo, armed groups are also the result of a corrupt and failed political system that, under the trappings of democracy and multi- party elections, hardly try to cover predatory, brutal and violent dynamics. This system didn’t just pop out of the blue. It is rooted in a long, complex and tortuous history, dating back at least to the Belgian colonial era, if not further... ! ...... ! Text and photographs : Alexis Bouvy. Facilitation in the field : Chrispin Mvano and Rodolpe Mukundi. ! For more information on the context of armed conflicts in North Kivu, see Jason Stearns (2012), North Kivu. The Background to Conflict in North Kivu, Usalama Project, Rift Valley Institute, Nairobi. ! See also the International Alert report, including a critical perspective of peace actions carried out or supported by the Congolese authorities and international actors: Ending the Deadlock. Towards a New Vision of Peace in Eastern DRC. ! On negative discourses and stereotypes in DRC, see International Alert’s report: Words That Kill. Rumours, Prejudice, Stereotypes and Myths Amongst the People of the Great Lakes Region of Africa. ! Local Voices - Congolese Communities & The Kivu Conflict enjoys the support of International Alert and Search for Common Ground. ! © Local Voices 2013 with International Alert & Search For Common Ground.

local voices - congolese communities & the kivu conflict - www.localvoicesproject.com Fubula, a young APCLS combatant, joined armed groups when he was 13. Now in his twenties, Fubula is married and father of one. Lukweti, Masisi territory, North Kivu, August 2013. local voices - congolese communities & the kivu conflict - www.localvoicesproject.com About us ! ! LOCAL VOICES ! Local Voices is dedicated to telling and sharing human stories that could shape a better understanding of contemporary issues and foster positive changes among societies. By communicating to a wide audience the daily realities of people experiencing difficult and complex situations, sometimes in some of the most remote areas of the world, our action and website are meant to build bridges between local communities, a global audience and policy makers. Our objective is to foster a better - and more human - understanding of key international issues, and especially their local dynamics and effects. ! ! INTERNATIONAL ALERT ! International Alert is one of the world’s leading peacebuilding organisations. We help people find peaceful solutions to conflict and have nearly 30 years of experience working in over 25 countries around the world to build peace. We have been working in eastern DRC for 13 years, where we integrate peacebuilding with local development programmes in order to solve conflict linked to natural resources, identity and power. See our website for more information: www.international-alert.org.

local voices - congolese communities & the kivu conflict - www.localvoicesproject.com SEARCH FOR COMMON GROUND ! Founded in 1982, Search for Common Ground works to transform the way the world deals with conflict - away from adversarial approaches and towards collaborative problem solving. We use a multi-faceted approach, employing media initiatives and working with local partners in government and civil society, to find culturally appropriate means to strengthen societies' capacity to deal with conflicts constructively : to understand the differences and act on the commonalities. For more information, see our website: www.sfcg.org.

local voices - congolese communities & the kivu conflict - www.localvoicesproject.com Dancing for peace - A youth association brings students from different ethnic communities together to foster awareness on peace and peaceful cohabitation in their village. Here, at a rehearsal in a classroom. Nyabiondo, Masisi territory, North Kivu, September 2013.

local voices - congolese communities & the kivu conflict - www.localvoicesproject.com Contacts ! For interviews, high resolution photographs and more information, please contact: ! - Local Voices : Alexis Bouvy, Project Director - [email protected] / +32 488 605 852 - ! - International Alert : Maria Lange, Country Manager / RDC - [email protected] or Ilaria Bianchi, Head of Communication (UK) - [email protected] - ! - Search For Common Ground : Marie Coutin, Country Director / DRC - [email protected] ! ! ! ! The photographs and text in this press release are the sole property of Local Voices, International Alert and Search For Common Ground. For any public use, please mention the following credits : ! © 2013 Local Voices with International Alert & Search For Common Ground.

local voices - congolese communities & the kivu conflict - www.localvoicesproject.com