Of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo: 1996-1997

The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo: 1996-1997

MSF SPEAKS OUT MSF Speaks Out

In the same collection, “MSF Speaking Out”:

- “Salvadoran refugee camps in Honduras 1988” Laurence Binet - Médecins Sans Frontières [October 2003 - April 2004 – December 2013 2014]

- “Genocide of Rwandan Tutsis 1994” Laurence Binet - Médecins Sans Frontières [October 2003 - April 2004 – April 2014]

- “Rwandan refugee camps Zaire and Tanzania 1994-1995” Laurence Binet - Médecins Sans Frontières [October 2003 - April 2004- 2014]

- “The violence of the new Rwandan regime 1994-1995” Laurence Binet - Médecins Sans Frontières [October 2003 - April 2004- 2014]

- ‘’Famine and forced relocations in Ethiopia 1984-1986” Laurence Binet - Médecins Sans Frontières [January 2005- November 2013]

- “Violence against Kosovar Albanians, NATO’s Intervention 1998-1999” Laurence Binet - Médecins Sans Frontières [September 2006- 2014]

- “MSF and North Korea 1995-1998” Laurence Binet - Médecins Sans Frontières [January 2008 - 2014]

- “War Crimes and Politics of Terror in Chechnya 1994-2004” Laurence Binet - Médecins Sans Frontières [June 2010 -2014]

- “Somalia 1991-1993: Civil War, Famine Alert and UN “Humanitarian-Military” Intervention” Laurence Binet - Médecins Sans Frontières [October 2013]

Editorial Committee: Laurence Binet, Marine Buissonière, Rebecca Golden, Michiel Hofman, Simone Rocha, Jacki Tong, Rafa Vilasanjuan - Director of Studies (project coordinator-research - interviews - editing - transcription - typing): Laurence Binet - Transcription of interviews: Françoise Courteville, Pascale Donati, Jonathan Hull, Mary Sexton - Typing: Cristelle Cabioch - Translation French into English: Leah Brumer, Roger Leverdier - Translation Spanish into English: Carolyn Lopez- Serraf - Editing : Rebecca Golden, Jacqui Tong - Proofreading : Sally Heargraves - Design/lay out: - Video editing: Sara Mac Leod - Video research: Céline Zigo - Website designer and webmaster: Sean Brokenshire.

Thanks to MSF Australia team for their support

Thanks to Rony Brauman and Marc Le Pape for their advice Produced by the Médecins Sans Frontières International Movement MSF Australia is in charge of the design, running, update and promotion strategy of the website http://speakingout.msf.org

2 © Médecins Sans Frontières. April 2004 - April 1014 FOREWORD

This publication is part of the “Médecins Sans Frontières Speaking Out” case studies series prepared in response to the MSF International Council’s wish to provide the movement with literature on MSF témoignage (advocacy).

The idea was to create a reference document that would be straightforward and accessible to all and help volunteers understand and adopt the organization’s culture of speaking out.

It was not to be an ideological manual or a set of guidelines. Témoignage cannot be reduced to a mechanical applica-

tion of rules and procedures as it involves an understanding of the dilemmas inherent in every instance of humanitarian - 1997 Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 The Hunting and Killing of action.

The International Council assigned the project to a director of studies, who in turn works with an editorial committee composed of MSF representatives chosen by the International Board for their experience and expertise. They serve in their capacity as individuals and do not represent their national sections.

Faced with the difficulty of defining the term témoignage, the editorial committee decided to focus the series on case studies in which speaking out posed a dilemma for MSF and thus meant taking a risk.

Key information sources -MSF volunteers’ written and oral recollections — are reconstructed by highlighting documents from the period concerned and interviewing the main actors.

The individuals interviewed are chosen from lists prepared by the operational sections involved in each case. Speaking in the language they choose, these individuals offer both their account of events and their assessment of MSF’s response. The interviews are recorded and transcribed.

Document searches are conducted in the operational sections’ archives and, as far as possible, press archives.

The research is constrained by practical and financial issues, including locating interviewees and securing their agreement and determining the existence, quality and quantity of archived materials.

The methodology aims at establishing the facts and setting out a chronological presentation of the positions adopted at the time. It enables the reconstruction of debates and dilemmas without pre-judging the quality of the decisions made.

The main text describes events in chronological order. It includes excerpts from documents and interviews, linked by brief introductions and transitional passages. We rely on document extracts to establish the facts as MSF described and perceived them at the time. When documentation is missing, interviews sometimes fill the gaps. These accounts also provide a human perspective on the events and insight into the key players’ analyses.

Preceding the main texts collected, the reader will find a map, a list of abbreviations and an introduction that lays out the context of MSF’s public statements and the key dilemmas they sought to address.

In addition, a detailed chronology reconstructs MSF’s actions and public statements in regional and international news reports of the period.

3 MSF Speaks Out

Each case study was written in French and translated into English and is available in both languages.1

These case studies were essentially designed as an educational tool for associative members of the organisation. With the hope of broadening their educational scope the studies are now being made available to the public for free, on the website www.speakingout.msf.org, the various English and French-language websites of individual sections of Médecins Sans Frontières, and on Google Book.

We hope you find them useful.

The Editorial Committee.

September 2013

1. Document excerpts and interviews have been translated into both languages. 4 CONTENTS

Abbreviations ...... page 6

Maps ...... page 7

Introduction ...... page 8 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 The Hunting and Killing of People interviewed and their position at the time of the events ...... page 10

The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 ... page 11

• Call for an international military intervention to set up safe zones...... page 23

• The “figures crisis”...... page 54

• “20 people on average Die Every Day in The Tingi Tingi Camp” ...... page 72

• Masisi and Shabunda: humanitarian bait...... page 96

• Ubundu Kisangani: the railway lines of death...... page 106

• The Shabunda report ...... page 112

• “Where are the kaese refugies?” ...... page 128

• “Precedence of advocacy over assistansce” ...... page 152

• “Forced flight” and “MSF accuses”...... page 167

• The dilemma of repatriation ...... page 188

• The retrospective reports...... page 216

Chronology of events 1996-2010...... page 228

5 MSF Speaks Out

ABBREVIATIONS

ACF Action contre la faim UNICEF United Nations Children Fund (Action Against Hunger) USCR United States Committee ADFL Alliance of Democratic Forces for Refugees for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire USAID United States Agency AFP Agence France Presse for International Development AI Amnesty International WHO World Health Organisation BBC British Broadcast Corporation WFP World Food Program BUDA Ministry of Foreign Affairs ZRC Zairian Red Cross of the Netherlands DRC Democratic Republic of Congo EEC European Economic Community MSF B MSF Belgium EU European Union MSF CH MSF Switzerland DPKO United Nations Department of Peace MSF E MSF Spain Keeping Operations MSF F MSF France ECHO European Community Humanitarian MSF H MSF Holland Office MSF UK MSF United Kingdom FAR Forces Armées Rwandaises MSF USA MSF United States of America (Rwandan Armed Forces) FAZ Forces armées zaïroises (Zairian Armed Forces) HAD Humanitarian Affairs Department Back up Section in charge of the (MSF Holland) international emergency team (ET) management HRWA Human Rights Watch Africa CA (conseil d’administration): board of ICRC International Committee of the Red directors Cross ET Emergency Team composed of IOM International Office of Migrations Volunteers from operational sections. IRC International Rescue Committee IC International Council MDM Médecins du Monde (Presidents of all MSF sections). (Doctors of the World) Desk Group of people based in MSF NGO Non-Governmental organisation operational headquarters in charge OAU Organisation of African Unity of managing programs in one or PHR Physicians for Human Rights several countries. RPA Rwandan Patriotic Army Sitrep Situation report, from the field RPF Rwandan Patriotic Front team to the desk, or from the SCF Save the Children Fund desk to other sections’ desks or to headquarters’ management teams. UN United Nations Task force Multidisciplinary working group (UN)DHA United Nations Humanitarian Affairs for an emergency operation Department (Headquarters). (UN)HCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

Extract from MSF archives or press clippings. Extract from interviews conducted in 2000, 2001, 2002, and in 2003 with people who participated in and/or witnessed the events.

6 Click to access the reference material list. Then click on the refering number to access the video. MSF Programmes for Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-DRC and Congo Brazzaville, 1996-1997 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 The Hunting and Killing of

MSF Activities for Rwandan Refugees in Eastern Zaire-DRC November 1996 - August 1997

Exploratory mission Refugee Camps Masisi Refugee Camps December 1996 20 and 23 March 1997 March - August 1997 March 1997

Exploratory mission Shabunda Refugee Camps 7 26 March au 3 April 1997 July 1994 - November 1996 MSF Speaks Out

INTRODUCTION

On 6 April 1994, the plane carrying the Rwandan President was shot down as it approached Kigali. The slaughter of the Tutsi minority commenced in the days that followed. Simultaneously, leaders of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), an opposition movement organised by Tutsi exiles in Uganda, launched a military offensive in Rwanda and seized power in Kigali in early July.

From April to July 1994, between 500,000 and one million Rwandan Tutsi were systematically exterminated by militiamen under Rwandan Armed Forces (FAR in French) control. The genocide was the outcome of long-standing strategies implemented by politico-military extremists who roused ethnic resentments against the Tutsi minority. The extremists also killed many Rwandan Hutu who opposed the massacres.

During the summer of 1994, more than one million Rwandans fled their country, driven out as a result of threats by the former authorities and as a result of fear of civilian massacres related to the RPF’s military advance. From 1994 to 1996, militiamen and former soldiers, as well as military and political leaders involved in the genocide and armed acts against Rwanda, blended into the population of the Zairian camps along the Rwandan border. Despite warnings, specifically from humanitarian organisations, no international action was taken to separate the refugees from the criminals.

The situation was complicated by the presence in eastern Congo of significant Rwandan-speaking minorities (Banyarwanda and Banyamulenge), some of whom had lived in North and South Kivu for many years. Confrontations between Hutu and Tutsi worsened among the Rwandan-speaking population, while militias organised by local politicians carried out violent attacks against Rwandan groups that, in turn, organised counter-attacks. In 1993, this violence was responsible for 7,000 - 14,000 deaths. In 1994, attacks resumed against the Tutsi Banyarwanda in Kivu.

At the same time, the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo (AFDL), group opposing President Mobutu’s regime which included young Banyardwanda, joined forces in eastern Zaire under Laurent-Désiré Kabila. In October 1996, the Rwandan and Burundian armies, as well as the AFDL’s united forces, attacked refugee camps in Kivu. Over the course of several weeks, hundreds of thousands of refugees were targeted in armed attacks. Humanitarian organisations and the press were denied access to them.

MSF called for an international military operation to establish safety zones. Although this operation was envisaged at one point during the crisis, it never occurred.

MSF then released a second public statement, which stated MSF’s estimate that more than 10,000 people were likely to die if humanitarian organisations did not gain access to the conflict zones.

Starting on November 15, the RPA authorised the return of the refugees to Rwanda. Between 400,000 and 700,000 went back home. The international press accused humanitarian organisations, including MSF, of having exaggerated the gravity of the situation to enhance their fundraising.

In the months that followed, rebels and the RPA hunted down several hundred thousand additional refugees inside Zaire. During that time, the rebels, Rwandan authorities, and for a certain period the international community, denied that those refugees even existed. During the hunt, the pursuers killed many Rwandan Hutu. 8 At each phase of the exodus, MSF tried to provide aid to both refugees and local populations caught in the fighting. These teams came face to face with the AFDL’s and the Rwandan army’s bloody methods, which included using humanitarian organisations as a lure to draw out and then kill the refugees.

Throughout 1997, MSF used press releases and reports that documented accounts and witness statements to publicly condemn the killings and the human rights violations that were known to MSF’s field teams:

- On 25 April 1997, the Shabunda report condemned the killings committed by the AFDL and the RPA along the Bukavu-Shabunda corridor and the use of humanitarian organisations as a lure to encourage - 1997 Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 The Hunting and Killing of refugees out of hiding.

- On 19 May 1997, the report, Forced Flight used refugee statements to describe their flight across Zaire and the violence the refugees had to endure.

- In October 1997, a retrospective mortality epidemiological study of a group of refugees that reached Njundu in Congo (Brazzaville) in July confirmed the extent of the killings of refugees during that flight.

On several occasions from April to September 1997, MSF condemned the forced repatriation of Rwandan refugees with medical needs. This group had no guarantees of medical treatment or security when they reached their home communities.

These public statements were sometimes slow in coming and followed internal debates over the key dilemmas that the situation raised:

• Could MSF extrapolate from the little known conditions of these refugees and their health needs to speak out about their presumed current plight, despite the fact that it had no access to them?

• Given that MSF was being used to lure refugees from hiding, should the organisation cease activities in the area or pursue them, condemning manipulation in the hope of preventing massacres – but at the risk of endangering its teams and other operations in the region?

• Should MSF call for the refugees to remain in eastern Zaire, with its deadly dangers, or participate in their forced repatriation to Rwanda, where their security was not guaranteed either?

9 MSF Speaks Out

PEOPLE INTERVIEWED AND THEIR POSITION AT THE TIME OF THE EVENTS INTERVIEWS CONDUCTED IN 2000 AND 2002

Dr. José-Antonio Bastos MSF ET (Emergency inter-sections Team) Coordinator in South Kivu Dr. Philippe Biberson MSF France President Samantha Bolton MSF USA Communication Director, MSF Press Officer for the Great Lakes November-December 1996 Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier MSF Legal Advisor Dr. Dominique Boutriau MSF Belgium programme manager Dr. Jean-Hervé Bradol MSF France programme manager then Communication Director Brigitte Doppler MSF France Medical Coordinator, Tingi Tingi James Fraser MSF Holland Shabunda explo team, 26 March to 3 Avril 1997 Antoine Gérard MSF USA Head of Programmes Department Dr. Éric Goemaere MSF Belgium General Director Dr. […] MSF Belgium Operational Director Anne Guibert MSF France Press Officer Pim De Graaf MSF Holland Operational Director Anne-Marie Huby MSF UK Executive Director Ruud Huurman MSF Holland Press Officer Rachel Kiddell-Monroe MSF Holland Field Coordinator, Kivu (Zaïre) from February to September 1996 Leslie Lefkow MSF Holland Human Rights Officer, on Mission in Goma from 18 March to 2 April 1997, then MSF Holland HAD officer Dr. Jacques de Milliano MSF Holland General Director and MSF International vice-président Hanna Nolan MSF Holland Humanitarian Affairs Department (HAD) officer Alex Parisel MSF Belgium, Human Resources Director Dr. Bernard Pécoul MSF France Executive Director Jim Rupper Washington Post East Africa correspondent 1996-1997 Joëlle Tanguy MSF USA Executive Director Wilna Van Artzen MSF Holland Emergency Desk Officer Wouter Van Empelen MSF Holland Programme manager until 31 October 1996 Marcel Van Soest MSF Holland Field Coordinator, Goma, January to March 1997 Rafa Vilasanjuan MSF Spain Communications Director Lex Winkler MSF Holland Executive Director and Operational Director 1996-1997

10 teams toobserve the resumption of the civil war. Kivu regionsince1993.MSF’s presenceallowedthe health assistanceprogrammes forpeoplelivinginthe (July 1994-early1996), MSFHollandhadsetup Prior toitsactivitiesintheRwandanrefugeecamps Tutsi Banyarwanda in the Kivus resumed. for 7,000-14,000deaths.In1994,attacksagainstthe tacks. In1993,thisreciprocalviolencewasresponsible Rwandan groups,whichinturn,organisedcounterat - local politicians carried out violent attacks against amongst thispopulation,whilemilitiasorganisedby years. Conflict between Hutu and Tutsi was increasing of whomhadlivedinNorthandSouthKivuformany of Rwandan-speakingminorities(Banyarwanda),some the presenceineasternCongoofsignificantnumbers from theperpetrators.Thesituationwascomplicatedby international action was taken to separate the refugees Despite warningsfromhumanitarianorganisations,no camps along theRwandan border. Rwanda, blendedintothepopulationofZairian ers involvedin the genocide and armed acts against former soldiers,aswellmilitaryandpoliticallead- military advance.From1994to1996,militiamenand of fearcivilian massacres related to the RPF’s of threatsbytheformerauthoritiesandasaresult Rwandans fledtheircountry,drivenoutasaresult During thesummerof1994,morethanonemillion Rwanda and seizedpower in Kigali in early July. exiles inUganda,launchedamilitaryoffensive (RPF), anoppositionmovementorganisedbyTutsi Simultaneously, leadersoftheRwandanPatrioticFront many RwandanHutuwhoopposedthemassacres. against theTutsiminority.Theextremistsalsokilled military extremistswhorousedethnicresentments of long-standingstrategiesimplementedbypolitico- (FAR in French)control. The genocide was the outcome nated bymilitiamenunderRwandanArmedForces million RwandanTutsiweresystematicallyextermi- From ApriltoJuly1994,between500,000andone 1996 - 1997IN ZAIRE-CONGO THE HUNTING AND KILLING OF RWANDAN REFUGEES them, wehad a lotofworktoexplainwho wewereand ing foodandsupplies. WiththeHutugroups who surrounded church weweretheonlygroup thatwentinregularly,bring- get foodandtheywerecompletely closedin.Apartfromthe in their fields they were killed. They no longer were able to was totally surrounded by Hutu. Even when people went out There wasonevillagethatwe worked in(5,000people)that that basically, you shouldn’t gothere. the road,theywouldputalogacrosswhichmeant out alongtheway.Whattheyoftendidwasputsigns we wouldbeturnedaway,thedriverfindsomething scale. Manytimeswhenwewerejustabouttogoaplace, ritory. Itwasaveryclassiccivilwargoingoninthissmall had theirareasmarkedoutandtheywerefightingoverter - between theBahundi,Bahutu,andTutsi.Theyall protected bythelocalpriests.Youcouldseefrontlines or parisheswheregroupsofTutsiwereinhiding,being displaced peoplewerecomingin.Theremanychurches to becausethisorthatwashappeningandalsogroupsof to hearmoreandaboutplacesthatweshouldn’tgo signs ofbeingshotorhavingmachetewounds.Westarted Then alotofpeoplewhowerecominginshowedphysical health centres to give drugs and to give training and things. We startedtomovemorearoundintheareaandsupport Masisi area. there werealotofdisplacedpeoplemovingaroundinthe between themwithalotofkillingsandhostagetaking Masisi andsotherewerebigfightsbattlesgoingon these splitswerestartingtoformintheZairiansociety of Kivu,tobasicallybecomeanextensionRwanda.So, been recruitingtheBahututohelpthemwiththistakeover been goingoutintotheMasisiarearecruiting.TheHutuhad Bahutu andtheBatutsi.Peoplefromrefugeecampshad out thattherewasaveryactivewargoingonbetweenthe problems togetoutandasweinvestigateditmorefound be alothappening.Thereseemedtoofsecurity at itandgetsomeinformation.”Indeed,theredidseemto that thereissomuchtodo?”Isaid,“Ok,let’shavealook in Masisi:“Whyarewerunningtheprojectdown,itseems members said that there were all of these killings going on leave thecampsandeverything.Afewofteam were gettingridofeverythingbecausewewould When I arrived at the project in February 1996, we

11 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

that we were just going there because there were people in anyone who passed through Goma, we talked to them about need. If they had wounded people, we would also look after Masisi and we were contacting embassies and other organ- their wounded: we would look after anybody. They would let isations. In Rwanda, we were doing a lot of work on a through but if there were fights going on, they would leave regional level and trying to have Amsterdam get in touch signs on the road so that we would know not to go. We also with different organisations and talk about what was going had radio contacts in different places because we had been on and what was happening but it was much more about doing a project for many years in Zaire (a drug distribution silent diplomacy. programme) and we had contacts in 350 health centres It didn’t get on to the agenda. I remember an EU represen- throughout North Kivu. So, often we could phone to them tative coming through. I was talking to him about Masisi and find out what was going on. We also had relations with and I asked him, “How can the EU just sit by and watch this the church posts so we could find out what was going on. go on? There is no funding for this, there is no interest in this there is no coverage of this. You only come here to talk Rachel Kiddell-Monroe, MSF Holland Field Coordinator, about the camps. There is a war going on and there are all Kivu (Zaïre) from February to September 1996 these people dying…” He said, “Young lady, you have your (in English). job, I have mine. You have to look after the poor starving ones, I have to deal with regional politics.” For me, it was a very disillusioning moment because I realized that the politics of the Great Lakes was far greater than we were.

From the beginning of November 1995, the MSF Holland Rachel Kiddell-Monroe, MSF Holland Field Coordinator, team attempted to bring the international community’s Kivu (Zaïre) from February to September 1996 attention to this tragic situation and specifically to the (in English). fate of the Masisi’s Tutsi population, who were being pursued and persecuted. Since January 1996, several thousand had taken refuge inside the Mokoto monas- On 12 May, the Mokoto monastery was attacked and tery and in the village of Kitchanga, which was also the some of the Tutsi hiding in the church were killed. site of an MSF-supported clinic. Survivors fled to the Kitchanga commune, where 15,000 people displaced by the civil war were trying to live alongside the residents. The MSF team set up a surgical team immediately to care for the wounded. ’Response on the Reaction of UN/ICRC to MSF In the face of UNHCR’s indecision over evacuating the in Geneva- Background’, Message from Rachel Tutsi in danger in the area, the team evacuated some (Kiddell-Monroe), Coordinator in Goma to of the 3,000 displaced people on its own. Wouter (Van Empelen), programme manager in Amsterdam, 27 May 1996 (in English).

Extract: Rink de Lange and Leanne Olson, ’The Success For over 4 months, MSF Goma has been particularly con- and Disappointment of Advocacy in Masisi,’ Ins cerned about the plight of displaced Tutsi in the villages and Outs, MSF Holland internal magazine, June of Kitchanga and the Mokoto monastery (displaced Tutsi 1996 (in English). have been present in Mokoto since late January 1996). Prior to and since the arrival of the present country man- Extract: ager in early April 1996, the concern for these people has On Sunday 12 May 1996, the monastery was attacked. been raised over and over by the teams working in the At the time, the monks had brought a thousand Tutsi field. As a result of this concern, discussions have been to safety in the church. The monks then had to flee and held between various organisations in Goma, initiated by some hundred Tutsi were butchered. The rest managed to MSF and ICRC, to try to get something done to protect escape to Kitchanga, a Hunde enclave where some 15,000 these people. displaced persons had already been added to the original […] On 2 May 1996, a meeting was called at the IOM population of 10,000. People suffered from a serious food offices in Goma held between IOM, ICRC, MSF, UNHCR, shortage and were frequently attacked. ECHO, OXFAM, WFP and Caritas. At that meeting, both MSF and ICRC jointly raised their serious concerns over the MSF and ICRC were the first on the spot, three days after situation of the Tutsi at Mokoto and Kitchanga, stressing the massacre. What we found was monstrous. Two burnt that in our view these people needed to be evacuated. corpses were lying on the road, dismembered and disem- boweled. They had clearly been left behind as a warning. In and around the church we found more bodies. As we continued our gruesome tour through the monastery, the Hutu fighters, responsible for these horrid deeds, con- For the previous five months we had been doing a tinued to loot, apparently heedless of our presence. The 12 lot of advocacy work. For example, going to see rooms were strewn with the personal effects of hundreds in Geneva. delayed because ofanobstacleatUNCHR headquarters the otherdisplacedpeople who remainedindangerwas Despite thelocalauthorities’ agreement,evacuationof arms and fight. women andchildren.Manyofthemenhadfledtotakeup they wenttoacampontheborder.Theyweremainly the people into the truck, and took them to Rwanda where $10,000 andwegot a truck,cameback tothevillage, got going toevacuatethemandsowedid.Woutergaveme them—no onewouldtouchthem.Wesaidthatwewere The ICRCwouldn’tevacuatethem;UNHCR tion ofthesepeople.Butwecouldn’tgetanyonetodoit. be killed.SoweworkedwithICRCtotrygetanevacua- to getthem out becausewe knew thattheywere going to located the otherpeople who hadn’t been killed and wehad things werenothappening.Atthesametime,wehad diplomatic workbutIfeltthatitwasgoingtooslowlyand split tasksbetweenICRCandMSF.Hewasdoingallthis good relationshipwiththeheadofICRC.Wehadactually people. Theyhavetodosomethingaboutit.Ihadavery and found out that of course they work with displaced work withrefugees.”SoIwentintothemanualsofUNHCR people andfirst,wedon’tworkwithdisplacedpeople—we camps andsaid,“Thisisnotourjob—thisdisplaced a probleminMasisi.Theywerejusttooinvolvedwiththe UNHCR. UNHCR would just not acknowledge that there was thing aboutthis. We hadbeenworking a lotwithICRCand now hadsomuchevidenceofthings,wetodosome- them. Theteamcamebackandwedecidedthatsince had fledquitealongwayawayandthepriestwith they sawtheresultsofmassacre.Allotherpeople decided togoontheplacewitnesswhathappenedand Everyone isdeadandtheresthavefled.”Soteam “They’re all being massacred, and they’re all being killed. got there,peoplecameandstoppedthecarsaid, they couldcarryontreatmentandtraining.Justbeforewe ity for the evacuationof the remaining5,900 Tutsi. were madeinGomatotalkUNHCRintotakingresponsibil- gical teamtocareforthewounded.Inaddition,attempts grave peril.MSF’sfirstresponsewasthedispatchofasur- Clearly thefivethousandotherTutsiinareawere destroyed. of people.Everythingthatcouldbedestroyedhadbeen Rachel Kiddell-Monroe,MSFHollandFieldCoordinator, and wegavedrugseverycoupleofweekssothat church, very near thetownof Masisi. Apriest ran it There wasagroupofTutsiwhowerehidingin Kivu (Zaïre) from February to September 1996 (in English).

issue. United Nationsbegantodevelopaninterestinthe local and international organisations. UNHCR and the Tutsi were finally evacuated thanks to mobilisation by statement. Inthefollowingweeks,morethan3,000 carefully avoidedmentioningthisinitsoriginalpress involvement intheevacuation.TheGomateamhad tively, theconflict’sethnicaspectandUNHCR’slimited MSF’s BelgianandBritishsectionshighlightedrespec- tributed apressrelease.Theversionsdistributedby On 21May,theMSFteaminGomawroteanddis- evacuation. pessimistic about UNHCR(headquarters) approval for the Zairian refugees.TheUNHCR(representativeinGoma)was that alltheTutsiinterviewedwantedtogoRwandaas simply awaited the go-ahead fromUNHCR. They told us they were readyto evacuate the Tutsi on 21 May, they was stillnegotiable.OnMonday20MayIOMstatedthat the representativegaveimpressionthatthisdecision UNHCR in Geneva was reluctantto be involved. However evacuated onTuesday21May.…UNHCRinformedusthat in Kitchanga,IOMpromisedthe Tutsi thattheywouldbe the necessarymilitaryescortstoevacuateTutsi.While On 17MayIOMhired8truckswithdriversandarranged appears tohavepulledoutandonlyIOMwentasagreed. to gotheareaon16May.AtlastminuteUNHCR ise theirevacuationfromthearea.…Themissionwasdue register andinterviewallthedisplacedTutsitoorgan- UNHCR andIOMagreedtogoKitchangaMokoto for manyreasonsincludingsecurityandaccesstowater. sion to evaluatethe site had found it to be inadequate had designatedasiteforthemnearRutshuru.…Themis- evacuation of the Tutsi from Kitchanga and Mokoto and The local authorities at this point had agreed to the Extract : are currently surrounded in the villages of Kitchanga and At least3,000 ethnicTutsilivinginthe Masisiregion Extract: English). manager in Amsterdam, 27 May 1996 (in Goma toWouter[Van Empelen],programme from Rachel Kiddell-Monroe, Coordinator in in Geneva- Attempts to help the Tutsi,’ ‘Response on the Reaction of UN/ICRC to MSF French). MSF BelgiumPressRelease,21May1996(in – MSFCallsforTheirImmediate Evacuation,’ ‘3,000 PeopleThreatenedintheMasisiRegion Message

13 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

Nyamitaba, some three hours from Goma. Armed groups, placed. During the escalation in fighting, MSF has been primarily Hutu Banyarwanda, control the access roads to providing emergency medical care to the population. the villages. These 3,000 people face death unless they However, the local health structures have totally coI- are evacuated and protected immediately. Iapsed in the region. Access to the area is increasingly restricted with the security situation deteriorating daily. Although Zairian authorities are aware of the situation, Few other international humanitarian organisations are they are not taking necessary measures. Despite Médecins working with the population at risk. Sans Frontières’ repeated calls for protection of minorities in the Masisi region, the United Nations continues to Since 1993, MSF has been working with both sides of the neglect this problem. Today, evacuation appears to be the conflict in North Kivu. only solution that could still save this population.

MSF urges Zairian authorities and the United Nations to evacuate them to a safe location. ‘Response on the Reaction of UN/ICRC to MSF in Geneva- Attempts to Help the Tutsi,’ Since 1993, MSF has been working in this area on both the Message from Rachel Kiddell-Monroe, Rwandan and Zairian sides of the border. In recent weeks, Coordinator in Goma to Wouter (Van Empelen), violence increased sharply in the Masisi region. Last week, programme manager in Amsterdam, 27 May an MSF surgical team was dispatched to Kitchanga and 1996 (in English). operated on some thirty wounded people. In the Gisenyi region of Rwanda, MSF is helping to aid 8,500 Tutsi who Extract: fled their villages in Masisi. After a discussion with the desk in Amsterdam on 21 May, it was decided to lobby directly to Geneva (UNHCR) and to consider a press statement to witness the situation of the Tutsi. After a discussion with a responsible in Geneva, (MSF Holland) HQ was told that UNHCR had refused to ’Zaire: 3,000 Under Threat in Masisi Region - intervene to evacuate the Tutsi. The responsible (of MSF Calls for Immediate Evacuation,’ Press UNHCR) was told that MSF was considering a press state- Release MSF UK, 21 May 1996 (in English). ment. Off the record, approval was given.

Extract: A press statement was prepared in Goma with some team Goma, 21 May 1996: At least 3,000 Tutsi located in sev- members most involved with the issue. The idea was to eral pockets in the Masisi region of North Kivu, eastern WITNESS not to DENOUNCE, hence why any reference to Zaire, are in immediate danger. They should be protected UNHCR or IOM or ICRC or too much focused on the role since they are caught up between the armed groups of the Zairian authorities was studiously avoided. This fighting the civil war, which is currently engulfing North draft was sent to Amsterdam where it was discussed with Kivu. Presently, they are surrounded in the villages of humanitarian affairs and PR. The final version was then Kitchanga and Nyamitaba, three hours drive north of sent out to other MSF sections, delegate offices and Goma. Unless these people are evacuated to a safe place press. On that day, ICRC came to see MSF about the issue. within the coming days, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) They were told we had decided to make a press statement believes that these people are extremely likely to be expressing concern about the Tutsi and calling on the killed. relevant UN bodies to evacuate them. ICRC agreed with Although the Zairian authorities have acknowledged the the action. situation, they are unable to address it. Despite extensive lobbying by MSF and other organisations in the past week, the United Nations and international community have not yet come up with appropriate measures to save Rink de Lange and Leanne Olson ’The Success the lives of these people. It is even more striking that in and Disappointment of Advocacy in Masisi,’ Ins the case of Masisi, the situation was discussed by relevant and Outs, MSF Holland internal magazine, UN bodies; yet no action was taken. June 1996 (in English). In view of the prevailing situation, MSF believes that the evacuation of these people is the only viable solution to Extract: save their lives. Therefore MSF calls on the competent Other sections felt free to adjust our press statement at bodies in the region, particularly the UN and partners their own discretion. As a result, UNHCR felt unfairly chal- present in the region to start an urgent evacuation. lenged. An emergency meeting in Geneva followed. Owing The Masisi conflict is spiraling out of control. On 12 May, to a lack of communication between head office and the an estimated 100 displaced Tutsi were massacred in the international desk in Brussels, the MSF deputies hardly parish of Mokoto where they were seeking refuge. The knew what was going on and, as a result, were unable to survivors managed to flee to the village of Kitchanga. defend our explanation. A very disappointing experience 14 Since November 1995, 250,000 people have become dis- for our team in Goma, particularly because they had lost that Ihadbeen invitedtothismeetingan hour laterthan I wasurgently called toameetingatUNHCR. Ifoundout not in danger anymore. That was important. The next day, At thesametime,wegotthese peopleout,sotheywere ferences. Wegotalotofcoverage—it wasinallthepress. telephone rangconstantlyfor 24-hours withallthetimedif- that wentoutwasn’ttheone thatIhadshownthem.The stand byyouandwe’llsupport.”Butthenthepressrelease at andthisiswhattheteambelieves.”Theysaid,“Ok,we’ll stand it.”Isaid,“ThisisMSFthisthepointwhereweare think thatit’swrongyou’vedonethis,butweunder - agreed ontoICRCandUNHCRbeforehand.Theysaid,“We given myversionofthepressrelease,onethatwehad given anysupporttothesepeople.”Onthelocallevel,Ihad it, thispoint:“UNHCRhasdoneabsolutelynothingandor sons problems,etc…InfactMSF-UKputonthebottomof react tothissituationanddealwiththedisplacedper - that UNHCRhadn’tdoneanything, and called onUNHCRto and massacredthem.Wehadmadeanallusiontothefact Belgium wheretheychangeditandsaidHutuattackedTutsi would appeal to their press. Mainly that was fine except in the wording. Then each section took it and made it how it licly. Alltheteamagreedtoitandwe’dbeverycarefulwith next dayapressreleasewasproducedandwentoutpub- to commentonitandthenwewillgoaheadwithit.The produced thestatementandsaidthatyouhaveafewhours we diditaccordingtotheusualrulesofcommunication.We Holland andthenwedistributedittoallthesections.So, So wemade this statement and it was agreed with MSF the whole conflict inside the camps. and massacredinthisplaceMasisi,itislinkedwith group ofdisplacedpeopleinthatchurchwereattacked conclusions, butwhatwearegoingtosayisthattherea that whole conflict going on. People can make their own in thatareaandtherewasalreadysuchapoliticizationof want tosayit.Becausewehadsomanyproblemsworking it hadbeenBahutuwhoattackedtheTutsibutwedidn’t permanent political solution to theconflict. that putstheZairiangovernmentunderpressuretofinda fully willleadtoaresolutionbytheUNSecurityCouncil UN is aware of the gravity of the situation, which hope- is now involved in the evacuation of the Tutsi. At last the with UNHCR,whichhadamoresatisfactoryresult.UNHCR Matters werestraightenedoutinasubsequentmeeting the situation and advisetheSecurity Council… Nations dispatched representatives to Goma evaluate more thanthreethousandTutsi.Inaddition,theUnited international organisations,resultedintheevacuationof weeks, localinitiatives,backedfinanciallybyacoupleof the localresponsewasaswehadhoped.Withinafew Notwithstanding orpossiblyowingtotheresultingoutcry, displaced personsonceandforall... the opportunitytohaveUNHCRtakeresponsibilityfor make astatementaboutit.Basicallyweknewthat there hadn’tbeensomethingsolid.Sowedecidedto The massacrewasthefinalstraw.Upuntilthen, 1997. This informationwasnotmadepublicuntilAugust which theinternationalcommunityhadrefusedtodo. task ofeliminatingthethreatZairiancampsposed, American politicalleadersthatRwandaassumesthe Vice-President andMinisterofDefence,suggestedto 1996, duringatriptotheUSA,PaulKagame,Rwanda’s movement opposingZaire’sPresidentMobutu.InJune for theLiberationofCongo-Zaire(AFDL),anarmed Laurent-Désiré Kabila’sAllianceofDemocraticForces throughout theKivuregionwhowererecruitedinto it trained and armedyoungBanyamulengemenfrom camps inZaire.SupportedbyBurundiandUganda, threat posedbyextremistsintheRwandanrefugee The Rwandangovernmentintendedtoeliminatethe an hour and theyhad decided on sanctions against MSF. all hadbeendiscussingwhatwedoneasMSFforabout everyone else.Therewasalargegroupofpeopleandthey June tripwas to makesuretheywouldnot betakenby would meanRwanda wouldtakeaction…My purposeinmy the failureofinternational communitytotakeaction What happenedintheUS?I deliveredaveiledwarning: and said, either we solve it or face another catastrophe. from the United States last July, briefed my colleagues I wasnotgoingtomakethe samemistake.Ireturned verify andnothing.“Iwasnotgoingtodothatagain. machetes and arms being imported. They would check, thousands ofmilitiabeingtrainedintheeasternpart,and “ IwouldshareinformationwithUNcommanders,about be in a position of lying, of denying things” he said … ... “Iwantedtotellthetruth.Ididnotalwayswant I putthesamequestiontohim:“whymakeadmissions?” When Imet Kagame thenext day athisresidencein Kigali, Democratic Republic ofCongo… President MobutuSeseSekoinneighboringZaire,nowthe major roleinthesix-monthrebellionthatdeposed The Rwandan army, he had confirmed, had played the General PaulKagame,alsocarriedintheMail&Guardian. Rwandan Vice-PresidentandMinisterofDefenceMajor had carriedreportsoftheWashingtonPostinterviewwith to KigalionJuly11(1997),bothmajordailiesinKampala The daybeforeItooktheAirRwandaflightfromEntebbe Extract: Rachel Kiddell-Monroe,MSFHollandFieldCoordinator, (South Africa), 8 August1997(in English). its RoleinZaire’WeeklyMailandGuardian Mahmood Mamdani,‘WhyRwandaAdmittedto Kivu (Zaïre) from February to September 1996 (in English).

15 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

surprise. Their response was really no response. And yet I was not disheartened by it.” ‘Minutes of International Meeting of Operations Directors’ Amsterdam, 20 September, 1996 (in English).

In a press release on 23 July, MSF Belgium condemned Extract: the Burundian authorities for the forced repatriation of Uvira: Rwandan refugees. The repatriation begun three days A lot of residents (Banyamulenge) in the Ruzizi and Uvira earlier and had led to the death of three refugees and area are intimidated and violated by the Zairian troops. caused thousands of others to flee. These Rwandans These Banyamulenge are of Rwandan and Tutsi origin and had taken refuge in Burundi during the 1994 Rwandan have lived in this area since the 18th century. Last week Tutsi genocide. 150 people were pushed over the border to Cibitoke province. It is unknown what happened to them. There is a strong feeling that Nyangona (a Hutu leader) plays a role in it. It is expected that this trend will continue. They got ‘Three Deaths During Forced Repatriation to no media attention. More news will come when Jacques Rwanda – Thousands of People Seek Refuge in will come back from Uvira. For MSF it is important to dis- the Burundian Hills,’ MSF Belgium Press cuss the matter. Our position on the Ruzizi Plain depends Release, 23 July 1996 (in French). on the Zairian government.

Extract: During the forced repatriation that began on Friday, three Rwandan refugees died yesterday on arrival at the Butare Jean Hélène, ’Conflict Threatens Eastern Zaire transit centre. An elderly person and a baby suffocated in at Rwandan and Burundian Borders,’ Le Monde the trucks. (France), 16 October 1996 (in French). Last Friday, an extensive forced repatriation effort was initiated in the Rwandan refugee camps in Kibezi and Extract: Ruvumu in northern Burundi. The refugees were trans- Four people died on 13 October and 20,000 were displaced ported in container trucks like cattle. These unacceptable during an attack on a Hutu refugee camp. On 8 October, repatriation conditions led to the death of three people. a raid on a hospital in a neighboring village is reported Around 13,000 people who were turned back had already to have caused 46 deaths. Fighting between regular arrived in Rwanda, where MSF teams received them at a Zairian forces and Banyamulenge rebels is reported to Butare transit centre. First aid and water were provided occur almost daily. The situation in South Kivu province, there. at the Rwandan and Burundian borders, has deteriorated In Burundi, nearly 5,000 people fleeing the forced return dramatically in a month… to Rwanda arrived in the Magara camp, while several thousand refugees were scattered in the hills around the The problems began in early September south of Uvira town of Ngozi. when Zairian soldiers, alerted by the population, stopped MSF is concerned about the fate of these people, who are a group of armed Banyamulenge, who defended them- without protection. They have been hiding in the hills selves. Quickly moving beyond the stage of hurling diplo- without food or water since Friday. matic insults, the situation worsened quickly and humani- MSF condemns these forced repatriations and the unac- tarian organisations have already been forced to evacuate ceptable conditions in which they have been carried out half their staff from Uvira. However, 200,000 Burundian and calls for the refugees in the hills to be protected. and Rwandan Hutu refugees remain in the regions’ camps. According to their spokesperson, the Banyamulenge are fighting to obtain Zairian citizenship. This tribe of Tutsi shepherds, originally from Rwanda, immigrated to Zaire in the 19th century to settle on the uninhabited high In September and October, the Zairian army and plateaus of the Mulenge region. Banyamulenge groups were in violent combat in the Uvira region of southern Kivu near the Burundian The ongoing debate over the question of Zairian citizen- border. Rwandan refugees living in the camps in the ship resurfaced during the 1990 Rwandan civil war. Many region were caught in the fighting and began to flee. Banyamulenge (including Zairian soldiers) enrolled in the Three of those turned back and were wounded, and one Rwandan Tutsi guerrilla forces and after their victory in died at the hospital. July 1994, many chose to immigrate to Rwanda with their families, where the new regime was quick to offer them citizenship. This dual allegiance attracted the suspicion of the Zairian population, already jealous of the immigrant 16 and relatively prosperous tribe. Local politicians seeking (Emergency Team/ET) coordinated by MSFHolland. transformed intoaninternationalemergencymission In mid-October,theMSFHollandmissioninUvirawas noted that, “emergency diplomatic actionisrequired.” human rights reporter in Zaire on mission in the region, refugee camps”and“alsotoseizeSouthKivu.”TheUN soldiers [majorityTutsi]arepreparingtostormtheHutu is yettocome,”since“3,000RwandanandBurundian The BurundianHuturebellionexpectsthat“theworst rilla recruitment centres? camps awayfromtheborder,wheretheycouldactasguer- fighters? Or was it to force UNHCR to move Hutu refugee -- serveasarearbaseforRwandanandBurundianHutu Was ittodestabiliseeasternZaire,whichwould–orcould the Banyamulenge out ofethnic solidarity? Rwandans wereprovidingthissupport.WasKigaliaiding to afrontierstationnearUvirabutwonderedwhythe men weretransportedat night from Rwanda (via Burundi) on 20and21September,between5001,000armed receive reinforcementsfromRwanda.Theyreportedthat Observers intheregionacknowledgethatBanyamulenge population’s misgivings. a scapegoat to bolster their power took advantage of the camp. of Goma,therebelsattackedoutskirtsKatale left forBukavu.RefugeeslivingConcurrently,north who hadfledfightingandsettledintheUviraregion On 20October,morethan100,000Rwandanrefugees projects on the basisofa modular system. the centraldesk,andothersectionswillcarryouttheir Eastern Zaireasawholedecrease,thenMSFHwillalsobe MSFH asBUS(BackUpSection).Shouldthesituationin Uvira will become an ET missionif things get worse, with October 16(summaryofNewsflash):decisioninParisthat Extract: Lakes’, April 1997(inEnglish). ‘Evaluation ofETInterventionintheGreat Jean-Marie KindermansandMyriamHenkens, accusations. Burundi. KigaliandBujumburahavealwaysrejectedthose Banyamulenge whotheninfiltratedtheUviraregionvia Rwanda ofhavingenlistedandequippedaround3,000 government isunwillingtoprovide.Zaireregularlyaccuses are demandingZairiancitizenship,whichtheKinshasa Uvira, neartheBurundianfrontier.TheBanyamulenge and theBanyamulengeragedinmountainsabove In earlySeptember,fightingbetweentheZairianarmy capital of South Kivuprovince. that manyrefugeesareheadingnorthtowardBukavu,the gees arefleeing…HumanitariansourcesinUvirareport From Geneva,UNHCRconfirmedthatsome110,000refu- which theZairianarmyconsiders to beina“stateofwar.” Military reinforcements arrive regularly in the Uvira region, Extract: denied the charge. Banyamulenge rebels.Authoritiesinbothcountries Rwandan andBurundianarmiesofsupportingthe On 22October,theZairiangovernmentaccused to striking a matchin a warehousefull of dynamite.” national interests, but its recent military initiative is akin a UNofficialsaidyesterday.“Rwandaisdefendingits that one side be labeled as good and the other as evil,” an approachbasedonrealpolitik,whichdoesnotdemand Africa’s GreatLakesregion,wemustreturnimmediatelyto the failureofhumanitarianeffortstoresolveconflictsin gathered in the region over the last two years. “Given prompt some600,000Hututoleaveinapanic.Theyhave ing 200,000people),revealedtheultimategoal:to around theKatalecamp(thelargestrefugeecamp,hous- of Goma,inwhicharmedmenopenedfirethearea Sunday’s carefully-plannedandexecutedattacknorth Extract: (France), 22 October1996(inFrench). the ArmyandTutsiinEasternZaire,’LeMonde ‘110,000 HutuRefugeesFleeFightingBetween 22 October1996 (in French). Defensive Strategy,’Libération(France), – Last Hutu Exodus Emerges as Rwanda’s Stephen Smith, ’Planned War in Eastern Zaire

17 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

In late October, the MSF Holland Coordinator completed a report on part played by the Rwandan refugee camps ’The Conflict in Eastern Zaire Threatens to in eastern Zaire sprend the Masisi wars throughout Expand – Washington and UN Are Worried,’ FC, the region. By then, however, current events upstaged Le Monde (France), 25 October 1996 (in the report. The report was nonetheless sent to various French). human rights organisations, the UN and journalists.

Extract: […] Fighting began in September between Zairian armed forces and the Banyamulenge, but on Tuesday night, the ‘Ethnic Cleansing Rears its Head in Zaire – Zairian government for the first time, formally accused Population in Masisi Suffers Untold Hardship,’ the Rwandan and Burundian armies (dominated by Tutsi) MSF Holland Report, 1 November 1996 (in of attacking its territory in North Kivu and South Kivu English). provinces. The Zairians accuse them of invading the Uvira plain and confirm that fighting between the Zairian and Extract: Rwandan armies is underway near the town of Goma, north Report conclusions: of Bukavu. Officials in Kigali and Bujumbura have denied The population of Masisi is in grave danger due to the any involvement in the conflicts. armed conflict in the region. The number of both internally displaced and people living in enclaves, many of whom are inaccessible, is alarming in the extreme. The population of Masisi is denied access to medical care and other humanitarian assistance. The lack of On 25 October, the Zairian government declared a state access to health care facilities is alarming and the health of emergency in the provinces of North and South problems in the region are increasing while access is Kivu. The Banyamulenge had nearly captured the town diminishing. Humanitarian access will only continue to of Uvira and confirmed that members of the Zairian decrease as the war continues to spiral. opposition had allied with them to win control of Kivu. Humanitarian access to the populations in danger is being denied due to the lack of security and the actions During the weekend of 26 October, the camps in North of warring parties. MSF is frequently forced to withdraw Kivu, Kibumba and Katale were attacked. Hundreds its assistance from areas (usually temporarily) due to the of thousands of refugees fled and gathered in other risks to humanitarian personnel, particularly Zairian and camps. Humanitarian organisations evacuated some of international medical personnel. their staff. The Zairian authorities in cooperation with the international community must act immediately to alleviate the humanitarian suffering in Masisi and surrounding areas. Stephen Smith, ’Zaire: 500,000 Refugees Take Humanitarian access is a prerequisite to provide assistance. to the Roads – Two More Hutu Camps Attacked Therefore, humanitarian organisations should be facili- This Weekend from Rwanda,’ Libération, tated in their work and their working principles should be (France), 28 October 1996 (in French). respected.

Extract: The importance of the Masisi conflict in the Great Lakes […] On Friday night, the Kibumba camp, which housed Crisis must be acknowledged. The Zairian authorities and close to 200,000 Hutu refugees north of Goma, was the international community must take responsibility for attacked by ‘armed men’ and came under artillery fire from the situation in Masisi and North Kivu in order for there to Rwanda, only several hundred metres away. According to be any hope of finding lasting solutions to the Great Lakes an official of a humanitarian organisation who asked not and its Masisi Crisis. The situation has been left to fester to be identified, “the operation was led by the 7th battal- and it is now further out of control. Institutional man- ion of the Rwandan Army, usually based in Kigali.” … The dates can no longer be allowed to prevent international next night, the Katale camp, the region’s largest refugee responses to protect the people of Masisi. camp located 60 kilometres north of Goma and housing The root causes of the conflict are political and need more than 200,000 people, was also attacked and came political solutions. Only through the introduction of a under artillery fire. Last night, the number of Hutu who genuine process of correct and informed political action fled the camp had not yet been determined, but since the can enable lasting peace for the region. In finding politi- morning, thousands of exhausted refugees had arrived on cal solutions, the nationality issue and local land disputes foot in Goma in torrential rains. Around twenty expatri- need to be resolved. ates were evacuated yesterday, reducing the number of humanitarian aid workers to around 100 in Goma where, The future of Masisi and North Kivu is inextricably under military pressure in the north, “the Tutsi witch linked to solutions to the regional refugee crisis. 18 hunt” resumed. Without a solution to the Rwandan refugee crisis, peace port, tosay,“This iswhatwebelieve,”and todoapress the UN, to governments and to whomever with their sup- The ideawasbasicallytouse itasalobbyingdocumentto the reportbutweweretooslow withit.Itwashardluck… It waslikewehadpresagedit—it waswhatwehadsaidin on bythefieldandeverything, basicallythewarbrokeout. on the day that we did the final copy, it had been agreed Wouter. It was very much the three of us who did it. Then tions aboutthecamps.IdidthatwithEdSchenkenbergand true andwhatisn’t.Intheendwedidsomerecommenda - Kivu beingannexedintoRwandabutyoudon’tknowwhat’s There wereallthesestoriesabout this greater Rwanda and all goingtolivehappilyeverafter—it’samuchbiggerstory. not justwheneveryonegoesbacktoRwandathattheyare Masisi andthatthisisgoingtobecomearegionalwar.It’s trying to make was that these camps were creating war in impact ofthecampswereonthem.Thepointthatwe organisations and lots of people from the area on what the Rwanda. Ididinterviewswithallthelocalstaff,other ing with there and the whole link between Masisi and and triedto explain the different groups that we were work- experience withit.IdidananalysisofthecontextMasisi was happeninginMasisi,therefugeecamps,andMSF’s the movement out ofthe camps shouldbe dealt with. Rwandan militaryandinterahamwe,there-armament perpetrators ofthegenocide,presenceformer refugee camps,i.e.thecontinuedimpunityofalleged In addressing the problems in Masisi, the problems of the political problemsinthewholeofKivu,includingMasisi. authorities in order to find endurable solutions to the ly andmandatedtoundertakediscussionswiththeZairian special UN representative should beappointed immediate- make an official response on the situation in Masisi. A to implementurgentlytheUNDHArecommendationsand MSF callsupontheSecretaryGeneralofUnitedNations The rights of thesepeople must beprotected. them atrisk.Inaddition,conditionsinthecamparepoor. being locatedlessthan1kilometrefromtheborderputs Umbano campinRwandamustbeaddressed.The The situationofthepeopleatPetiteBarriere/ from the camps isimminent. threat ofa‘Hutuland’createdbytheextremistelements own ends,cannot be deniedorignoredanylonger. The Masisi, fuellingandtakingpartintheconflictfortheir The presenceofarmedgroupsfromthecampspresentin particularly referring to Masisi, must beprevented. Movement outsidetheGomacampsbyrefugees, region, both locally andfor the Great Lakes region. gees inMasisiandNorthKivuwouldbeadisasterforthe cannot cometoMasisi.TherelocationoftheHuturefu- story ofMasisiandtodrawthelinksbetweenwhat ‘96… So,wedecidedtowritethisreportgivethe I finishedmytimeinGomaattheendofSeptember had previously belonged to Rwanda. day, the Rwandan president asserted that eastern Zaire the entireKivuregion.Duringapressconferencethat shelter, waterorfood,wereroamingintherainacross On 28Octobermorethan500,000refugeeslacking extremely complicated. no oneknewwhatwasgoingoninMasisi.Itso think theyuseditasaninformationdocument.Wefeltthat press. Orifitwas,wouldn’thavehadmuchimpact.I ing inMasisi.Idon’tthinkthatitwaseverreleasedtothe context but alsowhat was the reality of what was happen- Some ofitwasmoreacademicintryingtounderstandthe a goodbackground.Itwasn’tanoperationalreportassuch. might finditusefulforyourworkinthearea.”Itwasquite already butpleaseuseitinwhateverwaythatyoucan.You binding thereport.Wegaveitandsaid,“It’soutofdate release withit.Butbasically,wenevergotfurtherthan the roadsin Uviraregionheadedtoward Bukavuand in SouthKivu, around220,000peoplewere observedon the RwandanArmy,Kibumba isnowdeserted.OnMonday have already arrived. FollowingWednesday’sattack by where nearly100,000other refugees fromthesamecamp Hutu refugeesfleeing Kibumba camp tried to reach Goma, resources. InnorthernKivu, around100,000Rwandan break … Organisations in the field have exhausted their fear epidemicsmoreseriousthanthe1994choleraout - (WFP) warehouse was looted. Humanitarian organisations On thenightof25October,WorldFoodProgramme’s UNHCR’s food supplies are limited to a few days worth. camps, whichlackeventhemostbasichealthfacilities, receive aminimumofaid.IntheGreenLakeandMugunga corridors” toenablerefugeesandcivilianswhofled Refugees SadakoOgata’scallonSundayfor“humanitarian No one paid attention to UN High Commissioner for Lakes region.” dimensions thantheonein1994couldoccurGreat Kpatindé said,“ahumanitariancatastropheofgreater On Monday,28October,UNHCRspokespersonFrancis season heightenstheriskofmalnutritionandepidemics. selves, without resources. At the same time, the rainy perate. Theyhavenowheretogoandmustfendforthem- forced totaketheroadsandflee,situationisdes- With morethanhalfamillionmen,womenandchildren Extract: Rachel Kiddell-Monroe,MSFHollandFieldCoordinator, (in French). Situation,’ ‘Eastern ZaireFacesADesperateHumanitarian Kivu (Zaïre) from February to September 1996 Le Monde(France),30October1996 (in English).

19 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

nearly 200,000 others in the Bukavu sector were walking refuge at the site, which already shelters nearly 200,000 toward Sake, near Goma. Rwandan refugees.

The exodus appears to be following the two main axes, Last night, the most vulnerable populations – women, from the north-east toward Goma and from the south-east children, the elderly and the ill and wounded – were still toward Goma. That city seems to be the point of conver- arriving in Mugunga. gence for most of the 527,000 Rwandan (according to UNHCR) and Burundian refugees who had dispersed before From the outset, Rwandan refugees who reached the camp recent events in the camps in the two Kivu provinces. earlier have refused to allow the new arrivals to settle at That human tide may be added to the 717,000 refugees the site. The Kibumba refugees thus have limited access who have already settled, with difficulty, in Goma and the to food and drinking water. region. In addition to the refugees, tens of thousands of Zairians fleeing advancing Tutsi troops are converging on Zairian families have also fled their villages and are head- Goma. Humanitarian organisations seem unable to deal ed toward Kibumba and Mugunga. Others have headed with them. In addition, several agencies have already further west toward Sake, where MSF operates nutritional begun to pull back. On Monday, WFP decided to disburse and medical programmes in a camp for displaced Zairians. all its food supplies in the Goma region, distributing them to 680,000 refugees. Rwanda: Yesterday, close to 4,000 people (the majority Zairian) In South Kivu, the advance of the Banyamulenge reb- fleeing the village of Buhumba and surrounding areas els (Rwandan Tutsi, long-time inhabitants of Zaire) on crossed the Rwandan border. An MSF team is providing Bukavu, the region’s capital, has been confirmed. On them medical care in the Mudende camp. The wounded Monday, chaos reigned in Bukavu, where Zairian soldiers were transferred to the Gisenyi hospital. looted the town. Residents and humanitarian organisations have left, while fighting continues in outlying Burundi: districts. … The humanitarian impasse is coupled with More than 6,000 refugees have arrived in Gatumba from a political one and the tenor of the exchange between the Uvira region. An MSF team has begun delivering water Zaire and Rwanda has sharpened. For the first time, the from Bujumbura. Rwandan president clearly referred to his intentions regarding the Zairian region where the Banyamulenge live.

“If Zaire wants to send the Banyamulenge to Rwanda, let him send us their land, too,” said President Pastor On 29 October, after a chaotic week, the town of Bukavu Bizimungu, denying again that his country is playing a (South Kivu) was in the hands of the Banyamulenge. role in the conflict. During a press conference, using maps International organisations were worried about the risk to support his remarks, he explained that the region of of a major food and health crisis across the Kivus. V1 eastern Zaire, where the Banyamulenge live, previously belonged to Rwanda. For its part, Zaire continues to assert its intention to defend the integrity of its territory “at any price,” said Zairian Prime Minister Kendo Wa Dondo. ‘Violence Resumes on the Zairian-Rwandan Border,’ Le Monde (France), 1 November 1996 (in French).

Extract: MSF teams helped to treat refugees in the Mugunga Until Wednesday, the Zairian town of Bukavu was the camp, where hundreds of thousands of people who were scene of especially deadly violence … In all, “around 100 forced to flee attacks in other camps had gathered. civilians were killed” in one week, said a Red Cross official … The city was in a state of “chaos and terror” for nearly a week, the official noted. … However, according to members of humanitarian organisations in Cyangugu, ‘Médecins Sans Frontières Press Release, – a Rwandan town located across the border from Bukavu, Zaire-Kivu,’ MSF France, 29 October 1996 (in the Banyamulenge rebels (Zairian Tutsi) seized nearly half French). the town of Bukavu, where an uncertain peace has held since Wednesday. The ICRC estimates that nearly 800,000 Extract: people require emergency aid, specifically medical, in the Zaire-Kivu: Bukavu region. Before these latest problems developed, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is helping to set up emer- some 300,000 refugees were living in the region. They gency clinics and health facilities in the Mugunga camp were joined by around 100,000 more who fled fighting in west of Goma. Since Saturday, tens of thousands of people Uvira, further south. 20 fleeing the Kibumba camp further north came to take … UNICEF issued an alarm regarding the Goma region, firing position. The Kahindo camp wasattacked. that it had engaged its troops in Zaire to neutralise a On 30October,theRwandangovernmentacknowledged risk now thattherainy season hasbegun. being forcedtoleavethecamps.Theyareatevengreater ing medicalcare,shelter,foodanddrinkingwaterafter entery, malariaandmeningitiscouldstrikerefugeeslack- aid. …TheWHOisparticularlyworriedthatcholera,dys- to protectthehundredsofthousandspeoplewithout Zaire toassesstheepidemicriskandmeasuresneeded it wouldsendspecialistsonanemergencybasistoeastern The WorldHealthOrganisationannouncedWednesdaythat under fifteen.” the 600,000Rwandanrefugees,“halfofwhomarechildren where thefoodsituationcouldbecomeveryseriousfor Jacques Chirac hasproposedasummitmeeting among considering only diplomaticsolutions.French President in easternZaire.Theinternational communityiscurrently an efforttoaddresstheincreasingly tragiccrisisraging On Tuesday,29October,additional meetingswereheldin Extract: initiatives to resolve the crisis. Zairian armies, several nations proposed diplomatic As direct conflict began between the Rwandan and he added. Rwandan army)willbecomeinvolved(ineasternZaire),” on howthe situation develops, I donotknow if it(the However, he did not exclude such a possibility. “Depending troops had neverfought alongside the Banyamulenge. ing that contrary to Zaire’s repeated accusations, Rwandan General Kagame,theRwandanregime’sstrongman,stat- “If it’snecessarytofightawar,Iwilldoso,”declared from Zaire and wouldresume if necessary. morning thattheRwandanarmyhadrespondedtofire Minister ofDefence,wasthefirsttoannounceonMonday […] InKigali,GeneralPaulKagame,VicePresidentand Extract: 1996 (inFrench). Zairian Tragedy,’LeMonde(France),31October ‘Timid DiplomaticInitiativesintheFaceof (in French). Border,’ ’Violence ResumesontheZairian-Rwandan Le Monde (France), 1 November 1996 community’s passivity. caught in the conflict and denounced the international zone fortheRwandanrefugeesandZairiancivilians On 31October,MSFcalledforaprotectedassistance fire for several hours. Zairian borderacrossfromBukavu,cameunderartillery Wednesday morning,Cyangugu,aRwandantownonthe and Zairianarmiesclasheddirectly.OnTuesdaynight first time since the beginning of the crisis, the Rwandan fear thespreadofepidemics,specificallycholera.For The refugees’situationisworseningbythehourandsome approve of theidea. porary emissary until a permanent mission is established, Secretary-General BoutrosBoutros-Ghali,whosentatem- the nationsofregion.BothWashingtonandUN Every day lostresults in thousands of deaths. Major were at thetimeof the 1994 genocide? as irresponsibleandineffective asClinton,Mitterandand million deathsin1994.Will Clinton, ChiracandMajorbe were onlypretextsforinaction inthefield,whichledto1 has notyetbeenset.Inthe past,diplomaticmanoeuvres … Aregionalconferenceshould alsobeheld,butadate of aspecialUNenvoyintheregion.AfterUSelections However, theonlymeasuresunderwayconcernarrival a safespacewherecivilians would have accesstoaid. The internationalcommunityshouldfocusoncreating those that occurred during prior exoduses. new phaseoftheconflictcouldresultinmoredeathsthan provided. As a result, the conditions suggest that this displaced persons in aprotectedzone where aid canbe ian organisationswill be able to receive refugees and tion movements,thereisnopossibilitythathumanitar - For the first time since 1990, faced with massive popula- - 50,000deaths). unbelievably highmortality(GomaandBukavuin1994 lation movementshavealwaysbeenaccompaniedby Since thestartofRwandanconflictin1990,popu- Zairians – nowfacedeath,malnutrition and epidemics. conducted, morethan2millionpeople–refugeesand Bukavu andUvira,whereaidoperationscannolongerbe have toevacuatethetownbecauseoffighting.InGoma, can stillbeprovided,allorganisationsinthefieldmay While Gomaremainstheonlyareawherehumanitarianaid Extract: 1996 (inFrench). Danger,’ MSFFrancePressRelease,31October Nations ofNon-AssistancetoPopulationsin ‘Médecins SansFrontièresAccusesWestern

21 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

‘MSF Calls for Safe Assistance Zone for Zaire’s ate from Goma. They are stuck in the compound of UNHCR Rwandan Refugees,’ AFP (France), 31 October and other buildings. For the second consecutive day they 1996 (in French). have been unable to escape to a safer area. The road to Gisenyi through the city, passing Goma airport, and from Extract: there across the border in Rwanda, is no longer safe to […] For the first time since 1990, “humanitarian organ- travel. This road was considered the only option for evacu- isations have no prospect of receiving refugees and ation from Goma by land. displaced persons in a protected zone where aid can be provided,” said Jean-Hervé Bradol, MSF’s Communications One week ago MSF brought its Goma team back from Director, returning from a two-month stay in Burundi. fourteen staff to eight, after they had been unable to work in the camps for several days. From last Monday till Facing possible malnutrition, dysentery and cholera epi- Wednesday, the remaining MSF staff were able to work in demics, Dr. Bradol said that “All that the Western nations Mugunga camp, giving assistance to the 220,000 refugees have to offer is an international conference and, following who were already there and some 200,000 newly arrived the US elections, the arrival of a special UN envoy” He refugees. Early Thursday morning heavy fighting started accuses those countries of “lacking the will to tackle the and soon UNHCR advised all foreign aid workers to collect problem seriously.” at two locations, one of them being the MSF compound. Yesterday nine aid workers were able to reach the MSF “If a zone protected by an international force were created house at the lakeside. This morning all fifteen crossed in Rwanda at a reasonable distance from the conflict area, the city from the MSF compound to the main UNHCR site. the refugees would come there and humanitarian organisations could take care of them,” he explained. Heavy fighting continues in and around Goma. Gisenyi, in Rwanda, is now under fire as well. The population of “Every day lost results in thousands of deaths,” he added. Gisenyi is fleeing towards Ruhenger, away from the border area. MSF staff in Gisenyi have been able to evacuate all children from their nutritional centre in the Umubano camp at the Goma border. This extremely vulnerable group of children was transported by truck to Nyundo college Following violent shelling that same day, the last MSF camp, where the supplementary feeding programme can team left the Mugunga camp and took refuge with be continued. other humanitarian aid workers in the compound of UNHCR in Goma. The Gisenyi team managed to evacu- Médecins Sans Frontières most urgently calls upon all the ate all the children from the Nyundao camp’s nutri- warring parties to guarantee safe passage for aid workers tion centre near the border. MSF teams also evacuated in the area as well as the populations fleeing the violence projects around Uvira and Bukavu and gathered at the of war. MSF also asks for safe access of humanitarian Cyangugu missions. On 1 November, the Rwandan army organisations to the victims of this conflict to be restored entered Goma, where the humanitarian teams remained as soon as possible. trapped. The Mugunga camp population continued to increase with the arrival of thousands of refugees fleeing conflict around other camps. Tutsi from Kinshasa, Zaire’s capital, were hunted down. The UN called for a Chris Mac Greal, Richard Norton-Taylor and summit, but Rwanda and Zaire immediately dismissed Victoria Brittain, ‘Ghosts of Africa Walk to the proposal. oblivion- Witch Hunts Spread to Capital as Rwandan Troops Pour over Border,’ The MSF called on combatants to guarantee safe passage Guardian (United Kingdom), 2 November 1996 for populations fleeing the violence and for humanitar- (in English). ian aid workers, and for aidworkers to have access to the population. Extract: Rwandan government troops in uniform last night entered the eastern Zairian town of Goma, dramatically escalating the political crisis in the region where more than 1 mil- ‘Médecins Sans Frontières Call Upon Warring lion refugees are on the move. Calls for a cease-fire and a Parties for Safe Passage – Aid Workers Still regional summit by the UN, the European Union and aid Stuck in Goma,’ Press Release, MSF Goma/ agencies working among the refugees were dismissed by Amsterdam, 1 November 1996 (in English). the main players, Zaire and Rwanda, yesterday.[…] Ethnic hatred spread west as far as the Zairian capital, Kinshasa, Extract: yesterday with a witch hunt against prominent Tutsi in the Goma/Amsterdam, 1 November 1996. About one hundred business community. Dozens fled to neighbouring coun- international aid workers, among them six working for tries… Last night Tutsi rebels were battling for control 22 Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), are still unable to evacu- of Goma’s airport and the Médecins Sans Frontières aid been stranded by thefighting. charity said100aidworkers,includingsixofitsstaff,had in thecross fire,” to the Mugungacamp. reported thattheyhadmadea“desperateflight,caught aid sources,theywere still inthecamp, whileothers remained unknownyesterday.Accordingtohumanitarian gees from the Katale camp, 45 kilometres north of Goma, more withoutriskingourlives.”Thefateof200,000refu- official reachedbycellphone.“Wecan’tevengooutany- “It hasbecomecompletelyimpossibletowork,”saidan tions were’requisitioned’byZairiansoldiersormilitiamen. Nearly fiftyvehiclesbelongingtohumanitarianorganisa- as ofyesterday evening they hadnotyet left. ates andvariousNGOsbecauseofthetroubledsituation, was made on Thursday to evacuate around 100 UN expatri- Catholic clergywasethnicTutsi.Althoughthedecision were also destroyed because a significant share of the bishop’s palace,thecathedralandSaint-Espritchurch only totheinterventionofUNHCR’sprotectionforce.The Red Cross was sacked, its employees’ lives saved thanks for “Tutsiinfiltrators.”TheInternationalFederationofthe tions, alongsidegangsofyouthandmilitiamensearching looting andcommittingviolence,evensummaryexecu- Until then,theZairianarmyhaddefendedtownwhile army barges crossing Lake Kivu late in the afternoon.” an expatriateinthecitywhoreportedseeing“Rwandan confirmed adiplomatquotedbytheReutersnewsagency, “I’m 110 percent sure that Rwandan soldiers are in Goma,” workers waiting tobeevacuated, were deep in hiding. areas of the city, where residents and humanitarian aid eyewitnesses, Rwandan soldiers were observed in certain ern Zaire,appearedtobesealedFridaynight.According Rwanda-Zaire border,thefateofGoma,capitaleast- After a dayof back-and-forth artillery fire across the Extract: November 1996 (inFrench). Tragedy Worsens,’Libération,(France),2and3 Kinshasa’s PoliticalCrisisandtheRefugee Stephen Smith,’RwandanArmyEntersGoma— sion of aid. protect thepopulationsindangerandensureprovi- international armedinterventiontocreatezones on behalfoftheentireMSFmovement,hecalledfor Holland, gaveapressconferenceinGisenyi.Speaking 4 November,JacquesdeMilliano,PresidentofMSF armed international intervention in eastern Zaire. On sections debatedlaunchwhethertoanappealfor conferences andfaxexchanges,MSF’soperational Goma. On3and4November,throughaserieoftele- On 2November,theMSFteamwasevacuatedfrom arrive in Kigali. tarian organisationsinGoma.Theteamisexpectedto Zairians evacuatedalongwithothermembersofhumani- in the camps housing Rwandan refugees and displaced This morning,theMédecinsSansFrontièresteamworking Extract: meeting totake decisionsonthiscrisis? Moreover, this political will in thiscrucialphasewhere ministersare ing ourvoicetoinfluencepublic opinionandmobilising prevent themassacresof civilianpopulationsbyrais- done their bloody work or do we choose to contribute to humanitarian aid inwhenthepartiesongroundhave followers ofthosepredictable massacresandtosendin So, the central question is - if we are going to be the population. International action is needednow.” will developintoamassivebloodbathforthecivilian context, andtheregionalGreatLakescontextthiscrisis left andgiventheKivucontext,actualbroaderZairian last eyesandearsoftheinternationalcommunityhave Goma yesterday were very clear in their wordings, “The munity toprotectthem.TheMSFexpatsreturningfrom the urgentactiontobetakenbyinternationalcom - message onthefateofpopulationsinKivusand It isimportantandurgentforMSFtoformulateastrong Dear colleagues, Extract: CALL FORANINTERNATIONAL MILITARY INTERVENTION TO SETUPSAFE ZONES November 1996 (inFrench). Emergency,’ MSF sections, 3 November, 1996 (inEnglish). de MillianotoPresidentsandGeneralDirectors ‘MSF PositioningKivuCrisis,’FaxfromJacques ‘Médecins SansFrontièresContacts:Zaire V2

Press Release,MSFFrance,2

23 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

week is for MSF, the week of Populations in Danger in ’Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without which we will emphasize the need for better protection Borders Calls for an International Military and effective political action from the international com- Intervention to Set Up Safe Zones within Zaire munity. Today we are confronted in Zaire with populations to Prevent Further Human Catastrophe,’ Press in extreme danger. release MSF Gisenyi (New-York), 4 November, It should be clear that this type of decision is a real one in 1996 (in English). which we have to measure and accept certain downsides of it. The fact that taking a strong position may not lead Extract: to the wished result is not a reason not to try, given the Today the international emergency relief agency Médecins imminent catastrophe. Also, the fact that there could be Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders called for an potential downsides of taking a strong position should immediate international/UN military intervention to set not, a priori, [be] reason to be silent or to have a weak up safe zones in Kivu, Zaire. message, without impact on the political community. We have to see how we are going to deal with those. Since the last of the international aid workers were evacuated 48 hours ago from Goma, 1.2 million Rwandan and So, MSF should ask for safe zones where: Burundian refugees and countless Zairians have been left 1. The civilian population can be protected and assisted, without assistance and most importantly protection. 2. And, where conditions will be created for a long-term solution. Dr. Jacques De Milliano, Vice President of MSF International said, “How many pictures of massacres and dying babies We ask for two types of actions in parallel: will it take before the Heads of State and UN react? 1. Immediate effective action to guarantee the immedi- The insecurity and chaos in Zaire is so bad that there is ate safety of the refugee population and the Zairian civil nothing doctors and bandages or any other humanitarian population and to guarantee access for humanitarian aid. assistance can do. I fear that precious time and lives are being lost to diplomacy and international hesitation. If 2. In parallel, actions which create conditions in those no urgent political and military action is taken the inter- safe zones to foster normalization by returning the refu- national community will face a repetition of the 1994 gees to Rwanda in an organised way. catastrophe when a delayed humanitarian action replaced So, in those safe zones conditions should be created to effective protection of the population.” prevent them from becoming again ‘safe places’ for military action and ‘safe places’ for the perpetrators of the geno- The UN safe zones must: ensure protection for refugees cide as was the case in the past two years in the camps and Zairians; ensure access for relief agencies; disarm all along the border with Zaire. Therefore, Interahamwe and warring parties and criminal elements within the zone; Ex-FAR should be disarmed. The criminal elites responsible and bring an end to impunity by isolating and bringing to for the genocide in 1994 should be isolated and eventu- justice those responsible for the Rwandan 1994 genocide. ally judged. The power of the leaders (former majors and By calling for international intervention Médecins Sans others) who are spreading extremism and intimidating the Frontières does not call for a repeat of Operation Turquoise Hutu population not to return should be broken. which was politically biased and inadequate.

[...] Diplomacy on its own is too late and will not be effec- Médecins Sans Frontières also warns, as it did for the tive in this context. Urgent international military action past two years, against recreating semi-permanent camps, is needed now to create protected zones to protect the whose refugees were intimidated and manipulated by the civilian population and limit the bloodbath, to guarantee perpetrators of the genocide. The camps cost 1 million $ US access for humanitarian aid, and to create conditions for per day to run and were used as military and political bases. solving the refugee problem in a human way. The safe zones must also focus assistance and protection on [...] This is the moment to call for action because of the Zairian population who are suffering from this conflict. the diplomatic initiatives between powerful countries: European Community, France and the USA. We have to The repatriation of the refugees had virtually ground influence them now. to a halt over the past year - Médecins Sans Frontières stresses that the creation of safe zones should be linked to an effective relaunch of the repatriation process with increased guarantees of security for refugees returning to Rwanda.

24 We’d all beenexhausted for ages. demand? Iwasthepersonwriting.couldn’ttakeanymore. for ahumanitariancorridor.Howdoweexplainthis there wasarealstruggleoverthequestionofwhethertocall ber what the other sections said, but I know that in the end, hard forustocallanarmedintervention.Idon’tremem - and military,relatedtolegalissues.Jacqueswaspushing circulating andthediscussionsweresomewhattechnical everyone agreedthatwehadtosaysomething.Ideaswere ters. Idon’trememberanymorewhoheldwhatposition,but left Kigali at night going back and forth to all the headquar- talking totheDesks.Itriedwriteapressrelease.Faxes Jacques wastalkingtotheExecutiveDirectorsandI until 3a.m.Alltheheadquarterswerecallingeachother. We hadnoinformationaboutanything.Itwentonallnight ference. We were in Kigali and the pressure was incredible. Rwandan genocide. not againbecomesanctuariesforthosewholedthe1994 organisers ofthe1994genocideenjoy.Thesezonesmust disarmed insidethezone,endingimpunitythat Parties totheconflictandcriminalelementsmustbe Zairians to be protected and guarantee delivery of aid. The safe zones should allow refugees and displaced lost if we limitourselves to diplomatic initiatives.” sible. Iamafraidthatprecioustimeandmanyliveswillbe in Zairearesuchthatprovidinghumanitarianaidisimpos- President JacquesdeMilliano.“Theinsecurityandchaos of stateandtheUnitedNationsreact?”saidMSFVice- “How manymassacresmustwewitnessbeforeheads Zairians have beenleftwithoutassistanceandprotection. Burundian refugeesandhundredsofthousandsdisplaced Goma 24hoursago,morethan1.2millionRwandanand Since thelasthumanitarianaidagencyworkersleft Burundians and Rwandans whowishto return home. who wanttotakerefugeinneighbouringcountriesandfor international forcemustguaranteethesecurityofZairians an armedinternational force cansetupsuchzones. An that aidcanbeprovided.Inthecurrentenvironment,only to protectpopulationsindangerZaireandensure Médecins Sans Frontières calls for safe zones to be created Extract : Samantha Bolton, MSFUSA Communication Director, [Head ofETmission]andIorganisedthepresscon- MSF internationalvice-president],GraziellaGodin Jacques [deMilliano,MSFHollandPresidentand MSF Press Officer for the GreatLakes November- 1996 (inFrench). Zones,’ International Intervention to Create Safe ‘Médecins SansFrontièresCallsforArmed Press release, MSF France, 4 November December 1996 (in French). present onsite.Thepressdidn’treallypickupthatmessage. end, evenJacqueswasbypassedbytheotherorganisations France either,Ithink.MSFHollandwasinGoma.Butthe Director, didn’t take a position at that time. Nor did MSF At MSF Belgium, we didn’t agree. But Eric Goemaere, the I don’tthinkthatwasamajorpointofconflictwithinMSF. time and thingswould spiral downward. etc. they’dsendsoldierswho’dknowntheareaforalong be one,oriftherewas,inasituationlikeGoma,theCongo, interventions, theothersalreadyknewthattherewouldn’t vention forthosetwopurposesandwesaiditveryclearly.” armed. Ourrequestwasprecise,weaskedformilitaryinter- go homeinaprotectedwayandtheHutushouldbedis- we knewthatitwasnotasolutiontostay.Peopleshould return oftheRwandaneserefugeesbacktoRwandabecause for amilitaryinterventionwiththefocustoorganise was first,thatwewantedaccessandsecond,asked that verymorninginGisenyi,wedidapressconference.It agreement. Sothatwasveryconcise.Weworkeditoutand … Butmorally we couldn’t juststand by. many sideeffectsthatwewould certainlyregretafterwards ber that even if there was an intervention, there would be been intheareaonanevaluation mission,etc.Let’sremem- Canadians would do it. A Canadian High Commander had to callforarmed intervention again. Itwas possible that the sary.” Weusedeuphemismsbecauseitstuckinourthroats international communitymustrespondbyforceifneces - the campsaredismantled,peoplebeingpursuedand of the international community, they are being attacked, around the words. We said, “They are under the protection when talkingaboutarmedinterventionbutwedanced that. Weissuedapressreleaseinwhichwewerecareful community hadtoensureprotection.Ithinkweaskedfor Dr. Jacques de Milliano, MSF HollandGeneral Director wanted. Giventheexperiencewithpastmilitary to callforanintervention.That’swhatDeMilliano The discussionfocusedonthequestionofwhether sections. Wehadatelephonecall;wecametoan wrote adraft that wesent to thedirectorsof the During thedaywehadaninternationalmeetingand just standbyanddonothing.Theinternational and roughlyspeaking,theideawasthatwecouldn’t There wereseveralNGOs,thereMSFs and MSFInternational vice-président (in English). Dr. Philippe Biberson, MSF France President Dr.[…], MSF BelgiumOperational Director (in French). (in French).

25 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

Before the press conference, Jacques de Milliano are armed and fighting alongside Zairian armies, must be gave an exclusive interview to a UK radio station BBC denied refugee status. International, during which he called for armed inter- 3) Humanitarian catastrophe, international aid workers vention. The interview had barely been broadcast when are denied access due to fighting, refugees are scattered the Banyamulenge rebels announced a three-week and there are armed elements shooting rebels, provok- unilateral ceasefire. The following morning on Radio ing catastrophe in refugee camps. Also said repatriation Rwanda, the Rwandan president called on all refugees should be voluntary, those that are willing to come, come, to return home. V3 those that don’t want to should be moved a distance from border.

’Zaire Rebels Declare unilateral Cease-Fire,’ International Herald Tribune (Europe) Kigali, ‘Proposal Ceasefire Banyamulenge,’ Sitrep from 5 November 1996 (in English). Jacques de Milliano to all delegates and programme managers, Urgent via MSF Amsterdam, Extract: 4 November 1996 (in English). A rebel leader declared a unilateral three-week cease-fire Monday in the war between Tutsi guerrillas and the Zairian Extract: Army, raising hopes that international efforts to reach a Banyamulenge leader in Uvira, South Kivu announced in a million Hutu refugees cut off by the fighting from food call to the BBC in Gisenyi that they were starting a cease- and clean water might have a chance. fire today at 15:00 -unilaterally- for a period of 3 weeks. The cease-fire came as United Nations officials worked Refugees are allowed to go back to their country and they to muster support for a plan to set up safe corridors for will not allow supplies to come into Zaire. the refugees to come home to Rwanda, and as several European nations called for an international intervention Our reaction: to prevent a catastrophic outbreak of disease or famine. - This new element could be a step in the right direction for South Kivu. - For South Kivu we will only believe it when we see it. The situation is too serious to give them the benefit of ‘MSF International Sitrep Rwanda 007,’ 5-6 the doubt. November 1996 (in English). - But this is not a solution for Goma, North Kivu where the Banyamulenge are not in control. Extract: - 750,000 refugees are in North Kivu and 450,000 refugees Gisenyi: MSF press conference well covered on interna- in South Kivu. tional and national media. Certain part of press group - Also most of the refugees in South Kivu/Uvira are pro-RPA. Media coverage of MSF’s call for international Burundian and can’t go back. military intervention and safe zones then eclipsed by - Already Buja team reported that 10-12,000 refugees Banyamulenge’s call for 3 weeks unilateral cease-fire. have been forced back and up to Cibitoke, which is Reports are that a Banyamulenge leader called BBC completely unsafe since 29/10 (reports - off the record Gisenyi at noon to announce implementation at 15h00h of men separated from the others and killed). MSF is GMT, a ceasefire to allow Rwandan refugees to come back concerned that this initiative will boost forced repatria- to Rwanda. Aid should only be given in Rwanda, the tion to unsafe areas. Banyamulenge will allow safe transportation of refugees - If the Banyamulenge do go ahead with the ceasefire to Rwanda. Journalists asked tough political questions and repatriation there needs to be guaranteed security to us following our call for military intervention. Major at night and en route - also assistance and protection Kagame on Radio Rwanda: 3 November 20:00: welcome needed until moved. call for Rwandan refugees to return. President Bizimungu - So, military intervention remains a necessity (stress the on Radio Rwanda 08:15h, 4 November: appeal to all refu- non-Turquoise character). gees to return, security needed for them to return. He - International military intervention remains a necessity said come home to Rwanda, don’t suffer in Zaire. Appeal to protect and assist them and to protect the Zairian to observe ceasefire. Asked for international assistance population on the move. to join Rwandan government in repatriation and resettle- ment of refugees. 3 fundamental issues:

1) Legal and political problem of Zaire, internal problem, should be sorted out by Zaire. Zaire has to stop denying First interview was BBC, to be sure that the BBC was citizenship to nationals. the first to put it on the air and that our wording was the right one. In a press conference people can 26 2) Former Rwandan government army and militia who change things. When the press conference is finished, on the convinced by this public relations operation. the internationalpress.Thejournalistsappearedtobe eral ‘guided tours’ of Bukavu and later, of Goma, for Between 2and5November,therebelsorganisedsev- the BBC with asatellite phone? Amazing !” scene. BecausehowcanKabilarespondsofastdirectlyto needed anymore”.SoyouseehowKagameisbehindthe ”Rebels agreetoaceasefire, no internationalintervention blocked ourmessagewiththeirown).That’sthenews: sure internationallynow”-“Ilséclipsentlemessage”(they was quitenew,cometousandsaid:”Youareputtingpres- nise a humanitarian corridor... and the BBC journalist, who got acall.FromKabila!Hesaidthathewasgoingtoorga- minute, the BBC put it on the air. 20 minutes later the BBC RPA through Rwanda duringgenocide. reminded ofhighlyorganisedRPFtoursduringadvance believe theyaretransitingoutofRwanda.Journalistsalso and haddefinitelyagoodnightssleep.Journalists cal because the PR guides’ clothing was freshly ironed deserted town. Journalists who went in very skepti- controlled PRtouroftownindarksopicturesonlyshowed - Lastnightjournalistsmet&driventhroughGomaon North and South atleast on PRfront. Sunday. Thismeansthereisclearcooperationbetween people/soldiers whotookjournalistsontourofBukavu journalists andguidedtouroftown(ITN).Thesamepress - Yesterdayat20:00Goma(NKivu)borderopenedfor supposed tobe open thisa.m.but not. they would bring refugees out for us. Goma border was Also saidnoaidagencieswouldbeallowedinbutthat ceasefire fromBukavu,SouthKivuyesterdayat15:00h. - As you know Banyamulenge spokesperson declared a […] B)Journalists, etc. – InfoUpdate Extract: to more than one hundred foreign journalists who crossed On Tuesday,the cityofGoma(easternZaire) wasopened Extract: Dr. Jacques de Milliano, MSF HollandGeneral Director and MSFInternational vice-président (in English). Great Lakes, 5 November 1996 (inEnglish). MSF InternationalInformationOfficerinthe ‘Update onCrisis,’SitrepbySamanthaBolton, 1996 (inFrench). Journalists,’ ‘Goma—Open CityforMore than OneHundred AFP (France),Goma,5November out horrible exactions and abuses. withdrew and,particularly,when theInterahamwecarried the situationhardenedin camps,whenseveralNGOs December 1994,athirdwavearrived.Theyweretherewhen both emotionally and physically. Between September and the genocide,thesejournalistswerecompletelyexhausted, right atthetimeof1993Burundicoupd’état.Butafter Somalia. Thenasecondwavestartedworkingintheregion been a first wave of journalists who had covered events in support oftheKigaligovernment…InEastAfrica,therehad felt thatthejournalistswereveryhard-line,muchin We misinterpretedtheattitude.IarrivedfromNewYorkand Zaire. level oforganisation,whichwasquiteextraordinaryfor all theotherswerethere.Theydelightedtoseethat script. IrememberthatChristianeAmanpourfromCNNand I’ve hadanewpairofboots.”Thatwasmoreorlessthe They arepayingme.Ihaveauniform.Thisisthefirsttime and said,“Iunderstandthateverythingisverygoodnow. new uniforms.ThereweretheseyoungZairianswhoposed noon, theytookthemtoseethesoldierswhowerewearing around 5p.m.,sothevisitbeganat10a.m.Thatafter- their storiesandcassettestwicedaily,atbreakfast cover today.“Theyknewthatthejournalistshadtoturnin Africa annoying. Thereisalwayssomething thatdoesn’t trips thegovernment organised.Ingeneral, journalists find Rwandan government’spropaganda, thankstothepress All thejournalistsinthisnew groupwereinfluencedbythe traffic. of Goma.Theregion’sroadswerestillclosedtocivilian aged tosweepdownthelongavenueleadingcentre After theofficerhesitatedseveraltimes,pressman- are you?” he asked.“Whatdo you want?” the othersidewassurprisedtoseesomanypeople.“Who the journaliststocrosswhileayoungZairianofficeron A Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA) commander authorised Zaire. Gisenyi, thekeyfrontierpost(north-westRwanda),for the worldwaitedforauthorities’greenlighttoleave But Tuesday morning, groups of reporters from around nalists by carthrough the citystreets. Monday night,therebelsescortedahandfulofotherjour- 100 expatriate humanitarian aid workers. day, otherswereevacuatedfromGomaalongwithcloseto capital lastSaturdaywhilefightingcontinued.Thatsame Several reportershadmanagedtoreachtheNorthKivu least half the city. the borderfromRwanda.Arebelcoalitionhastakenat reorganised the army. That’s the topic you should journalists, ‘We’regoingtoshowyouhowwehave Kigali hadorganisedeverything.Theysaidtothe

27 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

work and there’s corruption. But in Rwanda, everything is justice those responsible for the Rwandan 1994 genocide. well organised. They really know how to manage the press. The safe zones must also focus assistance and protection Kagame is excellent; he’s brilliant. We met very intelligent, on the Zairian population who are suffering from this very nice people. And then the journalists were a little conflict. ashamed of not having covered the genocide in depth. I was aware of that but I didn’t know just how serious it was.

Samantha Bolton, MSF USA Communication Director, On 5 November, ICRC and UNHCR publicly raised the MSF Press Officer for the Great Lakes November- possibility of armed force; however unlike MSF they December 1996 (in French). didn’t issue an explicit call for intervention.

‘Three Major Humanitarian Groups Raise the On 4 November, MSF USA announced to the press that Prospect of Military Action,’ AFP (France) the organisation was preparing for a medical disaster Geneva, 5 November 1996 (in French). in Zaire. Extract: On Tuesday in Geneva, three major humanitarian groups raised the prospect of some form of international military ‘Doctors Without Borders Prepares for Medical action to save more than one million refugees threatened Disaster as Crisis Grows in Zaire,’ Press Release by hunger and cholera in eastern Zaire. The UN High MSF USA, 4 November 1996 (in English). Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the non-gov- Extract: ernmental organization. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières has raised the notion of outside intervention as a last resort. begun to prepare for a crisis of massive proportions in Zaire. Early analysis indicates that, despite difficulties “Those of us in the field have a stronger sense that such facing aid agencies already in reaching the refugee popu- an action is of urgent concern - not just humanitarian lations, at least one million people are at risk. action, but political and military action as well,” said Sadako Ogata, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, in an “Populations movements of this scale are recipes for interview with the daily International Herald Tribune news- disaster,” said Joelle Tanguy, Executive Director of paper. “It should have been done a long time ago,” she Doctors Without Borders in New York City. “Our teams are said. “I would like to see an international peacekeeping now preparing for the combined effects of war wounds, force deployed the length of the (Zairian-Rwandan) border malnutrition, cholera, diarrhoeal diseases, meningitis, between Bukavu and Goma.” and the dramatic impact of a period without access to medical aid.” [...] Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) issued the clearest Doctors Without Borders is recruiting personnel from its call for outside intervention. For the first time since its 19 offices throughout the world, including the USA office founding twenty-five years ago, the organisation called based in New York City, with a focus on experienced emer- for the international community to pursue “immediate gency medical staff. Today, two aeroplanes each loaded military intervention,” with or without the UN, to estab- with 40 tonnes of material landed in Kampala, Uganda, lish safe zones in eastern Zaire. to reinforce material stocks for the crisis. These supplies included medical kits, tents and plastic sheeting, sanitary The ICRC did not exclude recourse to armed force either. materials, and vehicles. “It’s time to act,” said ICRC spokesperson Rolin Wavre. Recognizing that the current situation in Zaire stems from ”We have long called on the international community inadequate responses to past violence against civilian to take action. We know that this may involve military populations in the region, Doctors Without Borders this action.” While not going as far as MSF, ICRC said that morning, called on the international community to ensure although the organisation did not want armed interven- protection and security for civilians and to devise new tion, it had no objection in principle. political options for a solution to the crisis in the region. According to Thierry Durand, Director of Operations for Specifically, Doctors Without Borders called on inter- MSF Switzerland, the immediate goal of military involve- national/UN military intervention to set up safe zones ment would be to disarm Hutu extremists using refugee in Kivu, Zaire to: 1) ensure protection for refugees and camps as rear bases against Rwanda. Zairians; 2) ensure access for relief agencies; 3) disarm all warring parties and criminal elements within the zone Having predicted the catastrophe, the humanitarian 28 and bring an end to impunity by isolating and bringing to organisations say they are especially frustrated by the persons. force toestablishsafezonesforrefugeesanddisplaced leaving forZaireandcalledanarmedinternational MSF Franceannouncedthattwocargoplaneswere between Zaire and Rwanda. return, UNHCR proposed creating humanitarian corridors nity andlocalarmedforces.Toconvincetherefugeesto return, withthecooperationofinternationalcommu- that thesolutionwillinvolverefugees’voluntary Beyond emergencyaidtorefugees,MSFandUNHCRsay President ofMSFSwitzerland.“Thisisadisasterforetold.” “Aid hasonlyfedthebeast,”saidDorisSchopper, to doanything to prevent the disaster. current impasseandtheinternationalcommunity’sfailure Great Lakesarea (Kenya,Ethiopia,Uganda, Rwanda, That sameday, representativesofcountries inthe tions tomove forward. of refugeesanddisplacedpersonstopermitaidopera - armed forcetocreatesafezonesguaranteethesecurity Médecins Sans Frontières called today for an international respond. volunteers in Kigali, Kinshasa and Europe are ready to could leaveEuropequickly.FiftyMédecinsSansFrontières Based oninformationgatheredthesemissions,planes unteers are tryingto reach the Goma area from the west. have been withoutassistance for two weeks. Other vol- identify groupsofrefugeesanddisplacedpersonswho for theUviraandBukavuareas.Theteamsaretryingto departing fromLakeTanganyikaandLubumbashi,Zaire Several evaluationmissionsarecurrentlyunderway, 5 litres /person/day). drinking water (based on a minimum daily requirement of These supplieswillalsoallow500,000peopletoreceive to launchepidemicandmalnutritionpreventionefforts. tioned inKampalaandKigalitotreatthepopulation Médecins SansFrontièresalreadyhassuppliespre-posi- of plastic sheeting), sanitation supplies andvehicles. planes are carrying medical kits, shelters (tents and rolls supplies available to respond to the crisis in Zaire. The left EuropetodayforKampala,Ugandatoreinforcethe Two cargoplanes,eachloadedwith40tonnesofmaterial, Extract: Press Release,5November 1996 (inFrench). ’Two CargoPlanesLeaveforZaire,’MSFFrance that it did notwanta‘neutralforce’ on itsterritory. to thedispatchofaninternational force.Kigalistated On 6November,theUNannounced thatZairehadagreed soldiers were alsoobserved in Goma. including ZairianTutsioriginallyfromRwanda.RPA made up of an “Alliance” of four political parties, information broadcastonlocalradio,theforcewas Goma wasunderrebelforces’control.Accordingto ridors and temporary sanctuaries for therefugees. a neutralforceinZairetoestablishhumanitariancor- Nairobi andcalledontheUNSecurityCounciltodeploy Tanzania, Zambia,EritreaandCameroon)metin several days offighting. in UviraandBukavu(SouthKivu),whichalsofellafter any partintheGomabattleorthosethattookplace week inGoma.ButtheRPAdeniedthatthesemenplayed the RwandanPatriotic Army had been observed late last Soldiers who,toallappearances,resembledmembersof […] “freeing all Zairians from the Mobutudictatorship.” Mobutu SeseSeko.OnTuesday,itclarifieditsintentionof ance’s statedgoalistoendtheregimeofZairianPresident including ZairianTutsioriginallyfromRwanda.Thealli- from the ‘Alliance,’ a coalitionoffour political parties on Tuesday.Alocalradiostationbroadcastamessage military authorities’ in charge in Goma was still unknown For mostresidents,theprecisenatureof‘civilianand to Rwanda. ridors’ sothatrefugeescangainaccesstoaidandreturn organisations areconsideringcreating‘humanitariancor- scattered throughouttheregionwherehumanitarian The camps’occupants,numberingaround700,000,are rebel forces and theZairian army. appear tohavebeenemptiedfollowingfightingbetween camps setupintheregionmorethantwoyearsagoand the city.TheseroadsleadtoRwandanHuturefugee who estimatedthat“manymorebodiesremained”outside roads headingnorthandwest,”saidoneofthevolunteers, because military authorities have not yet opened the … “Wearecurrentlylimitedtothedowntownarea ing toAFPreports. Zaire), whichwasunderrebelcontrolonTuesday,accord- 300 bodiesoverfourdaysinthecityofGoma(eastern Zairian volunteersconfirmedthattheygatherednearly Extract: (in French). Control,’ ’Three HundredDeathsinGoma,UnderRebel AFP (France),Goma5November1996

29 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

‘UN. Says Zaire Agrees to a Multinational Force,’ That same day, the Executive Directors and Operations: AFP (France), Goma, 6 November 1995 (in a Directors of various MSF sections met in Amsterdam French). and confirmed their agreement to call for armed intervention. They decided that the international Emergency Extract: Team, coordinated by the Dutch section, would lead the UN Special Emissary Raymond Chrétien announced operations. An agreement between the UNHCR and the Wednesday that Zaire has agreed to the dispatching of Rwandan government gave MSF responsibility for set- a multinational force to the Great Lakes region and the ting up most of the temporary health stations in case eastern part of its territory. of a massive influx of refugees. V4

“Mr Mobutu was very clear during our conversation,” Chrétien said during a press conference after the meeting, which took place in Roquebrune Cap-Martin (south-east France), “The president agrees that a neutral international force should be sent.” ‘Clarification and Elaboration of MSF’s Position,’ MSF Position paper (internal document), writ- This green light comes as Tutsi rebels in eastern Zaire ten after 6 November 1996 at a meeting of announced their intention to pursue their offensive in the General and Operational Directors (in English). region, as stated by their leader Laurent Désiré Kabila. However, Kabila confirmed that a three-week ceasefire Extract: had been declared. Both the field (Samantha Bolton and Jacques de Milliano) and the 6 November meeting of General and Operational “We hope to make progress,” said Kabila, President of the Directors of MSF have reiterated MSF’s position. It has Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo- been repeatedly stressed that the measures MSF has called Zaire, during a press conference. “The offensive we led for, form an integral package. is a tiny one compared to the one we intend to pursue.” 1. Creation of safe zones 2. Installed by a multinational intervention force [...] Boguo Makeli, Zairian Information Minister and gov- 3. So as to prepare the repatriation of Rwandan refugees, ernment spokesperson, told the AFP that “since Rwanda under the conditions of: has announced it is prepared to accept its refugees and -disarmament since the camps and the border are only 300 metres to one -separation of the refugee leaders, many of whom have kilometre apart, let refugee aid go directly to Rwanda.” instigated the genocide, who are intimidating and preventing the refugees from returning arrest, detention and Zaire, glaringly absent from the Nairobi summit on prosecution of genocideurs Tuesday, had not yet responded to its neighbors’ decision 4.To create the conditions in Rwanda allowing for and to call for a neutral force to be sent to the Kivu region. facilitating a voluntary return with direct and practical The eight countries of the Great Lakes region and the measures: Organisation of African Unity (OAU) had asked the UN to -transit camps establish humanitarian corridors and temporary sanctuar- -reinforcement of human rights monitoring measures ies for the refugees. which MSF has called for continuously to be in place in Rwanda -safe environment for returnees -operational judicial system ’Kigali Does Not Want a Neutral Force on its -prison conditions Territory,’ AFP (France), Kigali, 6 November -effective health care 1996 (in French). -solutions for the land issue Extract: In order to have a consistent MSF position, which is Despite the Nairobi summit’s call for a neutral military equally clear on all MSF levels (field, sections and delegate force to aid refugees in eastern Zaire, Rwanda announced offices), it is necessary to clarify or elaborate on some of on Wednesday that it would not permit the force to enter the concepts in more detail. its territory. “I do not think it will be necessary for the force to have Safe Zones a presence on Rwandan territory, even if it involves only Clearly marked areas in which the refugees can reside a logistical presence at the Rwandan-Zairian border,” safely. The civilian character of the zones is essential. The Joseph Videri, the President’s spokesperson, told AFP in following conditions have to be met: answer to questions regarding Rwanda’s availability to -ban on presence of arms and armed activities serve as a rear base. “The problem is not in Rwanda but -identification and separation of persons not eligible to in Zaire… As a neutral force, it is supposed to go where be protected in those zones (military, militias, war crimi- 30 the problem is.” nals and genocideurs). Legal basis: 1949 Fourth Geneva past alsoindicated thatmassiveandgross violationsof armed intervention, the Security Council has inthe recent Moreover, asadditionaljustification foraninternational take measures to restore international peace and security. been violated.lnsuchacase, theCouncilcandecideto the factthatso-calledterritorial integrityofZairehas international peaceandsecurity. Thisbreachisprovenby ment force.TheUNCharterrequiresathreatorbreachof speaking, thereisnoobstacletodeployapeace-enforce - composition (OAU troops, other African troops).Legally of thismultinationalinterventionforce,regardlessits Only theUNSecurityCouncilcanprovidelegalbasis their tasks. a prerequisiteforthechancesofforcetosucceedin separation. Asaresult,peace-enforcementmandateis that theleadersprobablywillnotcooperatewiththeir armed force would be required simply because of the fact which canonlyuseforceinself-defence.Forinstance, force goesbeyondthemandateofapeacekeepingforce, tasks requiretheuseofarmedforce.This ment andmilitarymonitoring),itcanbesaidthatthose zones, separationanddetentionoftheleaders,disarma- necessary (i.e.installationandsafe-guardingofthe we lookatthetasksofforceasMSFseesthem (Chapter VII of the UN Charter) mandate. However, if in the second case, it must have a peace-enforcement With thefirstcase,forcecanbeapeacekeepingforce; -without the consent -with the consent ofthe receiving state, i.e. Zaire will be deployed: Two considerationsareofutmostimportanceiftheforce considerably different from what MSF asked. since itmaybethecasethatmandateofthisforceis should considerformulatingitspositiononthisforce, states) andsupportofwesternstates.Atthisstage,MSF African troops(withperhapssomecontingentsofwestern ing forcemaybedeployedwhichwillcomposedby the internationalcommunitytaughtusthatapeacekeep- establish thesafezones.Presently,developmentswithin MSF hascalledforamultinationalforcemandatedto Multinational Intervention Force tarian organisations to have access tothezones. routes forthosewhowanttoreturnandthehumani- areas withguardedentryandexitpointsprotected ian corridorsmeansthatweareaimingatclearlymarked combination oftheconceptssafezonesandhumanitar- which peoplecanusetoreturnRwanda.Inpractice,a goods. lnthiscase,theconceptisalsousedasaroute been understoodasprotectedroutesfortransportofrelief ridors. Humanitariancorridors,however,supposedlyhave is intermingled with theconceptofhumanitariancor- For themoment,itappearsthatconceptofsafezones -temporary character -international military and humanrightsmonitoring to the status ofrefugees article 1(F). Convention and ExclusionClause151Convention relating UNHCR) in place. tripartite agreement (host country, country of origin and on afundamentalchangeofcircumstancesandwith untary returnisbasedonafreechoicetoreturn, a realoption.MSFshouldcontinuetostressthatvol- Zaire (andTanzania),voluntaryrepatriationwillbecome In reply,ifalltheconditionsareinplaceonsideof ‘less than voluntary’. have raised about MSF agrees to repatriation, which is seen in the light of the eventual repatriation, questions MSF hasstressedthatthecreationofsafezonesshouldbe out against attempts to forcibly repatriate refugees. As of repatriation.Inlinewiththisposition,MSFhasspoken tion, it hasalso always stressedthe voluntary character Rwandan refugeeswillbethemostviableoption.lnaddi- MSF has always stressed that the repatriation of the Repatriation measures to betakenby this force. comings ofapeacekeepingmandateinrelationtothe ln summary,MSFshouldconsidertoindicatetheshort- international peace andsecurity. human rightscanamounttoathreatorbreachofthe situation concerningthe‘long-term’factors. MSF shouldtrytocollectrecentinformationonthecurrent detention stoppedbecauseoftheovercrowdedprisons. Detention rateswereacceptable,alsoduetothefactthat has causedlessproblemsthancouldhavebeenexpected. ever, thereceptionofRwandanreturneesfromBurundi improvements havematerialized.Atthesametime,how is insufficientinformationwhichprovesthatthenecessary prison conditionsandsolutionsforlandissues,etc.),there factors (humanrightssituationinRwanda,judicialsystem, were totallyinsufficient.Concerningthemorelong-term refugees in July 1996 proved that the latter arrangements as well.ThesecondwaveofrepatriationtheRwandan monitoring duringthewholeprocessneedtobeinplace sit camps,receptioncentresandadequateinternational Practical arrangementssuchastransportcapacity,tran tions isthe only long-term solution. Repatriation of Rwandanrefugeesunderacceptable condi- to humanitarian aid whileunder protection. so thatdisplacedpersonsand refugeescanobtainaccess The onlywaytoavoidabloodbath is tocreatesafe zones Board members agreed onthe following points: Kivu crisis. Amsterdam regarding MSF International’s position onthe On Wednesday,November6,ameetingwasheldin Extract: the MSFBelgiumBoardofDirectors(inFrench). Minutes ofthe8November1996meeting - -

31 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

Repatriation cannot proceed unless the militias are dis- Tanganyika, south of the area of conflict between the FAZ armed. This entails neutral, international military inter- and Tutsi rebels. vention. Wednesday night, rebels holding the capital of the Zairian Regarding activity in the field, four or five sections are province of North Kivu turned back the MSF team in interested in responding to this tragedy. Because there Gisenyi, a Rwandan city bordering Goma. “We were able to are four or five intervention locations, coordination and pass the border crossing, but the rebels stopped us from communication are critical. The Board decided that MSF entering Goma,” Cornelis said. Holland would be the back-up section (coordinating sec- The rebels had announced a unilateral ceasefire but none- tion in the ET framework). MSF Holland will assign tasks thelessand called on the humanitarian organisations to to the other sections. All evaluation missions are currently return to Kivu. Nonetheless, on Saturday, the last expat- under MSF Holland coordination. The Executive Directors riate humanitarian aid workers evacuated due to insecu- and Operations Directors are in contact weekly to ensure rity. Around 700,000 Rwandan refugees have moved into regular communication and resolve any disputes. A dis- the area around Goma. crepancy remains at the planning level. MSF Belgium is calling for operations tasks to be divided up because the “There is a unilateral ceasefire, but we don’t know what context is too broad. the Zairian authorities’ intentions are,” explained the MSF Head of Mission, annoyed by the “extreme political, dip- * Introduction to the situation (Dominique Boutriau) and lomatic vagueness… It’s still extraordinary that a million discussion. people can disappear like that.”

There are around 1.2 million Rwandan refugees. The [...] Faced with procrastination on the part of internation- camps are concentrated primarily along the lake but we al diplomats in establishing a military-humanitarian force are currently prohibited from gaining access to them. In and humanitarian corridors, as well as sluggish action on Cibitoke, Burundian authorities do not want more camps the part of UN agencies, NGOs appear increasingly deter- set up in their territory because the refugees are Hutu and mined to act on their own. “We’ll go in without delay at the region is principally under Tutsi authority. We had an the first opportunity,” emphasized Anacleti Odhiambo, opportunity to reach the refugees in a UNHCR armoured Oxfam’s Rwanda representative. The Oxfam teams, like convoy. The situation there is tragic. If we decide to take MSF’s, have been blocked at the Rwandan-Zairian bor- action, the risk is that the authorities will try to steer der. “We don’t know what’s going on on the other side,” us towards a particular course. The warring parties have Odhiambo added. understood how to manipulate international aid. CARE “is still waiting” until the end of the week for We believe we must go and continue to serve as wit- UNHCR to create corridors, said Rudy Ramp, CARE’s Head nesses while maintaining security. We are calling on the of Mission in Kigali. UNHCR coordinates the NGOs’ refugee international community to establish protected zones and activities, but as a UN agency, negotiating with the reb- humanitarian corridors. els is a “delicate matter” because such discussions offer them a certain international recognition, Ramp noted. “If UNHCR has failed to obtain corridors by the end of the week, we will send our own evaluation teams on site,” he added. Like the other NGOs, CARE is nonetheless subject On 7 November, humanitarian organisations had still to security problems and the good will of the fighters and not gained access to the refugees, whose living condi- soldiers holding the region. tions had become appalling. Five MSF evaluation teams were blocked at the Rwandan, Burundian, Ugandan and But an official of another large NGO in Rwanda, whose Zairian borders. UNCHR was trying to negotiate for teams are also waiting, noted that it is difficult to take humanitarian corridors. V5 action without UNHCR’s go-ahead. “We are dependent on UNHCR,” said the official, who asked not to be identified. “They determine the needs and assign the work. It’s also a major funding source for NGOs, as it is for ECHO (the ‘In Vain, NGOs Try to Enter Eastern Zaire,’ AFP EU’s aid agency) and USAID. Undertaking a humanitarian (France), 7 November 1996 (in French). response on this scale requires huge budgets,” the official added. Extract: Five Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) evaluation teams are blocked at Zaire’s borders with Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi. Carole Cornelis, director of MSF’s mission in Kigali, announced that the one team currently responsible for assessing the situation in the field was also being held 32 by the Zairian army (FAZ) in Kalémié, on the banks of Lake intervention in eastern Zaire. on the UNSecurity Council to authorise an emergency ICRC and UNHCR joined the European Union in calling but alsopolitical and military action. Commissioner Ogataspokeout infavorofhumanitarian, In an interview with the Herald Tribune on Tuesday, and differences split France and GreatBritain in Brussels. Security Councilcouldnotreach adecisiononWednesday to authoriseanemergencyintervention.Thedivided The meetingresultedinacalltotheUNSecurityCouncil Union inBrusselstospeedthedeliveryofaidcivilians. Cross attendedameetingwithministersoftheEuropean Sadako Ogata,otherofficialsofUNagencies,andtheRed [...] OnThursday,theHighCommissionerforRefugees, spokesperson Peter Kessler. of Zaire, but gave up because of hunger and thirst, said last week,triedtofleethewest,towardsinterior capital, whichfellintoTutsirebelhandsattheendof Refugees whomovedintotheareanearNorthKivu flies.” from Goma,that“therefugeeshavebegundyinglike Nairobi cited reports from refugees, arriving in Rwanda impatient too, whilethe organisation’s spokesperson in Officials atUNHCRheadquartersinGenevaaresaidtobe lateral intervention,” he added. intervention but“wedonotopposetheideaofamulti- As anorganisation,theRedCrosscannotcallformilitary kilometres fromtherefugeesandwedon’thaveaccess.” Crescent SocietiesfortheGreatLakesregion.“We’reafew Parisetti, HeadoftheFederationRedCrossand “We’re totallyfrustratedhere,”complainedPieroCalvi- […] for two weeks.” Zairian civiliansthreatenedbyhungerandcholera,some Rwandan andBurundianrefugeestensofthousands move ifwe’regoingtoavoidacatastrophefor1.2million spokesperson Rolin Wavre. “You’vegottoact.We’ve “At somepoint,you’vegottostoptalking,”saidICRC witnesses. for two weeks, started “dying like flies,” according to hundreds ofthousandsrefugeesdeprivedaid,some organise emergencyinterventionineasternZaire,where on theinternationalcommunitytostopequivocatingand On Thursday,impatienthumanitarianorganisationscalled Extract: Geneva, 7 November1996 (in French). Organisations GrowImpatient,’AFP,(France), ’Enough Talk-It’sTimetoAct.’Humanitarian 1994 genocide. the conflictandbringtotrialthoseresponsiblefor issue amandatetotheinternationalforceneutralise MSF calledontheleadersofwesternnations to kilometres to thewest. from Kinshasa, the Zairian capital located more than 2,000 unable toreachrefugeesintheUviraandBukavuregions to faceyetagainwiththeirimpotencewhentheywere On Thursday, the humanitarianorganisationscame face could respond andcare for populations in Zaire. ernment toact,sothathumanitarian organisations appealed toFrenchdoctors tocallontheFrenchgov- Monde and the Conseil de l’Ordre des Médecins Français Through themedicalpress, MSFFrance,Médecinsdu With my sincere personal regards. edy. thing initspowertobringaquickendthisnewtrag - We arecountingonFrance’sdeterminationtodoevery - troops. humanitarian aidbysendinginternationalintervention - Protectingpopulationsindangerandtheiraccessto for humanitarian aid teams; and Burundi toaccepttheprincipleofunfetteredcirculation - PressuringtheborderingcountriesofZaire,Rwandaand access to these populations at riskofdeath by: larly France,musthelphumanitarianorganisationsgain We believethattheinternationalcommunity,andparticu- lating for a weekandfor three days, respectively. have blockedMédecinsSansFrontières’teamsfromcircu- persons andrefugees.AuthoritiesinZaireRwanda are effectivelypreventedfromprovidingaidtodisplaced Zairian authoritiesrefusingtograntaccessthearea,we With countriesintheregionclosingtheirbordersand Great Lakes region. to thebreadthoftragedycurrentlyunfoldingin humanitarian organisationsremainpowerlesstorespond Because we cannot gain access to the Kivu region of Zaire, Dear Mr President, Extract: France, 7 November1996 (in French). President, toJacquesChirac,Presidentof Letter fromPhilippeBiberson,MSFFrance

33 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

‘Appeal to French Doctors to Save 1,000,000 ‘ICRC Favorable to Armed Intervention in Zaire,’ Refugees in Zaire,’ Médecins Sans Frontières, AFP (France), Geneva, 8 November 1996 (in Médecins du Monde, Impact Médecin, (France), French). 7 November 1996 (in French). Extract: Extract: […] More than one million Rwandan, Burundian and Zairian refugees are in danger of dying. Facing famine and epi- Expressing his “indignation“ and “distress“ over the cur- demics, they are hostages to the war raging in the African rent tragedy, ICRC president Cornelio Sommaruga said Great Lakes region. that governments should decide whether to intervene within the framework of the UN Security Council. He As doctors, we are issuing an appeal to allow all humani- emphasized, however, that the Red Cross would not call tarian organisations to respond and treat these popula- for such an intervention but during a press conference at tions. We ask the French government to do everything ICRC headquarters in Geneva, he noted that, “nothing in possible to obtain guarantees from international bodies so international humanitarian law prevents the UN Security that humanitarian action can be pursued and protection Council from deciding to initiate an operation to restore provided to these populations in danger. law and order.”

On 8 November, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, UN Secretary The Rwandan government announced that it was pre- General, recommended to the Security Council that pared to accept an African-European force, without an international intervention force be deployed in the participation of France. He called for the return eastern Zaire. ICRC president Cornelio Sommaruga also of Rwandan refugees and said that villages would be announced that he viewed intervention favourably. organised to receive them.

Boutros Boutros-Ghali, ‘Emergency Action ’Rwandan Government Ready to Accept an Needed to Avoid Thousands of Deaths,’ AFP, African-European Force,’ AFP (France), Bonn, 8 (France), UN New York, 8 November 1996 (in November 1996 (in French). French). Extract: Extract: On Wednesday, Rwandan Foreign Affairs Minister Anastase UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali recommended Gasana announced in Bonn that his government was pre- to the Security Council that it authorise deployment on pared to accept the deployment of an African-European an urgent basis of a multinational force in eastern Zaire, force to aid more than one million refugees blocked in without which “tens of thousands” of civilians face death. eastern Zaire. But during a press conference in Bonn, he demanded that [...] In a letter, Boutros-Ghali presented the Council with such a force be ’absolutely neutral’ and made it clear that three options: his country did not support France’s participation. He said that the Kigali government was opposed to an ‘adventure’ 1. creation of an ad hoc multinational force by a ’group like the French-led Operation Turquoise, when Rwanda of member states,’ which would seek ’the authorisation was plunged into civil war in 1994. The goal of the French necessary’ to intervene (French proposal); operation had been to create safety zones in the south- 2. deployment of a UN peacekeeping force; west of the country. 3. deployment of an African regional force. (In Kigali, Rwandan President Pasteur Bizimungu However, the Secretary General noted, “there is not a min- announced Friday that France “should refrain from con- ute to lose” and the best way to confront the current crisis tributing” to an international military force in eastern would be to adopt the first option. The member states Zaire.) “possessing the necessary resources” would thus take the initiative to assemble a multinational force “in consulta- [...] The Rwandan government will support “any humani- tion with the Secretary General of the Organisation of tarian action that has no hidden agenda,” Rwanda’s African Unity and the relevant nations of the region.” chief diplomat confirmed. “Any positive action will be welcome, whether from African or mixed forces – but we 34 insist that they be neutral, absolutely neutral… We don’t for safe zones andinternational military intervention. on previoussimilarexperiences.MSFreneweditscall displaced Zairiansindanger(1.2millionpeople)and calculation wasbasedonthenumberofrefugeesand organisations didnotgainaccesstothecamps.The the numberofdeathslikelytooccurifhumanitarian In an8Novemberpressrelease,MSFextrapolated current crisis) tobeconsidered as Zairians. in Zaire for many years and whose expulsion provoked the Banyamulenge (TutsiofRwandanoriginwhohavelived solution wouldincluderecognitionoftherights one, butalsoapoliticaloneandsaidthat Gasana viewsthetragedyasnotonlyahumanitarian hostage to serve theirpolitical interests. He alsoaccusedZairianauthoritiesofhavingtakenthem 1994 genocide, who were using them as ’human shields.’ ‘prisoners’ and’hostages’ofthosewhocommittedthe each. But,hechargedthatRwandanrefugeesinZairewere in everyvillage,withahumanrightsdelegateassignedto sacres in1994.Provisionshavebeenmadetoreceivethem eastern Zaire,fearingpossiblereprisalsaftertheTutsimas- also called for the return of Rwandan Hutu who went to its infrastructureavailableforrefugeeaidoperations.He was openandthattheRwandangovernmentmaking Mr GasanaconfirmedthattheRwandanborderwithZaire Rwanda.” want anotheradventureliketheonewelivedthroughin of every10,000 displacedpeopledeprivedof aiddieevery We knowfrom experience thatinsimilarsituations, 10out - - - the populations in danger.This means that: November, aidorganisationshavenotbeenabletoreach Since thelastteamswereforcedtoevacuateGomaon2 allowed into the Gomaregion have beenguidedtrips. sentatives have been turnedback.Todate, theonlyvisits and Zairianswholackassistance.Eachtime,MSFrepre - tions onbehalfofhundredsthousandsRwandans Rwanda havetriedtocrosstheborderlaunchaidopera- For threedays,MSFteamsbasedinGisenyiandCyangugu, Extract: left on their ownfor a week. and theinhabitantsofneighboring villageshavebeen the 700,000peoplewhowere livingintheGomacamps Zairians have notreceived assistance for two weeks; the 300,000refugeesinBukavuanddisplaced Uvira region havebeendeprived of aidfor three weeks; the 200,000RwandanandBurundianrefugeesin Press Release,8November 1996 (inFrench). ’Are 13,600DeathsInsignificant?’MSFFrance distributed by the press. was turnedintoaconfirmation andwasthenwidely mentioned theestimatein thepressrelease,which Interviewed by CNN, the director of MSF USA also leaving with food and water in good health. peared …Inaddition,wecouldn’tforeseethatpeoplewere mortality ratespredictedbyMSF…”Allourcaveatsdisap- carefully chosenwordsbecamethefollowing:“Hereare projections. ButassoontheAFPgotholdofthem,our in andofitself. We were very careful to saythatthesewere them overaweekandmonth.Youcan’tfaultthemethod to amonth.WeappliedtheGomamortalityrates,projecting some periodoftimeandwerethencutoffforthreeweeks hundreds ofthousandshadaccesstoaidinacampfor ity rates.Wechosesituationsinwhichapopulationof similar tothisoneandidentifiedthecorrespondingmortal- the medical department, we researched situations most kind ofpopulationinthissituation.Workingwith ourselves, wecanextrapolatefromourexperiencewiththis didn’t know,thatwehaveaccess.Thensaidto kind of state people are in.” We were answering that we short cut. via directcontact.Wewerewidelycriticisedforthatkindof notified. Thatwasatimewhenthingsworkedlikethatlot, written inParisanddeMillianoGoemaereweresurely stances. Itcouldhavegonecompletelyunnoticed.was and itmadeabigsplash.Itwascombinationofcircum - in advanceifapressreleasewillbepickedup.Thisonewas lation thatisnotreceivingassistance.It’sunusualtoknow 10,000/day, whichcorrespondstomortalitywithinapopu- took fairlyconservativefigures,talkingabout10per tality amongapopulationthatwasnotreceivingaid.We create an international force to setupsafe zones. ing deathsfromkillings),confirmingtheurgentneedto have diedsincethecrisisbegan21daysago(notinclud- day. Wecanthusestimatethatmorethan13,600people Anne Guibert, MSF FrancePress Officer (inFrench). other side, we’d like to know what’s going on, what Journalists werecalling,saying,“Wecan’tgettothe We weretryingtogetthemessageoutagain. olated from the population and the potential mor- we hadtheideatoissueapressrelease.Weextrap- We weretryingtogetpeopletalkaboutthisand Dr. Bernard Pécoul, MSFFrance Executive Director (in French).

35 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

The maths is simple. In 1994, when 800,000 Hutu fleeing Rwanda reached Goma, the city was at peace and humani- ’MSF Says More Than 13,600 Dead in Eastern tarian aid was immediate and massive. Forty thousand Zaire,’ AFP (France), Paris, 8 November 1996 people died of cholera then. Today, in a war situation, (in French). without food and medical aid, in the midst of the rainy season, “cholera is there,” says Jacques de Milliano, Extract: Vice-President of Médecins Sans Frontières International. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) announced that more than “The disease appears here in one week, as soon as health 13,600 people have died in eastern Zaire over the last conditions decline.” He looks at the lake and the volcano. three weeks. The catastrophe is playing out there, under heavy clouds, without witnesses, without aid – without anything. “We know from experience that, on average in this kind of situation, among a displaced population lacking all assistance, 10 people out of 10,000 die every day,” said Dr Bernard Pécoul, MSF Executive Director, in a press release. The figure does not take into account deaths from killings, I’d sent a message to the network saying, “please be he noted. careful with the figures. Don’t make any assumptions based on the figures.” And then Joëlle Tanguy, According to MSF 200,000 Rwandan and Burundian refu- (Director of MSF USA) gave an interview to CNN in New York. gees in the Uvira region have received no aid for three She was trapped and the report came out saying, “MSF says weeks, 300,000 refugees from Bukavu and the displaced that there are so many deaths per day.” The information Zairians have been without aid for two weeks and the came out of CNN in New York. It was picked up by the news 700,000 people who were living in the Goma camps and agencies as “MSF said that…” residents of neighboring villages were left on their own a week ago. I had been endlessly fighting off journalists on this whole question of statistics for days. I told them that we didn’t MSF teams based in Gisenyi and Cyangugu, Rwanda have have any numbers to give them; that we didn’t know. All of been trying to cross the border for three days to begin a sudden someone looks at his laptop and says to me, “MSF aid operations on behalf of hundreds of thousands of says in a story that there are so many people dying.” What Rwandans and Zairians who lack assistance. Each time, should I do? I said to Jacques, “We’ve got a problem here. MSF representatives have been turned back and to date, They’re saying that according to MSF, thousands of people the only visits allowed into the Goma region have been are dying every day.” We went back over the entire story. guided visits. I tried to do damage control with the reporters. “Listen, this press release is based on a study in which we say that “Every day of hesitation results in the death of thousands if this, if that, if the other thing… It’s an extrapolation.” of civilians,” MSF stated, calling again for international Obviously the journalists didn’t understand. “You’re saying military intervention to create emergency safety zones. one thing but your Director in New York is saying another.” We really had a big problem!

Samantha Bolton, MSF USA Communication Director, MSF Press Officer for the Great Lakes November- ‘Abandoned, Nearly One Million Refugees from December 1996 (in French). Kivu Risk Death,’ Le Monde (France), 9 November 1996 (in French).

Extract: After a delay, Paris came with their analysis and The cameras and satellite telephones belonging to the diffused it in their media. We were not aware of the world’s reporters are useless here. Seven hundred thou- MSF France thing, it was not a dramatic thing. With sand, one million people – maybe more – are dying silent- Samantha we had agreed not to use precise figures ... But ly. No one knows where - somewhere in a low spot near then MSF France gave exact figures and they asked us, ”Do the lake, or further off in the forest - but they are dying. you agree?” I said, ”We have to, we can’t not agree.” But I am not putting the blame on France because if we would At least that is the firm conviction of representatives have been against it, we would have said it. In this situa- of humanitarian organisations blocked at the Zairian- tion it is not wrong, if you want to make your case hard Rwandan border station at the entrance to Goma. Since even to forward a figure. We were not very happy with it but the Banyamulenge (Tutsi rebels from Zaire) took the city we said, “Ok, we accept it.” of Goma, Hutu refugees and part of Goma’s Zairian population have headed onto the roads. Perhaps they are near Dr. Jacques de Milliano, MSF Holland General Director Saké, thirty kilometres away, behind the combat lines. and MSF International vice-président (in English). 36 mobilise an international intervention. ing ontheBritishgovernmenttotakeleadershipand and openletterindonatedspaceTheTimescall- Together with Oxfam, MSF UK published a press release save thousands of people in danger in eastern Zaire. release callingontheUSAtotakeimmediateaction the auspicesofInterActiontodistributeapress MSF USAjoinedwitharound20otherUSNGOsunder Without Borders/Médecins SansFrontières, Foodforthe Africare Church, WorldService,Doctorsofthe WorldDoctors as ittakes immediate steps to limit loss oflife. to playing a leadership role in the resolution of this crisis, munity, theUnitedStatesgovernment mustcommititself powerful and influential member of the international com- underlying causesofinstabilityintheregion.Asmost nity tomusterthepoliticalwillnecessaryaddress the failureforovertwoyearsofinternationalcommu - This crisisintheGreatLakesregionhaserupteddueto in theinternational community. ian reliefoperationswillalienatethemfromtheirfriends ments of the region that any interference with humanitar- Council toseethatthemakescleargovern - 3. ExerciseleadershipwithintheUnitedNationsSecurity intended exclusively for the civilianpopulation. also wouldinsurethatcombatantsdonotreceiveaid to Rwandaoreventualresettlement.Themilitaryforce refugees to be assisted in Zaire pending their repatriation force capableofprovidingsufficientsecuritytopermit European governmentstofieldaninternationalmilitary 2. AgreewithoutfurtherdelaytoworkwithAfricanand needs of starving andsick refugees. of personnelandsuppliesneededtomeettheimmediate which canassistwiththearrivalandonwardtransport 1. Establishatanairfieldintheregionalogisticsfacility, ate steps: Unites StatesGovernmenttotakethefollowingimmedi- action isundertaken,theundersignedagenciescallon gees ineasternZairewilldiewithindaysunlessurgent Alarmed bytheprobabilitythattensofthousandsrefu- agencies. Action, acoalitionofUSreliefandrefugee-assistance agencies thatsupportit.AllaremembersofInter ern Zaire.Hereisthefulltextofstatementand ate actionbeforetensofthousandspeopledieineast- statement calling on the US government to take immedi- Eighteen prominentUSreliefagenciestodayissueda Extract: English). Inter ActionPressRelease,8November(in ‘US ReliefAgenciesCallForUSActiononZaire,’ and global education. development, refugeeassistance,environment,population, cate forinternationalhumanitarianeffortsincludingrelief, US non-profit organizations, is the nation’s leading advo- Interaction, amembershipassociationofmorethan150 Development Organization, World Relief, World Vision, United MethodistCommittee on Relief,WorldConcern International, RefugeesSavetheChildren, Map International,OperationUSA,MercyCorps World Relief, Rescue Committee,InternationalMedicalCorps,Lutheran Hungry International,InternationalAid, return of refugees. Interahamwe militia,andallow adignifiedandvoluntary disarming theformerRwandan governmentarmy,the Any forcewouldhavetodeal withthecrucialissueof long-term politicalcrisisof theCentralAfricanregion. work ifitwaspartofwiderpackagewhichdealtwiththe The agencies warned that military intervention would only Huby, Executive Director, MSF-UK. a devastatingeffectonyounglives,”addedAnne-Marie tion, exposuretotheelementsanddiseasewillsoonhave die willbeinfantsandtheelderly.Hunger,thirst,exhaus - without foodaidoranykindofassistance.Thefirstto “For thepastthreeweeksmanyhavebeenonmove Deputy Director, Oxfam UK andIreland. and actionnowwillhaveanyeffect,”saidStewartWallis, John Major’sfinewordswon’thelp-onlydecisiveaction, the groundtoprotectlivesandallowaidthrough. a chancetohelpbutonlyifaninterventionforceison miles awayfromaidstocksovertheborder.Westillhave displaced peoplehanginthebalance.Theyareonlyafew to a million lives of both Rwandan refugees and Zairian and complacencytheBritishGovernmentisshowing.Up screens therewouldbenoplaceforthiskindofcaution “Children aredyingnowandiftheywerevisibleonourTV to commit troops andfunds. vention force and to persuade forcefully UN member states military weightbehindthecallforaUNmandatedinter- Government to throw its full political, diplomatic and in Zaireasmorallybankrupt.TheycalledontheBritish tion inthefaceofanunprecedentedhumanitariancrisis The agenciesdescribedtheBritishGovernment’shesita- Rwandan refugees and Zairiandisplaced people. diate deployment of troops into Zaire to save the lives of Médecins SansFrontières,joinedtodayinacallforimme- Two oftheworld’slargestaidagencies,Oxfamand Extract: Release, 8 November 1996(inEnglish). Long-Term PeaceandJustice,’MSFUKPress Intervention NowtoSaveLivesandSecure Statement onAnglo-FrenchSummit–Military ‘OXFAM andMédecinsSansFrontièresJoint

37 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

a little irresponsible … but that’s another story! You can debate endlessly whether this kind of thing is useful. But ‘Dead Refugees Cannot be Saved,’ Open letter, we publicly stated what we believed – more than the other MSF UK/OXFAM, The Times (United Kingdom) 9 organisations. While the others were saying, “On the one November 1996 (in English). hand… on the other …,” we said, ”we believe there are people in danger” and we demanded access. Extract: Dear Prime Minister, Anne-Marie Huby, MSF UK Executive Director Over one million refugees and local people face death in (in French). war-torn eastern Zaire, a mere ten miles from aid supplies. The first to die are infants and the elderly. Meanwhile, the European Union vacillates and shows shameful disunity in the face of massive loss of human life. We are pleading for the British government to show the moral strength In a press release, MSF Holland and MSF USA lauded the and leadership necessary to mobilise an international Rwandan government’s decision to accept the creation intervention on the ground. of humanitarian corridors and announced that MSF was Time is running out. Despite the announcement of a sending 25 tonnes of aid supplies. cease-fire, aid organisations are still actively prevented from reaching the people in need. The refugees need safe areas, where security and aid can be provided, and from where they can return home safely and in dignity. Only a ’Médecins Sans Frontières Sends Cargo - Rwanda neutral force can successfully disarm the former Rwandan Allows Humanitarian Aid into Goma,’ MSF army, the Interahamwe militia, and help bring those Holland Press Release, 8 November 1996 (in responsible for the 1994 genocide to justice. English). Unless security is restored on the ground in a matter of days, the refugee question of Central Africa will have found its final solution. There simply will not be any refugees left alive. ’Doctors Without Borders Prepares to Enter Zaire early Saturday - Rwanda Allows Humanitarian Aid into Goma,’ MSF USA Press Release, 8 November 1996 (in English).

We had free space in The Times that we didn’t want Extract: to use to raise money. We had this public space and The Rwandan government has permitted ten international we said to ourselves, ‘we’re going to use it.’ The aid organisations, among them Médecins Sans Frontières, rationale was ridiculous. We never should have followed it. to start up humanitarian aid to the refugees in Goma, We used the space to publish a joint letter with Oxfam. To Zaire. The plan of the Rwandan government it to cre- my knowledge, it’s the only one in the history of the organ- ate corridors between Zaire and Rwanda through which isation. It was really outdated and I take full responsibility. refugees can return to Rwanda. Although the government The Oxfam director should also share that responsibility. I does not guarantee that the rebels in East Zaire agree on called him and said, “ We have two columns out of seven, this decision, it expects the rebels to cooperate with the or something like that, so let’s fill them up.” We did. I repatriation on the basis of the recent ceasefire. remember calling Jean-Hervé (Bradol, Communications Director for MSF France) and I read him the text. He said, According to Médecins Sans Frontières the decision is ”It’s very good” I remember that very well. a first step to enable humanitarian aid to [reach] the refugees and the population of eastern Zaire. It is well It didn’t get a lot of press coverage but it led to a lot of dis- known that most refugees, during the past few weeks, cussion. MSF and Oxfam together – that was pretty unusual. have moved further west into the interior of Zaire, which It was a short text. We called for humanitarian organisa- is controlled by the army. Rwanda alone cannot guarantee tions to obtain access; otherwise so many people risked access to these affected populations. dying of hunger. One of the premises of the message was ‘we’re doctors and we have to make pessimistic projections It is not yet clear who will protect the humanitarian cor- because that’s how it’s done.” Oxfam said, ”We know where ridors. Rwanda is said to have agreed with an intervention all the water faucets are in the Goma area so we know that of a neutral UN force in eastern Zaire. the Rwandan army has access to faucet no. 1.” Again on this subject of ‘pessimistic projections,’ we said to ourselves, MSF called earlier this week for an international military “If the water is cut off - which is the most effective way to intervention and for the set up of safe zones within Zaire cordon off the area - then there’s a real danger for public to prevent further human catastrophe. health and also of obvious violence.” Oxfam was completely Tonight an MSF cargo plane with 25 tonnes of relief goods 38 cool about it. We made this appeal, which was, typically, consisting of drugs, medical materials, high protein bis- fled Burundi taken refuge intheKivus. conflict regionwerebeingrepatriatedforcibly,having tions underwhichBurundianrefugeesintheCibitoke aid. MSFFrancefurthercriticisedthehorriblecondi- persons fromKivuandannouncedanincreaseinits continued lackofassistancetorefugeesanddisplaced That same day, MSF France drew attention again to the sending its troops. French proposal and said thatitwould not consider decision. TheUSAexpresseddoubtsregardingthe humanitarian purposes’butdelayedtheintervention accepting theprincipleofamultinationalforce’for UN SecurityCounciladoptedaninterimresolution On 9November,aftertwodaysofdiscussions,the displaced. locate the whereabouts of over 1 million refugees and keep tryingtoreachtheareawestandsouthofGoma around Goma. Furthermore exploratory MSF missions will and providebasichealthcaretothepopulationin In Goma,MSFwillstartupmedicalrelieftotwohospitals ported to the border. the cargowillimmediatelybeloadedontrucksandtrans- will landinKigaliearlySaturdaymorning.Theteamand board therewillalsobe13MSFaidworkers.Theaeroplane cuits andblanketswillleavetheAmsterdamairport.On tection and safe accessto aid. refugee anddisplacedpopulations maybenefitfrompro- national militaryforcetocreate safezonessothatthe Médecins SansFrontièresrenews itscallforaninter- access has been denied. try tocrosstheRwandanborderintoZaire.Asofnow,all medical suppliesaswellaidteams.Thoseteamswill An MSFcargoplanearrivedinKigalithismorningcarrying affected by problemsin the region. fighting ortheZairianpopulations,whoarealsoseriously every day.Thishypothesisdoesnotincludethevictimsof is estimatedat1.2million.Thus1,200peoplecoulddie Rwandan and Burundian refugees in that region of Zaire reach 10deathsper10,000peopleday.Thenumberof such asituation(displacedpopulationswithoutaid)can Médecins SansFrontièresknowsthatmortalityratesin Zaire remainwithoutassistancetoday.Fromexperience, The refugeesanddisplacedpersonsintheKivuregionof Extract: Press Release,9November 1996 (inFrench). Lead totheDeathsof1,200People,’MSFFrance ’Each Day of Non-Assistance to Refugees Could to useforce (Known as ChapterVII). vide aninternationalforcewithamandateallowingit In pressinterviews,MSFemphasisedtheneedtopro- and conflict is underway. halt repatriationstoareaswhereconditionsareunhealthy Burundian authoritiestofindanalternativesolutionand [...] MédecinsSansFrontièrescallsonUNHCRand medical aid can beguaranteed. ing thembacktowarzoneswhereneitherprotectionnor which placeriskvulnerablepopulationsatbysend- ties andUNHCRofitsconcernabouttheserepatriations, Médecins SansFrontièreshasnotifiedBurundianauthori- refugees, has noaccess. areas whereUNHCR,normally responsible forprotecting to theirhomedistricts.Theyarebeingrepatriated repatriation ofBurundiansfromtheKivuregioninZaire Médecins SansFrontièresisveryconcernedaboutthe Extract: 400,000 refugees weretrappedbetween the rebelsand tarian groups accesstotheMugunga camp, where also presentedhisconditions forgrantinghumani- proposed thatahumanitarian corridorbesetup.He ticipation in aninternationalintervention force and the LiberationofCongo-Zaire, rejectedFrance’spar- Kabila, leaderoftheAlliance ofDemocraticForcesfor During a10Novemberpressconference,Laurent-Désiré a foodconvoy.” from therefugeesisnotgoingtobedonebydefending Bolton, MSF spokeswoman. “Separating the extremists the area,notdefendaidworkers,”saysMissSamantha Aïdeed –wouldbeworsethanuseless.“Wehavetosecure to launchamanhunt for Somalia’swarlord Mohamad Farah than Chapter Seven - the mandate, which allowed troops any internationalforcesentwithaUNmandateweaker The medicalcharityMédecinsSansFrontières(MSF)says Extract : (in French). MSF France Underway WithoutProtectionorMedicalAid,’ ’Repatriation ofBurundianstoConflictZones 1996 (inEnglish). Maze’ Michela Wrong,‘RefugeesTrappedinaDeadly The FinancialTimes(UK),11November Press Release, 9 November 1996

39 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

the Zairian Armed Forces (FAZ), the former Rwandan hands, humanitarian groups returned to Goma. The pres- Armed Forces (ex-FAR), and militia from the former ence of Laurent-Désiré Kabila, leader of the Alliance of the Rwandan regime. Visiting Kinshasa, Emma Bonino, Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire, obvi- the European Union’s Commissioner for Humanitarian ously carries weight. The convoy of vehicles was a major Affairs, described the Security Council’s slow response display intended to show the world that the leader of the as an “international scandal.” Kivu rebellion is someone to be reckoned with. Reporters who had been expelled the night before were called back On 11 November, humanitarian organisations finally at the opportune moment to accompany the convoy. The obtained access to the town of Goma but not to the day before, Kabila had set the tone, repeating his invita- camps, specifically the Mugunga camp, where hundreds tion to humanitarian aid workers on the condition that of thousands of refugees were still gathered. Indeed, they work through ’the region’s officials,’ in other words, the rebels assembled aid workers in a stadium and him and his group. In Kigali, Rwandan authorities had ordered them to leave their supplies, foodstuffs and notified some select NGOs of the meeting. medicines. Everything took place within view of the international press’ cameras. Reporters had been invit- […] Yesterday however, Dr. Joseph Karemera, the ed to observe the rebels’ high level of organisation. Rwandan Health Minister, who welcomed the convoy on The MSF team managed to distribute its aid directly to the Rwandan side, denied having any ’influence’ over the Goma hospitals. new authorities in Goma. “Rwanda will not participate in the operation unless it has a Security Council mandate. Rwanda only wants the NGOs to give the minimum required for the refugees to be able to walk to Rwanda.” ’Tutsi Rebels Present Their Conditions for But the minister, like the rebels, and Goma’s population, Humanitarian Intervention,’ Le Monde (France), were still waiting for something more than several tonnes 12 November 1996 (in French). of beans, biscuits, blankets and medicines.

Extract: The humanitarian groups were prudent after several days If all conditions are met, “we can expect that humanitar- of procrastination and their caution spoiled the ‘Goma ian aid will be available in the Mugunga camp tomorrow,” -Open City’ event slightly. “We are allowed to see what Laurent-Désiré Kabila said; confirming that his movement is happening in the town, but we know that we will not was prepared to open a humanitarian corridor leading to have access to the camps,” explained the MSF Holland the camp, located around fifteen kilometres from Goma, Project Manager. “The danger of this operation is that it and which houses hundreds of thousands of Rwandan gives the impression that aid is getting through, without Hutu refugees and Zairian displaced persons. However, he the means to reach all those who need it.” If the Goma demanded that the corridor be protected by “absolutely airport is opened and a minimum of security is provided, impartial forces that have never colonized the country nor Marc Gastellu Etchecorry (MSF F) estimates that it will intervened in its political affairs,” he added, noting that take two weeks to reach and aid the 700,000 Rwandan France would be better off aiding those fighting “the men refugees and the thousands of displaced Zairians in the (of President Mobutu) who have plunged the country into region. misery.” […] ”While the organisations’ representatives were wait- [...] “To reach Mugunga, we want the humanitarian ing to meet with Laurent-Désiré Kabila, he was in full organisations to go through here,” he continued. “We dress uniform receiving reporters and sharing his disap- want them to write to us ... the problem is that the NGOs pointment with them. “Boxes of biscuits and blankets? Is do not want to recognize our authority,” adding that his that because the NGOs are being manipulated by the UN movement “must also determine whether these organisa- or because they only came to see Goma?” tions are impartial.” [...] On the diplomatic front, the UN Security Council’s The rebel leader again called on the international com- slow reaction has also provoked criticism. In Kinshasa munity to send troops to neutralise the Mugunga camp, yesterday, Emma Bonino, European Commissioner for located some fifteen kilometres away, which is held by Humanitarian Affairs, described it as “an international armed forces of the former Rwandan regime. He stated scandal.” again that his appeal was addressed only to countries he considers ’neutral,’ like Sweden, Mali, or even South Africa.

[…] Humanitarian aid workers, who had to leave the city ’Marie-Laure Colson, ’Goma: Open City Under at night, were fairly pessimistic yesterday; “We’re here, High Surveillance,’ Libération (France), 12 but it’s not a victory. Nothing is moving.” More than November 1996 (in French). one million refugees are still wandering, empty-handed, in the Kivu region. Another uncertainty also affects the Extract : entire operation. Kabila announced that shells fired from 40 Yesterday, for the first time since the city fell into rebel Mugunga had killed two more people outside Goma the is well-organisedinGomanowbecauseKigalicharge.” system. We’replantingflowersalongtheroads.Everything vision. They have to be part of the system. We’ve got a good control anddisciplined.Theycan’tbeallowedtoontele - need theNGOsanymore.Theyhavetobebroughtunder go home.Wearegoingtodistributethem.Yousee,wedon’t unload theirsupplies.“Thankyouverymuch.Nowcan the stadiumasifitwereahugecircus.Theytoldto moment. AlltheNGOsandreporterswerebroughtinto parked its car a little off to the side and escaped at the last Zaire.” Theytoldustodrivethecarsinside.TheMSFteam with youandwe’llshoweveryonehowwearerebuilding a convoy at the same time. The reporters are going to come you. Wewilltellyouwhatcando.Youallcomein NGOs aregoingtocomethestadiumandwewillorganise placed whentherefugeesarrivedinGoma1994.“All announced last Monday. gesting thathecouldendtherebels’three-weekceasefire before itistoolate,wewillhavenochoice,”hesaid,sug- limits. “Iftheinternationalcommunitydoesnotintervene day beforeandwarnedyesterdaythathispatiencehadits an international military intervention was pointless. trying toshowthataidwasindeedreachingKivuand public relationsconcerns.Usingtelevisedimages,hewas eral weeks.Sotheminister’sdistresshadmoretodowith estimated to meet the needs of 600,000 people over sev- medicines becausetherebelshadtakenUNHCR’sstocks, the convoywellenough.Thecitydidn’tneedalotof according tohim,thetelevisioncamerascouldn’tsee the Health Minister, a Rwandan, scolded us because During thefirstconvoyweorganisedforcityofGoma, the same rebels. we watched the reporters go by while we were blocked by opening the area. For ten days, until around 11 November, The rebelsreallywantedtoshowtheworldthattheywere Extract: Samantha Bolton, MSF USA Communication Director, cer stadiumwherethefirstcholeracaseshadbeen everyone isinvitedtothestadium.”Itwassoc- When theyopenedthebordersaid,”Today, MSF Press Officer for the GreatLakes November- cation), January 1997 (inFrench). Manager, Messages(MSFFranceinternalpubli- with MarcGastellu,MSFFranceEmergencyDesk ’Emergency OntheSideofRoad,’Interview December 1996 (in French). before the end oftheweek. UN SecurityCouncilwastoauthoriseitsdeployment aid totherefugeesandrepatriatethemRwanda.The rity forceunderCanadiancommandthatwoulddeliver ipation of1,000USsoldiersinaninternationalsecu- On 13November,theUSPresidentapprovedpartic- crisis in theirhome countries. Zaire. Eachsectionshouldbecommunicatingonthe volunteers frompartnersectionstobesenteastern MSF Swedenputoutacalltooperationalsectionsfor where in the regioninsupport roles. Zaire, McCurrysaid.Theremainderwouldbebasedelse- US troops-about1,000ofwhichwouldbedeployedin ing at least four months and involving fewer than 5,000 President Clintonagreed“inprinciple”toamissionlast- tarian, to save lives”. While a final decision is pending, Mike McCurrysaid,“Ourinterestsherearelargelyhumani- thousands dying of starvation and disease, press secretary human catastrophe,theWhiteHousesaidtoday.With a Canadian-led international operation trying to avert a to war-tornZaireparticipatein’alimitedfashion’with The UnitedStatesiswillingtosendabout1,000troops Extract: one expat from eachDO present on thespot? is not being used properly. How come there is not at least for buildingofpublicopinion andpressure.Thispotential tions andDOstogetherrepresent anenormouspotential an operationinasituationlike theoneinZaire.Allsec- act inaninternationalmanner fromtheverybeginningof If claimingtobeaninternational organisation,MSFhasto again marginalized from the main actionsof MSF. ation -thepoliticians.Asadelegateofficeweareonce people whocouldfinallydosomethingtochangethesitu - sion ofactionandtherebykeepupthepressureon to theirnationalmedia,giveinformationandanimpres - at leastsomefrustratedpeopleonthespotwhocanreport the DelegateOffices(DOs).Theoperationalsectionshave but there is one big difference between the sections and probably justasfrustratedeverybodyelsewithinMSF stand-by toparticipateinMSF’sactionsZaire.Weare For morethanaweekMSF-Swedenhashadpeopleon Extract: English). (USA), Washington,13November1996(in ‘US toJoinZaireOperation’AssociatedPress 1996 (inEnglish). Svedin, DirectorofMSFSweden,13November ‘Appeal toMSFOperationalSections,’Göran

41 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

Without a Swede on the spot, the public in Sweden will rebel ordered, beginning to get tense. “Get going – now.” soon consider MSF as an empty shell, making a lot of noise He went back to his place under the awning. but no action. This is just as true for DOs as it is for the The team decided to try again. They remained in front sections - no section would ever accept to stand outside of the car with the motor off. More long minutes passed. of this operation even if there might not be an immediate Suddenly, the sound of rifles being cocked could be heard operational need for their people. from beneath the awning. The uniformed rebel came back, escorted by another man in civilian clothing. The second man was armed with an American M-16 assault rifle. Speaking curtly, he said, “Leave.”

On the Bukavu side (South Kivu), the humanitarian “OK, we’re going,” the doctor said. “But can we at least organisations were blocked at the border and were still leave the medicines here for the hospital?” unable to gain access to the refugees. “We’re not in the medicine business,” the uniformed rebel answered. “Get out.” “These medicines are for your people,” José Bastos said in a final effort. ’The Rebel to the MSF Doctor: “We’re Not in the “We’re not doctors, get out of here,” said the rebel, Medicine Business“, AFP (France), Bukavu, 13 unmoved. November 1996 (in French). After a half-hour of pointless efforts at dialogue, everyone Extract: got back in the car, which made a U-turn and returned to “Go back to Rwanda,” the rebel at the Bukavu border Cyangugu. “We’ve got to pressure the rebels, otherwise station said. “Get out of here.” “Can we at least leave we’ll never get anywhere,” Fred Urlep said. “We’ll try again these medicines for the hospital?” asked José Bastos of tomorrow.” Médecins Sans Frontières. “We’re not in the medicine business,” the rebel responded. “Leave!” “The other NGOs and reporters need to come with us or nothing will happen,” said José Bastos. ”We’re not going On Wednesday, all effort at dialogue between humanitar- to wait here for days for the UN.” ian aid workers and the Zairian rebels holding Bukavu, Late last week, a delegation of UN aid agencies estab- capital of the South Kivu province (eastern Zaire) proved lished contact with the rebel leadership in Bukavu. pointless. Monday night, the rebels formally agreed to begin nego- Tired of waiting for the outcome of UN agencies’ efforts to tiations on Tuesday morning. Since then, they have not contact the rebel leadership so that aid could be brought been in contact with the delegation. into Bukavu, Médecins Sans Frontières decided to send a car with a three-person emergency team and medications to the Zairian side. An AFP reporter also rode in the vehicle. Around noon, the car crossed the bridge marking the Zairian-Rwandan border in Cyangugu (Rwanda) and then We reached the border and were systematically climbed the hill leading to the entrance of Bukavu. A stopped every day for 23 days, with, in theory, per- barrier blocked the road at the end of the no man’s land. mission to come back. In fact, we faced administra- A small group of rebels, mostly in civilian clothes, was tive obstacles. Clearly, there was a façade for the interna- seated under the awning of the border post, sheltered by tional community. “International aid is welcome.” But trees that hid them. there were clear instructions. … It was really a very small The team cautiously got out of the car, careful to make thing compared to Goma and the massive repatriation. This no sudden movements. No one stirred at the border was insignificant. We had two or three pickup trucks and in post. Several minutes passed. Finally, a uniformed rebel the end, we decided to load up a truck with blankets, BP5 wearing a green beret and black plastic boots got up, a [high- protein biscuits] and some things to donate to the Kalashnikov in his hand. hospital and to show pressure at the border. You’ve got to push, push. So there we were with our truck. Every morning “I’m a doctor,” said José Bastos in French, showing his the Rwandan authorities threatened us. “This is not good, MSF T-shirt. etc. etc” ... The Rwandans are very good at that – obstruct- “Go back to Rwanda,” the rebel said. “You can’t enter.” ing things systematically and finding different bureaucratic “We just want to go to the hospital to deliver medicine,” excuses every day… the doctor explained. “No, you can’t enter,” the uniformed man replied. “Leave. The game at the border was that one day the Rwandans You’ll have to wait for the leaders’ orders tomorrow or the would authorise our return but the next day the Zairians day after.” wouldn’t let us cross. One day, we heard that the Zairians “Your leaders in Goma said that aid could get through,” had opened the border and the next day the Rwandans said Fred Urlep, the MSF Team Coordinator. wouldn’t let us cross. We went back and forth talking from 42 “The leaders here aren’t the same ones as in Goma,” the one to the other. There were rules for departure visas. I kept regarding the international force’s weak mandate. Washington’s recentproposalsbutrestateditsconcerns intervention decision, and to NGOs,MSFapplauded bers oftheUSadministrationinvolvedinarmed tives oftheSecurityCouncil’smemberstates,mem - On 14 November, in a declaration sent to representa- quickly identified as genocideurs. on theproblemofhundredsrefugeeswhoeveryone very very clear,politicizedanti-Mobutupositionsbutnotaword was very,verystrange.Kabilagavealotofinterviews with mitted togoinbutnotthehumanitarianorganisations.It But, weweresystematicallyrejected.Thereportersper- ready togoBukavuandgetworkfromthefirstday. expatriates with asurgeon and nurseanesthetist so wewere streets. We had surgical kits and a great team of Spanish They wrotestoriesaboutthewoundedanddeadin it was totally bizarre. The reporters were allowed to enter. Rwanda.” Isaid,“Let’sgo!Wecan’twait!’…Afterwards, thousand refugeesarecrossingtheborderfromGomato ers.” Onthephone,Jacquestoldme,“Fiftytoonehundred Samantha Boltontocomehereandworkwiththereport- blocked foraweekortwo,untilsomethinggives.Wewant between theRwandanandZairianborder,whichhasbeen permission to goover. We’ll haveafive-person team stay Greenpeace-style action,it’ssymbolic,weknowwe’llget system] tomybossinKigali,“I’mgoingdothis,it’sa sending amessageoverthemini-m[telecommunications That wasthedayofmassiverepatriation.Iremember we werewaitingforpermissiontogotreatthewounded. They wouldstayinthenoman’sland,tellingeveryonethat and organiseatwoorthree-personteamofexpatriates. team anddecidedtopackseveralsleepingbagsinthetrucks you won’tsucceed.”…wehadabigdiscussionwiththeMSF doctors, etc.” The guy smiled and said, ”You can try but Bukavu, wehaveworktodo,we’vegotmedicines, we’re but youneedtotellyourfriendthatwe’regoingcross be able to come back.” We said, “We’re going to do that is morethan14daysold,soifyouleaveRwandawon’t we hadaone-wayvisa.Theguysaid,“Thismulti-entryvisa we’d getacrosshalftheborderonotherside.Oneday a passportwithallthestamps.Forthreeweeks,everyday Médecins Sans Frontières/DoctorsWithout Bordershas Extract: sections Team) Coordinator in SouthKivu(inFrench). Dr. José-Antonio Bastos, MSF ET(Emergency inter- 1996 (inEnglish). planned intervention,MSFUSA, 14 November Statement tothePressonmandateof Against ’Band-Aid’Solutions intheRegion,’ 1,000 DieEveryDayinEasternZaire,Warning ‘Médecins SansFrontièresUrgesActionas comments to the othersections. command, MSF Canada transmitteditsinformation and the internationalforcewas to beplacedunderCanadian initiative, whichtheydistributed tothepress.Because pared anupdateofMSF’sposition ontheintervention On 14November,thefieldteamsanddeskspre - disaster at worst. term solutionisamereband-aidatbest,andrecipefor tion willonlyprovideashort-termsolution.Suchshort- in theviolence.Butwithoutastrongmandate,opera - force isnecessarytorescueover1,000,000peopletrapped argues thattheinterventionofaninternationalmilitary [...] MédecinsSansFrontières/DoctorsWithoutBorders tary repatriation - theestablishmentofappropriateconditionsforvolun and thearrest of criminals - the protection of civilians, the disarmament of militias, on thenecessity to provide for: durable solutiontotheproblemsinregion,insisting Council toadoptawidermandatethatwouldenable Doctors Without Borders is today calling on the Security to theprotectionofhumanitarianconvoysandteams. the plannedinterventionforce’smandatemaybelimited issue, but is also very concerned about the possibility that ments in Washington, Ottawa and New York regarding this Doctors WithoutBordersapplaudedtherecentannounce- the protection of therefugees caught inaviolent trap. ately amultinationalforceintheregionthatwouldensure called ontheinternationalcommunitytofieldimmedi- of the situation in eastern Zaire, Doctors Without Borders In earlyNovember,followingthedramaticdeterioration to 1,000. ing 10peopleper10,000eachday,bringingthedailytoll Without Bordersestimatesthatmortalityratesarereach- medical care.Inthemostconservativescenario,Doctors the refugeepopulationhasnoaccesstofood,wateror access toreliefteams.Violencecontinuesandmostof in theregionarekeepingrefugeeshostage,blocking as mostcivilandmilitaryauthorities,rebelgroups Unfortunately, mostoftherefugeesremaininaccessible on 4November, 1996. loaded with80tonnesofmaterial,landedintheregion boat. ThefirstDoctorsWithoutBorderssupplyplanes, refugees whohavecrossedthebordersonfootorby Emergency Teamsareonthealertandalreadyassisting unteers on stand-by elsewhere,Doctors Without Borders Rwanda, Burundi,Tanzania,andZaire,some50vol- in easternZaire.Withover200volunteersUganda, tance to over 1,000,000 refugeestrapped in the violence been attempting since early November to provide assis-

43 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

what mandate will they be under, will it be the same for Canada and for the USA? ‘First Contact Group Meeting with GOC Foreign Also, please could humanitarian departments elaborate Affairs/ Defense/CIDA, MSF, Red Cross, Care, a bit on conditions for temporary safe zones so we can UNHCR,’ Fax from Timothy Pitt, MSF Canada to be a bit more concrete. As you know yesterday, the US MSF programme managers, Kigali, Goma, agreed to send in 1,000 troops to secure the airport and Bujumbura, and Nairobi teams, 15 November corridors – said will not disarm or separate criminal ele- 1996 (in English). ments but will be able to defend themselves – that getting to the refugees etc … will be up to the Canadians. MSF Extract: position is that we are pleased the military intervention Comments is happening but that we are disappointed that it is not 4.1 MSF found itself in the company of World Vision and at this point going to separate the criminals – no lessons UNHCR in attacking a mandate that does not include sepa- learned from past experience – it will not be Chapter 7 as ration and disarmament. Red Cross and Care advanced the we wanted. MSF does not want to have weapons to defend position that this is the mandate that we will get, so lets aid convoys but to secure and protect the population. find a way to do the best one can with it. Re-corridors – talk is of corridors for repatriation ASAP 4.2 MSF drew striking parallels between the assumptions – most NGOs are also preparing to do way stations and and design flaws of the UNITAF mission in Somalia in corridor type activities – MSF wants to ensure that there December 1992 and what you read in the current annex. will be some form of security or means of working where The parallels were recognized but ignored either because the refugees are – temporary safe zones – so that we can a decision was made higher up the chain of command or access them and make sure they are healthy enough to interestingly enough, in preparation for this mission, the come home. Cdn Gen Romeo Dallaire, the UNAMIR commander at the time of the April 1994 genocide has been counseling Baril to avoid the mistake he made; trying to do too much with too little resources. This returned this mission’s planning Message from Dominique Boutriau, MSF Belgium to the (naïve) narrow mandate of humanitarian assistance Great Lakes programme manager to programme alone. managers and Operations Directors, 14 4.3 A significant portion of the Cdn military is already November 1996 (in English). in motion and en route to the theatre. MSF pushed the military to identify when the forces will be at full strength Extract: in theatre. Note that for the Persian Gulf War it took six We have a lot of interviews cc reaction of the US decision months, UNITAF in Somalia took 3.5 months. They have yesterday; no idea…because they have yet to confirm who will bring MSF continues to push for the need of a military interven- what to the theatre. tion to: 4.4 Criticism was made of the military for not contribut- - render access possible to the Rwandans, Burundians and ing according to their strengths: security and logistics but Zairian populations in need rather they seem to be coming to do aid themselves!!! - render possible the repatriation (we do not speak about voluntary… as it is not the agenda) RECOMMENDATIONS - the repatriation of Burundian refugees is a very sensi- 1. Fasten your seatbelt, it’s going to be a bumpy ride tive issue as Burundi is a war-torn country with acts of 2. With the military: contact but not obligatory/depen- violence and massacres; most of the provinces are out dent cooperation (i.e. escorts) of reach for humanitarian organisations; the UN should 3. Keep expectations of substantial help from the military consider setting up temporary areas and sites, protected very low to host these refugees or repatriated populations; in 4. Grin and bear it. We are not getting the intervention case these protected areas are inside Burundi they that will help us or deal with the political causes of the should not be limited to the repatriated as the local conflict. It will be their own dog and pony show. population is victim to violence on a daily basis. - Repatriation should be closely supported/monitored in Rwanda as the responsibles for the 1994 genocide are still free… ‘Today’s Position,’ Message from MSF Kigali - MSF stresses that the ex-FAR and Interahamwe should Team to all Directors of Operational Sections, be separated from the civilian refugees, disarm those 14 November 1996 (in English). responsible for the genocide, and bring them to justice. If this military operation is not taking this aspect into Extract: account, the crisis will continue in the Great Lakes These are initial reactions and positions from the field – region. please could headquarters also prepare position. Catherine - Although MSF has been in Goma, it is still totally impos- in New York and headquarters – please could you send us sible to reach the most vulnerable in Kivu; therefore MSF 44 more details about the conditions of the intervention - still asking for military intervention - - those who committed the 1994 genocide 1. Protection of civilians and the disarming and arrest of - - the crisis. Médecins Sans Frontières strongly believes that: date. This is the only way to provide a lasting solution to MSF callsontheSecurityCounciltoadoptabroaderman- force’s mandatewillbelimitedtoprotectingaidoperations. good news,but Médecins SansFrontièresfearsthatthe recent announcementofaninternationalinterventionis an emergencybasistoprotectpopulationsindanger.The the internationalcommunitytosendanarmedforceon In earlyNovember,MédecinsSansFrontièrescalledon not just aid operations. armed internationalinterventiontoprotectcivilians, the FAZ. MSF issued another call in the press for an gunfire of the rebels, the former FAR, the militias and to roamaroundeasternZaire,stilltrappedbetweenthe However, several hundred thousand refugees continued the weekend. ing tohim,alltherefugeeswouldreturnbyendof intervention wasnolongernecessarybecause,accord- The RwandanambassadortotheUNannouncedthatan ing aresolutionauthorisingdeploymentoftheforce. the UNSecurityCouncilformalisedproposal,pass- precipitated theirreturn.Onthenightof15November, proposal foranarmedinternationalinterventionhad refugees wouldsoongobackhome,believingthatthe observers, not MSF, predicted that all the Rwandan where theauthoritieshadre-openedborder.Most to flee.Around500,000ofthemheadedforRwanda, near Goma, causing hundreds of thousands of refugees On 15November,rebelsattackedtheMugungacamp - Extract: international community risks re-creating zones under If theforcecannot disarmthemilitiasand soldiers,the crisis, as we haveseenseveral times since 1994. course necessary,butitis inadequate toresolvethe that civilianswillbeprotected. Anaidoperationis,of mandate, theinternationalcommunity cannotguarantee army soldiersandInterahamwe militiasintheforce By refusingtoincludedisarmamentofformerRwandan must be established. Conditions foratrulyvoluntaryrepatriationtoRwanda the 1994genocide must bedisarmed and arrested. Civilians mustbeprotectedandthosewhocommitted tarian assistance. in ZaireandtheseIDPscannotbeaccessedforhumani- have fledKivuwillbeforgotten;securityisdeteriorating Concern andcautionthatthethousandsofZairians French). France ’Half-Measures BringHeavyConsequences,’MSF Press Release,15November1996(in V6

V7 humanitarian organisations. the region’s authorities who refused to provide access to Most civiliansremainedinaccessible,heldhostageby five percentofthepopulationatriskdeathinZaire. However, theMSFteamsstillhadaccesstolessthan tonnes of material had arrived intheregion. in the field. By 4 November, five cargo planes with 200 boring countries.Morethan50volunteerswereworking by violence in eastern Zaire and to refugees fleeing neigh- vide assistancetomorethanonemillioncivilianstrapped Beginning in early November, MSF volunteers tried to pro- - - - 2. The refugees’ return - - 15 November 1996,Gisenyi /Amster-dam: This morning, tary force Urgent callforimmediatedispatch ofmultinationalmili- PROTECTION ANDACCESSNEEDED FORFLEEINGTHOUSANDS Extract: and foretold catastrophe. aid operations.Atworst,itwillsetthestageforanew, intervention willresultonlyinestablishingemergency political problemsdestabilisingtheregion.Atbest,an provide onlyshort-termsolutionsandwillobscurethe But withoutastrongmandate,theforcewillbeableto to intervene on behalf of more than one million people. There isanurgentneedforarmedinternationalforce Cibitoke region, one ofthemost dangerous areas. However, thousandsofthemweresentrecentlytothe refugees, whose country is in the midst of a civil war. Repatriation isunlikelytobeviableforBurundian have the means toensuretheir protection in Rwanda. to encouragetherefugees’repatriation,itmustalso ment inthevillages.Ifinternationalcommunityis tions oftherepatriatedpersons’returntoandresettle- rights observersisnotnearlyadequatetomonitorcondi- of now,fewhavechosentodoso.Thenumberhuman encourage theRwandanrefugeestoreturn.However,as The international force’s second mandate would be to their obligations? and PunishmentoftheCrimeGenocideavoidfulfilling tory nationstothe1949ConventiononPrevention to letthemtravelfreelyintheregion?Cansigna- the 1994genocide.Caninternationaltroopsafford organize the first trials against those who committed The internationaltribunaliscurrentlystrugglingto need inareas where activesoldiers and militias remain. There isconsiderableriskthataidwillnotreachthosein and reprisals between Rwanda and Zaire. army forces,andofencouragingnewcyclesattacks the controlofInterahamwemilitiasandformerRwandan 15 November 1996 (inFrenchand English). France Intervention ForcetoProtectCivilians,’MSF ’Call forImmediateDispatchofanArmed Press Release picked up by MSF Holland,

45 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

heavy shooting and mortar shelling at the Mugunga refu- to go in a few days, but it has already achieved one of gee camp forced thousands of people to flee to Rwanda. its objectives, the refugees’ return. It appears that the Refugees report that many wounded have been left reassuring prospect of the force’s arrival and the Tutsi’s behind. Humanitarian organisations cannot reach most of military pressure on Hutu extremists prompted the camp the victims. population to set off towards Rwanda. The Hutu extremists, known as the ’Interahamwe’ militias, were holding At 12:15 (CET), 2,000 refugees had crossed the Rwandan the refugee population hostage, but have now dispersed border at Gisenyi. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Dr. into the thick Kivu forests. Lisette Luykx reports, “These people are in relatively good health, but it is the fittest who are crossing. Some of them say they have been hiding in the forest for a week, eating leaves. They say that they are prepared to try their luck Afsané Bassir Pour, ‘Unanimous UN Vote to in Rwanda, rather than face hunger or death in Zaire.” Dispatch Multinational Force,’ Le Monde The transit centre at Gisenyi can accommodate between (France), 17 and 18 November 1996 (in French). 10,000 and 30,000 people every 24 hours. Extract: MSF teams in Zaire have seen 20 bodies at Mugunga Camp. In a speech in English, Rwandan Ambassador Gidéon They count 300 persons every 100 metres -this would Kavianamura continued his effort, initiated the day translate into approximately 90,000 people fleeing along before, to prevent a multinational force from being sent the 28km road to Rwanda. The humanitarian priorities to the border between Zaire and his country. “Between are water, food and mobile first aid stations. Emergency today and Monday, most of the refugees will have returned supplies of dressing kits, high-protein biscuits, jerry cans home,” he maintained. “Therefore, the force is unneces- and bladder tanks are en route to the border - there is no sary.” He asked “at least” for a change in its mandate so guarantee that they will be allowed to cross. that the force mission would also included disarming Hutu militias hidden in the camps and who had led the geno- Médecins Sans Frontières - urgently appeals to the inter- cide against the Tutsi. His message was ignored. national community to deploy a multinational military force, which would allow protection, safe zones and humanitarian access for the population.

At MSF, we never believed that the Rwandan army had conducted a humanitarian operation to liberate Dominique Le Guilledoux , ’Massive Return of the camps. We tried to prove that it wasn’t true. We Hutu Refugees in Zaire Camps to Rwanda – came up against extremely well organised revisionism there, Prompted by Decision to Deploy a Multinational too, clearly supported by the Rwandan government. It had Force,’ Le Monde (France), 17 and 18 November its own interests. The West, specifically the US, also sup- 1996 (in French). ported it. They were delighted that the problem of the refugee camps was being resolved, putting images of these Extract: ’liberated people’ returning to the “promised land’ on dis- Tens of thousands of Rwandan Hutu refugees living in play for public consumption. It was the end of the night- eastern Zaire for the last two years have begun returning mare. At MSF, we didn’t believe it. We were sure that these home. The massive movement, which began on Friday, 15 people were dead or still in danger and that in both cases, November, continued on Saturday. According to the UN they needed assistance. If they were dead, that meant that High Commission for Refugees, around 50,000 refugees those who had returned were also in danger of dying have already reached the Rwandan town of Gisenyi, across because if the AFDL and the Rwandan forces were capable from the Zairian border city of Goma. However, UNHCR of killing as many as possible on one side of the frontier, expects that this is only the first wave of a tide of more that meant they had a pretty unpleasant fate in mind for than 700,000 men, women and children leaving the grim those who returned. Mugunga refugee camp, the largest in the world. [...] Simultaneously, on Friday night the UN Security Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, MSF Legal Advisor Council voted unanimously in favor of Resolution 1080, (in French). authorising deployment of the multinational force in Zaire intended to aid the refugees. The force of 10,000-15,000 men was given a predictable and strictly humanitarian mandate - the delivery of aid. The mission is to last four months. The core of the forces committed includes: US, With support from elements of the Rwandan forces, British, Canadian, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch and rebels continued to block journalists and humanitarian Senegalese troops, who will be under Canadian command. organisations from gaining access to Goma.

46 The multinational force should be assembled and ready are sometimes prevented from gaining a close-up view of tion” thatcould havebeendisruptive.Foreign reporters catastrophe,” andthus,“no need foraforeigninterven- - know that “without images, there is no humanitarian fully understandmodernmedia’s impact–‘theCNNeffect’ eras fromfocusingonevents, Rwandanauthorities,who NGO members from gaining access. By keeping the cam - pressed itsadvantage,preventingwitnesses,reporters,or Kivu’s forests,savannahsandlavaflows.Kigalihaseven mately 700,000 Hutu lost somewhere in the reaches of the tarian aid,whichshould,oneday,reachtheapproxi - have decidedtokeeptheirhandonthespigotofhumani - In anycase,itappearsthatRwandanmilitaryofficials survivors’ return to Rwanda. decimate the most militant Hutu and then directing the as oneof“deadly”benignneglect,allowingepidemicsto time totheiradvantage,adiplomatreferredthepolicy that Rwandanauthoritiesareparticularlyskilledatusing Médecins SansFrontièresofficialsaidangrily.Afternoting Hutu gatheredbetweenMugungaandSakéconstitutes,”a ease toresolvethemilitaryproblemwhichhardcore [...] “Yougettheimpressionthatthey’recountingondis- border. Interahamwe militiamenandex-FAR,poseattheRwandan hundreds ofthousandsHuturefugees,controlledby objective istoresolve,onceandforall,theproblemsthat least that’swhatdiplomatsvisitingtheareaimply.Their implementing. ItappearstohaveUSendorsement.At Obviously, Rwandanmilitaryleadershaveaplantheyare own advantage. strategists intendtoresolveintheirownwayand of LakeKivu.TheyarehostagetoaconflictthatKigali’s the hundredsofthousandsrefugeesstuckatoneend internal affairandcertainlyhaslittlegoodinstorefor be witnessinganewwarathome,itisentirelyRwandan 500 kilometresfromGoma.WhiletheGomaZairiansmay humiliating route had driven them to Kisangani, some lusioned young Zairian. Perhaps propelled by fear, their Zairian forceswere“completelyoutofit,”saidadisil- offensive launchedbyHutuforcesgatheredinMugunga. giddiness ofvictory,theyhavetoconfrontacounter- [...] But,Goma’snewrulersseemquitetense.Afterthe where Goma residents could obtain vegetables. next day,itannouncedthataconvoywasheadingnorth, reported animminentfooddistributionattheborder.The ever theywanttoturnuptheheat.Oneday,station in thecitybybroadcastingalarmingmessageswhen- Goma. Radio-Star, the localFMstation, can create chaos Kigali sentin’experts’allkindsofdisinformationto Extract: 20 November 1996 (inFrench). Job…’ Laurent Bijard,‘Zaire:HungerWillDothe Le NouvelObservateur(France),14to humanitarian organisations shouldaidRwandans who responsibility forsupportingtherebels andsaidthat President andDefenceMinister PaulKagametook Speaking to theinternationalpress,Rwandan Vice- international assistance. refugees and the displaced persons who have received no absolutely no news about the more than 500,000 former to crosstheirborder.Aroundthesetwotowns,thereis rebels havestillnotgiventheorganisationpermission to thelackofaccessatBukavuandUvira,whereZairian Médecins SansFrontièresalsodirectsurgentattention tarian aid flights. - theimmediateopeningofGomaairportforhumani - and water and sanitationequipment. the entrancetoGomaofmedicalpersonnel,cholerakits, - aliftingoftherestrictionsimposedbyauthoritieson situation, Médecins SansFrontières calls for: To addresstheurgentneedsofthisemergencymedical road between Mugunga andGoma. first aidstationshavebeensetupevery4kmalongthe ries (Mugunga Camp and Goma town). Drinking water and two Zairian organisations have established two dispensa- Teams fromMédecinsSansFrontières,Merlin,Trocairand diagnosis. analysis isunderwaytoobtainformalconfirmationofthe Dr. MarcGastelluofMédecinsSansFrontières.Laboratory clinically suspectedcasesofcholerahavebeenseenby arrived inRwanda.IntheMugungaCampZaire,three ing fromGomatoGisenyi.120,000peoplehavealready Hundreds ofthousandspeopleareontheroadlead- Extract: people were without assistance. around thecitiesofBukavuandUvira,where500,000 and thatrestrictionsonaccessbelimited,particularly ed thatGomaairportbeopenedtoflightsbringingaid that itwasreinforcingitsteamsinRwanda.Itdemand- On 16and17November,MSF announced tothepress cially on thepartof US, suitsKigali just fine. ment. Thelargewesternnations’procrastination,espe- organisations aresubjecttothesamecoldshouldertreat- to afewavoidswellofjournalists.Humanitarian the tragedy,whiletravelpassesaresometimesdistributed MSF Holland, 16 November 1996 (inEnglish). Airport beOpenedImmediately,’PressRelease ‘Médecins SansFrontièresDemandsthatGoma

47 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

had returned home, rather than those in refugee camps reiterated its fierce opposition to sending an international outside the country. force under Canadian command. Like Zaire, France believes the international mission is still necessary because nearly a half a million refugees continue to roam in the hills.

’General Kagame Speaks Out On the Kivu Crisis,’ In a vigorous effort to defuse that argument, the La Croix (France), 16 November 1996 (in Banyamulenge announced Monday evening that they French). would open a humanitarian corridor to allow refugees in South Kivu to return home by crossing the border between Extract: Bukavu and Cyangugu. This tactical decision came at a par- To what extent are you supporting the Kivu rebels? ticularly opportune moment, fostering US procrastination - I support the rebels’ cause because they are relieving and suspicions some have toward the French government, our country of attacks by the ex-FAR and the militias. I’m which is suspected of seeking to intervene to strengthen interested in results. If Mobutu had succeeded in chang- the regime of Zairian president Mobutu Sese Seko. ing the situation in the Kivu, I would’ve applauded him.

If the Zairian army were to counter-attack, with or without support from a foreign power, what would be Rwanda’s ’Humanitarian Organisations Support Sending a position? Multinational Force,’ AFP (France), Geneva, 18 -You wouldn’t want us to just stand there praying or sleep- November 1996 (in French). ing through it, would you? If this counter-offensive were hostile to Rwanda, we would react directly or indirectly. Extract: We would have to take charge of the situation, and if we On Monday, the major humanitarian organisations still can help the rebels in any way, we will do so. I support supported sending a neutral multinational force to eastern a regional solution that does not create problems for Zaire to save a half-million refugees in South Kivu. There Rwanda. Let me repeat that it’s also up to the Zairians to has been no news of them, despite the massive scale of decide. I want a stable Zaire. That’s in our interest. the return further north.

[...] Rather than spending money on maintaining expen- The UN High Commission for Refugees and the International sive camps, why won’t the humanitarian organisations Committee of the Red Cross were pleased that hundreds spend it in Rwanda feeding refugees after they’ve returned of thousands of Rwandan refugees in the Goma region in home? That would be less expensive for the international North Kivu, had returned. But humanitarian organisations community. have been unable to gain access to 500,000 people in the Bukavu and Uvira regions in South Kivu, who were evacuated last month after Tutsi rebels won the area from Zairian soldiers, representatives from those groups announced. UNHCR and ICRC were pleased about the refugees’ “The need is there,” said Christian Berthiaume, a UNHCR return on 18 November, but announced their continu- spokesperson. “I don’t think we should give up. It is pre- ing support for an armed international intervention, mature to say that a multinational force will not be sent.” emphasising the fate of refugees in the Bukavu region. ”We can’t say that the problem has been resolved,” added While several nations, including the USA, expected to ICRC spokesperson Rolin Wavre, “Bukavu is now the prior- re-examine their participation in such a force, France ity.” maintained that it was still necessary. The rebels The humanitarian organisations emphasised that refugees announced that a humanitarian corridor would open to in the Bukavu region are undoubtedly worse off than those allow the Bukavu refugees to return to Rwanda. in the north because they have been without aid for a longer period of time. Some have been left without aid or resources, in difficult conditions, for close to one month.

Frédéric Fritscher, ‘Tutsi Victory But Uncertain Days Ahead,’ Le Monde (France), 20 November 1996 (in French). In Rwanda, the refugees’ return was entirely under Extract: the authorities’ control. On 19 November, Rwandan The massive return of refugees to Rwanda has prompted authorities closed one of the way stations that MSF had several countries scheduled to participate in the inter- set up on the road from Gisenyi to Ruhengeri to aid national military-humanitarian mission in eastern Zaire returning refugees. V8 (passed by the UN Security Council on Friday) to re-examine their participation. The US, which was already showing 48 some unwillingness, is increasingly reticent while Rwanda Suspected ofhaving participatedintheTutsi massacres, if some manage to come back, they are quickly spotted. men andHutusoldiers,leaders ofthe1994genocide.Even of refugeesshouldlimittherisks ofinfiltrationbymilitia- an ‘explosion’ofgroups coming from Zaire. The dispersal the exiles.Toallappearances, theyarestill counting on Rwandans’ notice.Theyclaim theyarepreparedtotakein UNHCR’s representatives.Thatway,nothingescapesthe prefects, whoareincontinuingcontactwithNGOsand which governmentdirectivesarerelayedtothefieldvia has developedanextremelyefficientnetworkthrough and arestronglydiscouragedfromsettling.…TheRPF hospitals. Theotherscannotexpecttostayverylong Only those in the most severe state are directed to area but arenotauthorisedtoprovidefoodtherefugees. have permission from local authorities to work there The transitcentreshaveonlylimitedsupplies.NGOs ARRESTS buses built to hold50. Army (RPA)havetakencharge,loading100peopleinto controls allitsvehicles.SoldiersoftheRwandanPatriotic theoretically responsible for theseoperations, no longer system issodependentontheRwandanarmythatUNHCR, or trucktothenextstopontheirjourney.Thistransport centres forafewhoursbeforebeingtransportedbybus camp shelterswillnotbeallowed.Theyrestintransit minimum amountoftimeontheroadandtypical return homeasquicklypossible.Theyaretospendthe authorities’ primaryconcernistoencouragerefugees lesson’ totheinternationalcommunity. In Kigali,the make amark.”Otherobserversalreadyseeitas’real Jacky Mamou,PresidentofMédecinsduMonde.“Itwill “This is a first in the history of humanitarian aid,” said and financialaid,itisstillinchargeofthesituation. facts: eveniftheRwandangovernmentneedslogistical the field,UNHighCommissionforRefugeesmustface Like themany non-governmental organisations(NGOs) in power, the predominantly Tutsi RwandanPatriotic Front. escaped thehighlypoliticizedcontrolofpartyin has occurredhereoverthelastfewdaysappearstohave one elsetomanagethiscrisisinitsname.Nothingthat a carefullythought-outstrategy.Rwandawillallowno suggests thatthesemassivemigrationsaretheresultof by awanderingcrowd’ssurvivalinstincts,butallevidence population movementsmayappearrandom,dictatedonly can be seen, here and there, on the return road. … These the area,ineveryoutlyingdistrictorcommunity,families numbers aregrowingdaily,especiallyontheoutskirts.In Kigali afteranexhaustingjourneyonfootorbytruck.Their north-west, more than a week ago, and finally reached …They crossedtheborderatGisenyi,160kilometres Extract: ’ 26 November 1996 (inFrench). Return UnderStrictControl,’LeMonde(France), Philippe Broussard’Rwanda:HutuRefugees the conditions of the refugees’ safereturn to Rwanda. international intervention and on proposals regarding worked onrevising MSF’s position regarding armed and Lubutu.MSF’steaminKigaliheadquarters to thegeneralhospitalaswellthoseinWalikale north-west ofKivu,whereMSFalsoprovidedsupport up amedicalscreeningcentreinKisangani,largecity western Zaire.On19and20November,MSFteamsset Zairian forces,promptingthemtotaketheroadsof impact of fighting among the rebels, the ex-FAR and Both thelocalpopulationandrefugeesfelt Ours was the firstway station tobe closed. looters eventookthemattressesfullofvibriocholerae. were intheprocessofevacuatingpatients.Thelast our stocksofBP5biscuits.Ittookonly30seconds.We who hadstayed,therefugeesandlocalresidentslooted sembling everythingwiththehelpofsixlocalstaff firm thatwewerepackingourbags.Whiledisas- us fourhourstoclearoutandreturnedeveryhourcon- Coordinator, whocouldn’tdoanything.Thesoldiersgave threatened tostabtheminthebelly.IcalledMedical soldiers, othershadroughedthemup,struckand staff toldmethatwhileIhadbeentalkingtosomeofthe patients, sixofwhomcouldnotbemoved.ThelocalMSF half-day, regardless of their health. We had 20 diarrhoea a reststation.Theydidn’twantpeopletostopevenfor down immediately because we had created a mini-camp, hours toclearout.Theytolduswehadtakeeverything around adozenRwandansoldiersarrivedandgaveusfour us wewerenottogivethemout.Anhourlaterat14:00 biscuits tothechildrenandmostvulnerable.Theytold the refugeeministryvisitedwhileweweredistributingBP5 Early intheafternoon,twocivilianrepresentativesfrom Extract: noted. risk thesurvivors’vengeance,”aninternationalobserver cideurs’ prefertosubmitthelegalsystemratherthan refugees turned themselves in tothe police. “The ‘geno- Sunday, severalarrestswerereportedinthecapital.Some they arequicklytakeninforquestioning.OnSaturdayand French). Statement MSFnurse,November1996(in Claire GillardBerthod,’AWayStationCloses,’

49 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

access, rests not with MSF. The statements MSF has made regarding number of casualties and outbreak of epidemics ‘MSF Position on Military Intervention,’ Message have been done on the basis of experience. from Samantha Bolton, MSF Press Officer for Great Lakes to programme managers and [...] The main focus of the multinational military force Delegate Offices, 19 November 1996 (in should be on humanitarian access to the North Kivu popu- English). lation and the protection of the population in South Kivu.

Extract: In order to create conditions for a safe return to Rwanda, MSF position MSF stated that the following conditions are imperative: - here in the field it is clearer and clearer that there will be no military action worth mentioning -for any of the -the registration and screening of returnees security we want but more likely to be vacuous public -increasing the human rights monitoring, especially in the relations glory for Americans coming in for end of show returnees’ home communes or French coming in for own political and military rea- -the arrest and detention of the perpetrators of the geno- sons in Kisangani cide - however many feel we will be discredited if we suddenly -the strengthening of an adequate mechanism to deal do an about face and say no more military intervention with property claims of returnees - MSF has to clarify position as we are seen as naive and -the improvement of the living and medical conditions for unrealistic seems we should say that in Goma it is too those in Rwandan prisons. late and maybe we should focus all energy on access and security in Bukavu - on the fact that there are still over ... MSF has started to draft a paper outlining its concerns 200,000 missing in Goma region - though run risk of regarding the conditions for a safe return to Rwanda. standing up for retreating FARS and Interahamwe - also clear that UNHCR and human rights need to deploy international staff in communes for returnees - there are 114 communes in Rwanda - so far UNHCR says will appoint one UNHCR for each commune -seems like will On 21 November, the World Food Programme announced be local which is not security guarantee for returnees that a catastrophe would occur if food were not deliv- - NGOs are being blamed for being inactive and unprepared ered to Bukavu and Goma. Zairian troops threatened and making money off disaster - we are being blamed the humanitarian agencies they were supposed to be for no food distribution - journalists all commenting on escorting. what a bad job we are doing - one of the hardest and most hardened press corps attitudes have ever had to deal with - vis a vis humanitarian aid and refugees - this is the antithesis of the Bob Geldof era - the humanitar- ’Aid Agencies Fear Zaire Catastrophe - Refugees ian aid holiday is over -know all journalists personally Descending on Bukavu Face Severe Food and even then it is very difficult - in UNHCR press briefs Shortages,’ International Herald Tribune/ Ray Wilkinson the spokesperson is as cynical as journal- Reuters (UK) 24 November 1996 (in English). ists and whole attitude is that everyone just wants the story to be over so that all can go home and that in any Extract: case these bloody refugees have what was coming to BUKAVU, Zaire - Aid agencies warned Wednesday of catas- them. sick atmosphere trophe facing hundreds of thousands of people in eastern Zaire, as refugees and others fled fighting. Aid workers said that unless food arrived within days in the town of Bukavu, hundreds of thousands of Rwandan ‘Adjustments of MSF Position on the Great and Burundian refugees and displaced Zairian civilians Lakes Region in View of Recent Developments,’ would go hungry. Draft/Internal, by MSF Holland as BUS section 20 November 1996 (in English). “We are definitely facing a looming catastrophe if food supplies cannot arrive in Bukavu,” said a UN World Food Extract: Programme spokeswoman, Brenda Barton. “We need food Questions have been raised on the relevance of MSF’s call there immediately to go ahead for the distribution sched- for a military intervention in view of the changed circum- uled for Nov. 3.” She said the programme’s food supply stances in the Great Lakes region. In order to maintain a to Goma, north of Bukavu, was cut when Zaire closed its credible position, MSF has to give out a consistent mes- borders with Uganda, strand-ing 2,500 tonnes of food in sage. The position as set out in the paper ‘Zaire: Action 68 trucks for camps in Zaire on the frontier. Rather Than Apathy’ is still valid. Please note that it is MSF’s role to alert; the burden of proof regarding provid- ... Aid workers said Wednesday that Zairians, armed with 50 ing evidence of what is going on in areas that MSF cannot spears and machetes, have tried to block their evacuation Then there are issues of democratic control. “Once they in July 1994 aroundGoma.” rapid riseinmortalityrates. Don’tforgetwhathappened out rehydration,weakened – that’s a significant risk fora President. “Massesofpeople, withoutmedicalcare,with- the region,”saysMarleenVan Boelaert,theorganisation’s Epidemiologists areconcerned:“Choleraisendemicin and we’reseeingincreasingdiscontentamongthem.” “Helping them is like walking a tightrope. It’s stressful explains DominiqueBoutriau,Zaire/RwandaDeskManager. spective. “Thesepopulationsareconstantly on themove,” There areproblems,first,fromthehumanitarianaidper - truck or bus. Once more,thestrongestgoonfootandweakestby authorities forcethemtosetoffagaintowardstheirhills.” don’t spendmuchtimeinthetransitcamps.TheKigali On theotherhand,inRwanda,“thethrongsofpeople Populations On TheMove: back upthe threat.” those populations, with grenades placed under wheels to Goemare said,“Wearepreventedfromgainingaccessto Tanzania. Indiscriminatelootingisoccurring.Inshort, Zaire and neighbouring Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and of uncontrolledfactionsalongtheentireborderbetween Tutsi rebels,retreatingFARandInterahamweswarms tered amongZairianarmedforcesindisarray,advancing Goma, remaininaccessibleandtrapped.Theyarescat- displaced localpopulationsinZaire,northandsouthof On theonehand,RwandanandBurundianrefugees who just returned from Kisangani (north-western Zaire). warned EricGoemare,MSFBelgium’sExecutiveDirector sible toprovideappropriatehumanitarianassistance,” who celebratedthe camps’ liberation. “It is still impos- (MSF) didnotmincewords,dashingcoldwateronthose of humanitarianagencies.MédecinsSansFrontières Disenchantment setintoday,especiallyamongtheranks Extract: those who had returned to Rwanda. refugees on the move and their concern for the fate of press oftheobstaclestoprovidingassistance That sameday,MSFBelgiumofficialsremindedthe although onepersoninthecrowdwaskilled,theyadded. escorting theaidworkersopenedfire,mostlyinair, “I wasmoreafraidofdefeatedsoldiers.”...Zairiantroops really afraidoftheBanyamulenge,”anaidworkersaid. Zairian soldiers were looting agency vehicles. “I wasn’t agencies toworkinthetownofUvirabecausenervous from eastern Zaire. They said it was impossible for aid Soir ’After theCalm,ANewHumanitarianStorm,’Le (Belgium), 21November1996(inFrench). organisations. ranks’ in the face of media attacks on humanitarian to coordinatetheirpublicstatementsand’close Fundraising askedallsections’OperationDirectors MSF Holland’sDirectorofCommunicationsand The celebration was premature. “Otherwise, we’ll never manage.” to reflectthenewsituation,andnextflare-up. force toreach,protect, and aidthem. Its mandatehas 800,000 displacedZairians.Theyneedaninternational at least700,000refugeesstillinZaireandmorethan of 1.2million(RwandansandBurundians).Thereare returnees at between 350,000 and 500,000 out of a total Is thereafirmercount?MSFestimatesthenumberof munes and hundreds ofthousands of people. administrative staff.Theyareresponsiblefor300com- by 90humanrightsobservers,includingtheexclusively tributes theaid.”Theonlyothermonitoringisprovided chief magistrate,”Goemaresays.“He‘stheonewhodis- are sentbackhome,therefugeesregistered by the 1994 genocide and refugeeexodus. emergency theybelievedtobeasseriousthatofthe UN officials were concerned about the threat of an confrontation between Rwanda and Zaire,while other The UNSecretaryGeneralannouncedthathefeareda ize thatwe have toclose ranks. above is very alarming and more than ever we should real- as welltheroleofNGOs.[...]...Wethinkthat chaos regarding numbers of the‘dance with the figures’ from themedia.Wesupposethatyou are wellawareofthe In variouscountriesMSFisnowfacingincreasingcriticism more negative. towards NGOsandMSFisdramaticallybecoming It shouldbenotedthattheattitudefrommedia Extract: November 1996 (inEnglish). Director toMSFDirectorsofOperation,21 Holland CommunicationandFundRaising ‘Coordination’ Message fromMarcelVos,MSF

51 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

morning to us and then to journalists, informed the journalists only of the 150,000 or so on the west of the lake ’Aid Agencies Fear Zaire Catastrophe - Refugees and not of the 100,000 or so which he called FARs and Descending on Bukavu Face Severe Food their families. Shortages,’ International Herald Tribune/ We are getting questions about our reaction to the Reuters (UK) 24 November 1996 (in English). American statement: journalists are saying - so no intervention needed, etc. ... We don’t want to focus on the fig- Extract: ure business but on the complete picture being presented The UN secretary-general, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, said to us and on the fact that there is now no excuse to not Tuesday that he feared the fighting between the army provide assistance and we demand access/secure passage. and ethnic Tutsi would deteriorate further and that there Our reaction from the field is that: would be a confrontation between Zaire and Rwanda. - We are pleased the Americans have finally released the ... UN officials say they fear an emergency similar to the figures 1994 Rwanda genocide and refugee exodus, and are con- - However, we are concerned that there are still conflict- cerned about the possibility of regional conflict involving ing figures and General Smith, the head of the military Rwanda and Burundi. assessment team, told NGOs that they only assessed 100 km radius around the lake - We would like details and the Americans to survey west of the 100 km radius of Bukavu, Uvira, Baraka, and Fizi, in particular the areas around Katchungu, Shabunda, and On 22 and 23 November, US satellite images of the Kingulube to the west of Bukavu, where we hear from Kivu region analysed by Canadian forces were present- missionaries there are 100-250,000 (see Red Cross also). ed to the press and NGOs at the US embassy in Kigali. Also, they should continue gathering information about The numbers of refugees cited were smaller than those the refugee and displaced populations in the region (espe- provided the day before to UNHCR. That gap of several cially of the Burundians of whom there is no news) hundred thousand refugees continued to feed the con- - We demand access to these people. We need security to troversy over the existence and number of refugees give humanitarian assistance who had not returned to Rwanda and were victims of - At this time humanitarian agencies are blocked on the fighting in eastern Zaire, as well as over the need to roads from going much further than Mugunga in rebel-held provide them aid, and the dangers of encouraging their areas and the international community continues to delay repatriation to Rwanda. military intervention, to secure airports, or safe passage anywhere in eastern Zaire - Now that we know where these people are there is no excuse. We demand to do our job ‘Proposed Position,’ Message from Samantha (Headquarters: can we say whether it is the rebels who Bolton, MSF Great Lakes Press Officer to MSF provide security and access by road from Goma as they Goma/Gisenyi/Bukavu, MSF Amsterdam, 22 don’t want military intervention and we are more and November 1996 (in English). more blocked - yesterday and today could barely get to Mugunga or Saké and today had to take back road to Extract: Mugunga to avoid road block)? Dear all, - Or whether it is international military force who now As you may have heard, after much pressure, the have no excuse to say they can’t do anything - if they Americans finally agreed to release the results of their don’t want to deal with the Interahamwe and military then reconnaissance. Please see Arian’s update (Vanessa circu- they should at least secure access to an airstrip in Walikale late it please). or direction of west of lake refugee group (possible the refugees will veer north towards Goma). Basically they over flew in a 100 km radius around lake Kivu but not far enough west into Zaire. Also please see Samantha the Federation of the Red Cross over flight AFP announcement of 21 November which has also been distributed (Vanessa please make sure they all get it). ’700,000 Refugees Still Roaming in Eastern According to the USA here, one group of 159-175,000 to Zaire,’ Le Monde (France) 23 November 1996 west of Lake Kivu of normal refugees (the ones who were (in French). stuck halfway up the lake) heading towards Walikale and another 100,000 or so believed to be Interahamwe head- Extract: ing towards Masisi and Walikale – however, it seems that On Thursday, Emma Bonino, the European Union’s USA intelligence yesterday, gave larger figures to UNHCR Commissioner of Humanitarian Affairs, again accused (similar to Red Cross assessments). the community of indifference and even disguised rac- 52 The idiotic General Smith, who gave the briefing this ism towards refugees in eastern Zaire. There has been no people on the run!” stories high,andnowtheycan’t managetosee250,000 read someone’s personal diary from a planeflying twelve that theAmericanshadthis amazingspygearandcould were young,allthroughoutthe ColdWar,wealwaysheard interviews withthepress,Isaid,”Thisisnuts.Whenwe thousands of people.” and wehavenoinformationregardingseveralhundredsof ”What’s goingon?Thisisridiculous! It’s beenthreeweeks able immediately.SoinNovember1996,Isaidtomyself, movements ofrefugees.Theinformationwasalwaysavail- person, said on Thursdaynight. is “infinitesimal,”LaurentKabila,therebellion’sspokes- hands ofTutsirebelssupportedbyRwanda.Thatnumber the roadtoKivu.MostofeasternZairehasfalleninto statements, whichsaythatonlyafewrefugeesarestillon This informationcontradictstheRwandangovernment’s but nothit, the USsuspended all flights. tographs. OnWednesday,afteraUSplanewastargeted flights oftheregionoverlastfewdaysandtakepho- by thewesternpowershavebeenabletoconductover the crisisbeganmorethanamonthago,planesprovided Uvira, areestimatedat100,000.Forthefirsttimesince and arenowintheFiziregion,100kilometres south of numbers ofrefugeeswhohavetraveleddeeperintoZaire direction, around75kilometressouth.Inaddition,the tres northofBukavuandanother250,000intheopposite that town.Around200,000werelocatedabout75kilome- Masisi region,nearGoma,andanother100,000northof Some 50,000refugeeswerelocatedinanareawestofthe information providedbywesterncountries’overflights. for thefirsttimeinweeks,thankstosatellitephotosand refugees scattered throughout eastern Zaire were spotted the fateof700,000othersremainsunknown.OnThursday, returned enmassetoRwandafromtheGomaregion,but [...] Sincelastweek,around500,000refugeeshave people have been sufferingand dying forweeks.” the EuropeanParliament.“Everyoneknowsthatinnocent meetings andcounter-meetings,”shesaid,speakingto news ofthem.“Iamdisgustedbythisshamefuldance sections Team) Coordinator in SouthKivu(inFrench). Dr. José-Antonio Bastos, MSF ET(Emergency inter- from USsatellitesprovidedinformationonmass refugees crossedtheborder,UNHCRaerialphotos I clearlyrememberthatinBenaco1994,whenthe this jungleandnotgiveusanyanswers.Inmydaily over flights.Weaskedthemhowtheycouldfly There weresoldiersbasedinKigaliwhoconducted Interahamwe, etc. that everyonehadcomebackexceptgroupsofsoldiers,the with UNHCR, the Americans and Kigali who were saying being kept from them. It was really an information battle a littlecredibilitybecausetheysawthatsomethingwas missing, whywouldn’ttheyshowthephotos?”Werecovered made available.Isaidtothem,“Iftherearenorefugees They didn’tunderstandwhytheinformation hadn’t been a scandalthatinvolvesgovernmenthidingsomething. interested thejournalists,whoarealwayseagertosniffout The storyoftheembassyputtingouttwodifferentversions Can’t you hear the tone ofyour own voice?” I yelledattheattaché,”You’reareallygreatdiplomat! in thiswholething?Doesheseemverydiplomatictoyou?” me, ”Thisisyourambassador.Doesitseemlikehe’sneutral the ChristianScienceMonitorreporterwhowasinterviewing ing howyou’retalkingabouttheUnitedStates.”Isaidto tone ofyourvoicewhenyoutalkabouttheUS,it’sdisgust- because the refugees are coming back healthy. Listen to the of the journalists saying, ”You people at MSF are angry press attachécameoutandstartedyellingatmeinfront information andwhothey’regivingitto”.Oneday,the over flights.Wedon’tknowwhatthey’redoingwiththe ”there’s aproblemwiththeAmericans.They’reconducting hotel whereallthereporterswere,Iwouldsayveryopenly, two different stories. Every day during the interviews at the They allleftfortheembassytofindoutwhytherewere half-hour earlierandyouanother.What’sgoingonhere?’ them, ”They’retalkingnonsense,theytoldusonethinga went tothehotelimmediatelyfindreporterstell You needtogettheinformationfromUSembassy.”I diplomat gaveyouadifferentbriefingthantheonewegot. are norefugees?What’sthatabout?”Isaid,”Noway!Your information. completely the opposite to the reporters, taking out the said onethingtousandthenahalf-hourlater,they briefing forNGOsandthenanotheronereporters.They the briefing, they treated us like idiots. First, they held a were completelyinKagame’spocket.Whenwewentto very closetoKigali,andtheBritishUSambassadors they hadgiventhemtheinformationbecausewere could useittofindtherefugees.”Butwesuspectedthat want to give any information out because the Rwandans but weren’tproviding any information.They said, ”We don’t suring themforinformation.Theyweredoingoverflights because ofthejungleandtrees.”EvenUNHCRwerepres- They answered,“It’sverydifficult.Youcan’tseeanything “There are250,000people-youcan’thavelostthem.” had happenedtotheInterahamwewhofled.MSFsaid, asked whethertherewerestillrefugeesoutandwhat We participatedinthebriefingbyUSembassy.Someone Samantha Bolton, MSF USA Communication Director, MSF Press Officer for the GreatLakes November- The WashingtonPostcalledsaying,”There December 1996 (inFrench).

53 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

On 23 November, UNHCR reconfirmed that 700,000 Rwandans were still roaning around eastern Zaire and renewed its request to be able to reach them and pro- ’Meeting in Geneva on Rwandan Refugees Calls vide aid. Paul Kagame told The Economist (UK) that for Quick Action,’ AFP (France), Geneva, 23 there was a connection between the refugees’ return November 1996 (in French). and the preparation of the multinational force. Extract: At Saturday’s meeting in Geneva addressing the Rwandan refugee situation, participants called on governments “to ’Ogata Emphasises the Situation of Refugees commit to quick action” so that humanitarian organisa- Still Dispersed in Zaire,’ AFP (France), Geneva, tions can gain access to refugees and displaced persons 23 November 1996 (in French). in Zaire. In a press release, donor nations and international organ- Extract: isations “issued an urgent call to governments to take The UN High Commissioner for Refugees confirmed immediate action to enable humanitarian organisations Saturday in Geneva that in addition to the 500,000 and their implementing partners to gain access [to refu- Rwandan refugees who recently returned to their country, gees and displaced persons in Zaire] to ease their suffer- there are still “hundreds of thousands of Rwandans lost in ing and facilitate their rapid return.” the wilds in Zaire.” Many delegations emphasised that in addition to those who have already returned to Rwanda, “hundreds of thou- ...Ms Ogata’s statement instantly broadened the debate sands of refugees and displaced persons elsewhere in the and underscored that without security guarantees humani- region continue to experience tragic circumstances.” tarian agencies could no longer work in eastern Zaire. In her remarks, Ogata again referred to a total of 700,000 refugees and displaced persons still dispersed in eastern Zaire. The US and Rwanda challenge that figure. ‘Kigali Demands $700 Million for Its Refugees’ Return – Dispatch of International Force Still “They must be in a desperate situation, but without aid we Under Discussion in Stuttgart,’ AFP (France), cannot reach them to simultaneously provide emergency Geneva, 23 November 1996 (in French). aid and enable them to return safely,” she said. “Many lives are at stake. My request is that we are given the Extract: means to reach them and help them as soon as possible.” On Saturday, Rwanda demanded $700 million to reinte- grate the Hutu refugees who have already returned or those expected to return from Zaire, while discussions continued regarding possible options for sending a multi- ’The Great Escape’ The Economist (UK) 23 national force to eastern Zaire. November 1996 (in English). Charles Murigande, Rwanda’s Transpor-tation and Communica-tions Minister, delivered Kigali’s demand to Extract: the international community during a meeting in Geneva In the nick of time, the armies of the West have been of ministers and representatives of the major donor saved from another messy African war. As a multinational nations, UN agencies, the International Red Cross and the force was preparing to enter eastern Zaire to help feed Rwandan government. Zaire was present as an observer. Rwandan refugees, Zairean rebels did what nobody else “The Rwandan plan is a good one,” said Sadako Ogata, UN had done for the past two years: sent more than 500,000 High Commissioner for Refugees. “Financial commitments home. Coincidence? “I think there is a bit of relation- will not be made at this meeting, but all indications point ship,” says Paul Kagame, the general who in practice if toward a willingness to provide substantial financing.” not name rules Rwanda. “But I don’t know the details,” he adds quickly.

THE “FIGURES CRISIS” Donor nations and international organisations asked governments to take action to enable humanitarian organisations to gain access to the refugees. The Rwandan government asked for $700 million in aid for the refugees’ return. While the international community was dragging its feet about whether to deploy an armed international 54 force, Rwanda announced that it would not authorise status. ber ofrefugeesandtheseriousnesstheirhealth humanitarian organisationshadexaggeratedthenum- MSF organisedaresponsetopresscriticismsthat access to the refugees. tor inKigaliconfirmedtheneedforforcetogain the forcetooperateinsideitsborders.MSF’scoordina- - - 75of the Gitaramaprisons report - 75onthe Masisi report - 75of deadlock intherefugee crisis and - 75copies of breakingthecycle could youplease urgently fill itwith: 4) URGENT - URGENT - if another charter is coming out ------ - Extract: Kigali versions the professionalversionsasopposedtophotocopied please sendnextexpatwiththese-itisbetterwehave our numbersfiasco-ifthereisnochartercouldyou and diplomats to remind them and to recuperate from we needtourgentlydistributethesealljournalists - rebels - wecanexpect major shit wrong -journalistscoverageinternationalaidagencies doing twoyearanalysisofthecrisis-toseewhatwent (Kurt Lindyer and NY Times) etc - journalists are now From whatwearehearingfromestablishedjournalists damage control political suppositionandsticktofacts-onlywaydo From nowonallsectionsshouldkeeplowprofile figures 13,000 deadand1personeverysomanyminutes to be faced with is trying to re-establish credibility after Most oftheseriousdamagecontrolallsectionsaregoing field medical based on guesstimates and not on hard facts - especially We willbeslaughteredaliveifanythingelsewesayis have reliable medical / field data couple ofweeksonsituationinZaire-butonlyifwe Possible willhavetoupdateNBOcorrespondentsina MSF needsto closely monitor situation inZaire Zaire over-exaggerated deathandrefugeenumbersleftin MSF canexpectlotsofcriticismfromjournalistsabout 1996 (inEnglish). Communication Departments,26November Lakes toET,programmemanagersand Samantha Bolton,MSFPressOfficerforGreat ’Com/info ProposalforComingWeeks,’Faxfrom Rwanda. been less,notmore,chanceofyesterday’smassreturnto sides. Battle lines would have hardened. There would have into acivilwarinwhichtheywouldinevitablyhavetaken arrived onthescene.Thelatterwouldhavebeendrawn it came,andhasprovedeffective,beforeWesternsoldiers Tutsi counter-attack.Ithasdulycome.Themercyisthat sustained byaidandpolicedwarlords, waiting forthe go home. Instead, for two years Goma became a city dreds of thousands pouring into Zaire had to be left to Even atsomeshort-termhumanitariancost,thehun- Zaire is inplay. is underway.PitytheneedyofSudan,Liberia,Angola. slogan “a million dead byChristmas”, a fund-raising drive reports brazenlycallingfortroops.Undertheexaggerated the ChildrentohavetheirlogosemblazonedoverCNN Chechens.) InZaireithasbeentheturnofCAREandSave sion news.(ThereisnofundraisingforstarvingAzerisor gical strikes at targets selected for accessibility to televi- Accountable tonone,theycallinthemoralB-52sforsur- embarrass statesmenintosendingarmiesroundtheglobe. UN andastage-managedCNNsoundbite,theycannow risen tothesoundoffifeanddrum.Withajeerat the gun.ButsinceSomaliaandBosnia,aidagencieshave still does.Theyrefusedevertoworkundertheshadowof pacifism, astheInternationalCommitteeofRedCross the longterm.Thesecharitiesoncemademuchoftheir the shortterm.Thejuryisoutonhowmanytheycostin of theirpurposeandthefactthattheycansavelivesin and areobsessedwithself-publicity.Iacceptthesincerity fragile marketeconomies,encourageruraldepopulation come ofwars,asinEthiopia.Theyoccupyterritory,wreck quantities ofmoneyandsupplies.Theyinfluencetheout- power-brokers onthecontinent.Theycanmovelarge each otherandtheUnitedNations.Theyarebiggest of modern Africa are the aid agencies, often feuding with troop carriersweredulysent.Themerchantadventurers to badgerpoliticiansovernationalpride.Gunboatsand In thelastcenturymerchantadventurersstirredmedia Extract: public andfrom governments. They growif they aregoodatraisingfunds, fromthe disaster relief agencies work. and Oxfam get it so badly wrong? We need to look at how So whydidtheUnitedNations, MédecinsSansFrontières Extract: November 1996 (inEnglish). Imperialism,” Simon Jenkins,‘NGOsCometotheAidofNeo- November 1996 (inEnglish). Interview ofAlexDeWaal,BBC(UK),27 The Times(UK),21to27

55 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

Many agencies cannot survive unless they have regular Today’s realities are more comforting. Of course, the weak- high-profile appeals, and competition is getting sharper. est died on the road from illness or exhaustion and the final death count will never be known. And the last groups These messages raise money. A more honest line would to return from Bukavu, crossing the border at Goma today be: “people are having a hard time and some will die, and after weeks of walking, cannot be as strong and healthy your money can help them a bit, probably.” But it doesn’t as those who arrived first. However, observers are relieved bring in the funds. Aid appeals exaggerate and simplify. to note that most are in better shape than feared. They [...] It is the Zairian rebels who are doing the job no UN received international aid over many months. Although force will ever do: defeating the extremist militias on the they may have suffered during their flight, they are not in battlefield. If the agencies had got their way and western a state of advanced malnutrition. troops had gone in, the situation would be worse. More [...] Prefed, an NGO working on development in the three people would have died. countries of the region, notes bitterly that, “In retrospect, it appears that the media mobilisation and the alarmist So let’s be frank. Aid has a role, but it can be danger- cries were intended to rebuild the humanitarian groups’ ous. Médecins sans Frontières and Oxfam should have the bank accounts and enable them to continue working in honesty to admit they were wrong. If they don’t, we will the Zaire camps, which would have contributed to con- all be looking at their appeals with a much more skeptical tinuing instability in the sub-region.” eye next time round. [...] Of course, the violence that occurred when the Zaire camps were emptied – refugees suddenly separated from their oppressors, the limitations on NGOs that would have liked to provide the weakest and the sick a few days’ rest, Colette Braeckman, ’When A Scalpel - Not A the closure of MSF’s way stations, the decision to autho- Band-Aid - Is Required,’ Le Soir (Belgium), 28 rise only the distribution of high-protein biscuits – does November 1996 (in French). conflict with a strictly humanitarian approach. But the final result shows that in the end, faced with an abscess, Extract: the scalpel may work better than the band-aid. “They are dying like flies. If we don’t intervene, 12,500 will die every day. That means 1 million dead by Christmas. It will be a hidden genocide. Cholera will decimate them all.” ’Humanitarian Organisations Make Their Best The failed history of what has been presented as “the Guesses – Statistics and Conclusions from the greatest humanitarian disaster of all time” remains to be Field Are Often Contradictory,’ Libération written. Instead, the massive and peaceful return of Hutu (France), 18 November 1996 (in French). refugees from Zaire confounded politicians’ warning cries and caught most humanitarian organisations off guard. Extract: Contrary to all predictions, Rwandan authorities dem- The refugee problem has disrupted the Great Lakes region onstrated that they indeed wanted the exiles to return, for two years. During that time, in the eyes of the public, despite the material and psychological problems that humanitarian aid organisations have been in that peren- would follow. But most importantly, the refugees’ state- nially awkward position of announcing a catastrophe that ments, as well as the physical condition of the majority, has not occurred, but when and if it comes to pass, the confirms everything that had been said about them. evidence suggests that aid will arrive too late. To understand the situation, one needs to recognize that providing Most of the refugees were indeed taken hostage by extrem- aid and developing aid strategies, in unstable regions, is ist leaders, who readily killed those who acted as if they not an exact science. The Great Lakes region is particularly wanted to escape from the camps. Statements from repa- difficult, with massive population movements occurring triated refugees also emphasised the reality of the ’war in record-breaking time. This poses serious problems for tax’ imposed on civilians and illustrated the diversion of coordinating aid logistics. food aid, which was resold with the complicity of certain Zairian generals. The profits were used to purchase arms. What makes these operations truly ambiguous is the The reality of the camps was that for 21/2 years, humani- uneasy relationship between humanitarian organisations tarian aid strengthened the grip of the political and mili- and international military interventions like Blue Helmet tary officials responsible for genocide over a people held operations. In 1994 in Goma, ‘the French doctors’ first hostage. That should have led those organisations, whose refused to provide aid because Operations Turquoise’s naïveté, blindness and even complicity contributed to ‘French troops’ had created buffer zones in the Rwandan perpetuating the problem, to take a more moderate stand. conflict. Many organisations raised ethical objections, But the opposite occurred. Those who had not witnessed based on concrete and honest arguments, to providing the violence and duress in the camps were the ones who backing for an operation they viewed as politically moti- issued the strongest criticisms, referring to ‘virtual geno- vated, at least when it was launched. Two years later, in cide,’ when the camps were dismantled, thereby easing late October, humanitarian organisations were the ones 56 the executioners’ grip on their hostages. calling for an ‘international force,’ saying intervention was selves, whichhad neverhappenedtous. We hadalways the mostinteresting yearbecausewehad to defendour- cially thosethathadspokenout vigorously.Ithinkthatwas guys killed them. have TutsiwhichareasontokillHutubecausethose is notefficient…evenacrimetobeoptimisticwhenyou years, wealwayswerewrong.Optimisminsuchasituation a typeofsituation,whenwewereoptimisticinthepastten several timesbecausewewerecriticised.Irememberinsuch the worst case. That’s my experience. I said that also after and waterfrom the outside,wehavetospeak in termsof reach your orders of magnitude or estimates. clearly andtransparently,themethodologyyouusedto The issueisn’tprovidingprecisestatisticsbutexplaining, are presentedinranges,ordersofmagnitudeandestimates. gy, etc.Inthehumansciencesandinmedicine,statistics reasons, becausepeopledon’tallhavethesameenzymolo- to the decline of the health of thepeople involved. situation. Alllargepopulationmovementsveryquicklylead supplies, theyfoundthemselvesinanextremelyprecarious but inthespaceofafewdaysmountains,without this time, it’s theaidthat is runninglate. the only way to guarantee the safety of their mission. But Dr. Jacques de Milliano, MSF HollandGeneral Director manager then Communication Director (in French). population andnotonanothersimplyforgenetic range. The treatment may have an effect on one In medicine, treatment effects are measured in a The Kurdswereveryhealthybeforetheirmigration rates veryquickly.That’swhatthepasthasshown. If peoplelackfoodandwater,thesituationdeterio- the faceforhumanitarian agenciesandespe- and returnedtoRwanda,that wasreallyaslapin When peopleleftthecamps, plumpandwellfed, text wherecampsarecompletelydependantonfood humanitarian organisations cannot enter in the con- Our analysis was this: if the media can enter and and MSFInternational vice-président (in English). Dr. Bernard Pécoul, MSFFrance Executive Director Dr. Jean-Hervé Bradol, MSF Franceprogramme (inFrench)

but it was veryuncomfortable. of that kind of analysis, etc. I think we came out of it fine position becausethatallowedustoexplainthecomplexities necessary to makethem. We foundourselves in a very useful obligation tomakepessimisticprojectionsandwhyitwas television networksandweheldpublicdiscussionsonthe er myth)!Wedidahugeamountofworkwiththepressand been thesegreatpeople,good-lookingdoctors(anoth- region notified the MSF coordination team inKigali. the daybefore.TheMSFETCoordinatorinBukavu in theforestwheretheyhadencounteredrefugees occasions, theteamswererefusedaccesstoplaces them aboutitslocalactivitiesandcontacts.Onseveral Every foreignorganisationwasrequiredtoconsult were politicalrepresentativesassignedbytheAlliance. areas. Theywereaccompaniedby‘facilitators,’who different agencieswentouttoassesstheauthorised kilometres ofBukavu.Teamscomposedmembers the IRC)gainedaccesstovillageslocatedwithin30 organisations (OXFAM,SavetheChildren,Concernand threatened byAFDLsoldiers.On23November,aid about groupsoffleeingrefugeesanddisplacedZairians In theBukavuregion,therewereincreasingreports still see that they didn’t believe us. every day.SomeFrenchreportersquotedusbutyoucould errors. Itwashardbutweheldon.Wesaidthesamethings were likelittlechildrenbeingscoldedformakingarithmetic more. There was nothing for us to do but keep quiet. … We taken careofeverythinginKigalianddidn’tneedusany we, theNGOs,wereuncomfortablebecauseKagamehad November, 1996, aconvoyofNGOswasgiven permission there werefrustrated bytheAFDL.On the23rdof permission toenterBukavu. Repeatedattemptstoget From mid-November1996onwards, MSFtriedtoobtain Extract: Samantha Bolton, MSFUSA Communication Director, organised thingsperfectlywellonitsownandthat reporters. TheywereconvincedthatAfricahad After allthisagitation,thestorywasoverfor MSF Press Officer for the GreatLakes November- English). in EasternZaire,’MSFReport,16May1997(in ’Forced FlightaBrutalStrategyofElimination Anne-Marie Huby, MSFUK Executive Director December 1996 (in French). (in French).

57 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

to assess the surroundings of Bukavu on the following day. However, movements were restricted to a 30 km zone around Bukavu. One team managed to get to Walungu (40 The ICRC’s Great Lakes Manager in Geneva told me km from Bukavu). On 25 November 1996, the Bukavu team that when he went to talk with UNHCR representa- was reminded of the 30 km limit and the obligatory pres- tives, he realized that UNHCR provided its facilita- ence of a AFDL ‘facilitator’ was imposed. One day later, a tors, officially called ‘liaison officers’, with a car and radio MSF team carried out an exploratory mission 40 km north but that they also received a salary of around $500/month. of Bukavu. On the 3rd of December, 1996, a joint UN-NGO He was shocked but not to the point of airing the whole assessment team traveled south to Uvira. thing in public.

These limitations of access (restriction to 30 km zones Dr. Jean-Hervé Bradol, MSF France programme around Bukavu, the imposed presence of ‘facilitators’, manager then Communication Director (in French). areas being declared off-limits, teams stopped at military checkpoints on the roads) might, to some extent, have happened because of ongoing conflict, but in several cases, restrictions were imposed after groups of refugees had been spotted by NGOs or UN agencies. These groups On 26 November, after receiving information from subsequently disappeared or dispersed into the forest. Reuter’s reporters, the MSF Emergency Team (ET) in ln addition, during the period from late 1996 into early the Bukavu region discovered mass graves and a dozen 1997, agencies were asked by the AFDL to indicate places wounded survivors from an AFDL massacre commit- where refugees were expected and to seek permission ted on 17 November at the site of a former displaced beforehand to go there. In December 1996, humanitar- persons’ camp in Chimanga. The Reuters agency dis- ian organisations began receiving reports that the AFDL tributed its team’s report and the BBC radio service military was capturing refugees in areas where NGOs were mentioned the killings. Amnesty International also present. Initially, such reports were thought to consist distributed the information to the press. of sporadic incidents carried out by small bands of AFDL soldiers. However, more and more information emerged which suggested a systematic practice of military operations directed against ex-FAR and Interahamwe, with the ’500 Rwandan Refugees Massacred by a Group aim of eliminating the combatants and accompanying of Armed Tutsi,’ AFP (France), London, 26 refugees. November 1996 (in French).

Extract: Amnesty International reported Tuesday that around 500 Rwandan refugees and displaced Zairians were killed last We had these ‘facilitators.’ Every NGO conducting an week by members of a predominantly Tutsi armed group in assessment had a young Banyamulenge who made eastern Zaire at the Chimanga camp, 60 kilometres south notes about everything and wrote down the names of Bukavu. of everyone who was being paid a salary. I remember saying on the radio in Kigali, ”This is going too far. We’ve got to In a press release published in London, the human rights leave. This is unacceptable.” From the beginning, we sus- organisation said that on around 18 November, members pected that these informers were going to report everything. of the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of When we went to look for refugees who were hiding to Congo-Zaire (AFDL) separated the men, women and chil- repatriate them or bring them aid, this ‘facilitator’ would dren and then opened fire on the men, killing them all. pass on the information. We talked a lot about this and Only the Catholic priest, Jean-Claude Buhendwa, of neigh- tried to get around them here and there. We conducted an boring Burhale province, was spared when he protested, evaluation in Muenga without the ‘facilitators’ and a French Amnesty said. expatriate was accused of spying. We were going to places where we had heard there were refugees. The first day, we According to Amnesty, witnesses said the victims’ bodies saw refugees and on the second, there were security prob- were buried in mass graves. The women and children are lems and we couldn’t get there anymore. That happened to reported to have fled west to Zaire’s interior, Amnesty us three or four times. added. The organisation noted that hundreds of Rwandan refugees and Zairians have gathered around the Chimanga Dr. José-Antonio Bastos, MSF ET (Emergency inter- camp, hoping to obtain help to cross the border to Rwanda. sections Team) Coordinator in South Kivu (in French).

58 infected. They all had bullets in theirarms and legs… and theirwoundswerehorribly,horriblyrotten!They children and an old woman. They had survived for 13 days, whom Igavefirstaid.Therewasawoman,man,three here!” Irememberthepeoplepersonallypickedupandto ing them.Thevillagerssaid,”There’sanotherone!Over forest. Thevillagershadbeentakingcareofthemandfeed- up 11 wounded people who were hidden in the surrounding were pickinguptheabandonedchildren.Togetherwepicked ICRC convoysetoffandmetaSave the Childrencar. They mass gravesand11survivors.Threehourslater,anMSF- Bukavu, nearlythreeweeksafterthemassacre.Wefound was atleastaweekortendaysafterwehadcomebackto ed andsurvivorsofthemassacrescametotellus.This tioned him but he didn’t back down. Since then, every time he saved the villagers. Afterwards the authorities ques- people soIcalledthehumanitarian organisations.”Ithink with theauthorities’permission. Ifoundthesewounded He answered, “I’m a reporter. I’ve been here for a week their gunsathim.“Whathappened? Whotoldyouthat?” He handled himself very well. The soldiers were pointing came withustookresponsibilityforspeakingtothesoldiers. icked whentheysawthem.…TheReuterscameramanwho ed?” IthinktheywereRwandansoldiers.Thevillagerspan - and said,‘Whotoldyouthat?Who’ssupposedtobewound - The situationbecame difficult when the soldiers showed up and children.”It was veryclear. the soldiers,againstsoldiersbuttheretheykilledwomen soldiers killedlotsofpeople.Therewasfightinghereamong say, ”Weheardthatinthevillagethere,atChimanga, Was the fighting violent?” After a few minutes, people would you knowanyonewhoissickaroundhere?Aretheremines? the roadandtalktoafamily.“How’severythinggoing?Do the others.Atthattime,itwaseasytostopyourcaralong the differencebetweenRwandans,Interahamweand the Zairians.ThetypicalZairiancivilianclearlyunderstood happened. It’snottruethattheHuturefugeeshadterrorized all this.Theyweretraumatisedandhadnoideawhyit the ditch and clean the ground. The Zairian villagers told me the villagers’housesanddraftedabout50ofthemtodig scenario astheKibehomassacre.Afterwards,theywentto them. Forthosewhoknowthehistory,it’sexactlysame hour later, launchedgrenades at them and machine-gunned your names.”Theybegantakingdownnamesandahalf- said, ”Fine, we’ll repatriate you. Get in line and we’ll take Most werewomen,childrenandelderlypeople.Thesoldiers ing hadpassedandtheyleftsaying,”Wewanttogoback.” where MSFFrancehadworked,theywaiteduntilthefight Interahamwe andtheothers.AtChimanga,arefugeecamp Rwanda. Theyhadfreedthemselvesfromthecontrolof fled haddecidedtostaybecausetheywantedreturn hand report.Thefullstoryisthatsomeoftherefugeeswho I talkedtotherefugeeswhospokeFrench,sothisisafirst- who discovered the spot. They identified the wound- get slightlyharderinformationfromthereporters Chimanga istheonlycaseinwhichwewereableto - and he worked hard. carrying stretchers.Hewasreallymovedbythewholething aren’t alwaysjerks.Heputdownthecameraandstarted Situations, anMSFtrainingsession),Isaythatreporters I talkaboutthepressinaPSP(PopulationsPrecarious ground was necessary. UNHCR and ICRC maintained that a presence on the of ahumanitariandisasterhadnotbeenoverestimated. proposal asdisgracefulandreaffirmedthattherisks Commissioner forHumanitarianActiondescribedthe for refugeesroamingineasternZaire.TheEuropean On 27November,Canadaproposedtoairdropsupplies drop was a “last resort” and that a presence on the ground [...] Thursday, UNHCRandICRChadsaid thatthefood without providing specifics. authorisation tocreatea“corridor” fortheorganisations, the field.Inthatregard,he referredtoRwanda’s10-day place “incooperation”withhumanitarian organisationsin mission. He said that the intervention would only take British soldiersarealreadyconductingareconnaissance Entebbe, Uganda,wherearound500US,Canadian,and then announcethattheheadquarterswouldbesetupin operation seemed to be taking shape. Mr. Axworthy could porting interventionintheAfricanGreatLakesregion, the Canadians, who took the lead among countries sup- [...] ByThursday,afterdaysofnegotiationsconductedby rebels. and GeneralBaril’svisittoGoma,accompaniedbyTutsi plan toparachutefoodrefugeesanddisplacedpersons announcements, vigorouslyprotestingboththewestern The Zairiangovernmentrespondedquicklytothe Rwandan refugees. on a“non-militaryhumanitarianaction”behalfof Thursday of“coordinating”withtheZairianTutsirebels intervene ineasternZaire,raisedthepossibilityon Maurice Baril,Headofthemultinationalforcethatmay On thegroundinGoma,NorthKivu,CanadianGeneral Kinshasa’s opposition. to refugees in Zaire would be launched soon, despite Thursday thataninternationalmissiontoairdropfood Supported bymorethan15nations,Canadaannounced Extract: sections Team) Coordinator in SouthKivu(inFrench). Dr. José-Antonio Bastos, MSF ET (Emergency inter- French). AFP (France),Ottawa,28November1996(in ’Canada Announces Food Airdrop to Zaire Soon,’

59 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

was still required to ensure that aid was distributed fairly to be a first step in bringing about a durable solution to to civilians and protecting against “hijacking by those the crisis in the Great lakes Region; since the force will who have weapons.” probably not have authority to separate and disarm the militia and will not arrest and detain the perpetrators of the Rwandan genocide, impunity for human rights abuses will remain unaddressed. ’Food Airdrops: “Really Shameful“, Says European Commissioner Emma Bonino,’ AFP What does MSF think of the ongoing delay in deployment (France), 30 November 1996 (in French). of the multinational Force? MSF is very disappointed/outraged by the lack of decisive Extract: action by the international community. More than two The commissioner rejected the claim that the dangers weeks after the UN Security Council authorised such a of a humanitarian disaster had been overestimated. “I force (on 15 November), still no action has been taken. believe it was our duty to sound the alarm as we did,” she said. “Yes, 400,000 to 500,000 thousand refugees have Does MSF still think that a multinational force will become returned (to Rwanda). That’s great, but where are the oth- reality? ers? Now it looks like we’ve found them.” No, MSF fears that the continued inaction of the international community to deploy the UN-authorised multinational force will eventually lead to no action at all, or only to humanitarian action, distracting the attention from the political problems underlying the crisis in the On 28 and 29 November, the MSF sections again dis- Great Lakes region. cussed MSF’s position on armed intervention. What does MSF think of the proposed air drops of food in eastern Zaire? Dropping food from the air into eastern Zaire is again a ’MSF position Update regarding recent develop- humanitarian approach towards the crisis in the Great ments in the Great Lakes Region,’ Internal, 28 Lakes region, rather than a political one. Therefore food November 1996 (in English). drops are likely to distract the attention from the political causes of the crisis. Extract: General: Moreover, food drops are likely to be ineffective for a This is an update to the 20 November update on the posi- number of reasons. First of all, it is still unclear where the tion taken in the paper ‘Zaire: Action Rather than Apathy’ refugees and displaced populations are located. Secondly, (12 November 1996). First a reiteration of some general even if they are located, MSF fears that such a form of communication rules in order to maintain the taken posi- unmonitored food distribution will result in additional tion and the credibility of MSF’s statements: violence. Both in Bosnia and Liberia unmonitored food Due to the critical media attention MSF received regard- distribution resulted in the killing of refugees and dis- ing earlier statements, it was decided to be more cautious placed persons by fighters. Thirdly, food drops might kill with external communications, because criticising NGOs refugees or displaced when hit by food packages (Northern will only distract attention from the humanitarian needs/ Iraq). Fourthly, medical assistance cannot be airdropped. situation in the Great Lakes Region. Therefore: What does MSF think should happen? - MSF will abstain from using numbers of refugees and MSF maintains that safe humanitarian access and effec- IDPs in its external communications, unless we have tive protection of the refugees and displaced population actually witnessed these people ourselves; is of paramount importance. Moreover, impunity or past - MSF will not report on reports of (unconfirmed) human (genocide) and present human rights abuses needs to be rights abuses in its external communications, unless addressed if the crisis in the Great Lakes region is to be these abuses or their results are witnessed by MSF or solved. have been confirmed (double checked); - Emphasis in external communications will lie on (new) facts, but only after they have been confirmed by reliable sources. ’Major shift in thinking about the Kivu,’ Email from Eric Goemare, Executive Director, MSF Possible questions (and some ‘nice’ answers for you) from Belgium, to other sections’ Executive Directors, journalists regarding our Position: 29 November 1996 (in French). Has MSF’s position towards military intervention changed? No, MSF sticks to its earlier call for a multinational force. Extract: However, ongoing discussions and hesitation have shown Dear Friends, 60 that in reality the force will be inadequately mandated ASAP? MSF’s activitiesinKivu!Can Amsterdam take careofthat PLEASE NOTE:wedonothave specificinformationon status, history) andwhat WE AREDOINGfor them. placed personsweencounter directly(number,health Talk ONLYaboutfactsregardingthoserefugeesordis - We think that themessage should nowchange radically. In Conclusion: the genocideurs once again. ing towardWalikaleorShabunda,providingassistanceto The drops will also re-supply the armed groups (FAR) flee- At worst: drops, they could kill many peopleasthe items fall. teams by road. Even if the Banyamulenge supervise the those visible,thuswhoarealreadyaccessibletoour A ’logistics drop’ operation that will probably target only At best: What isleft for aninternational force to do? would befor the Banyamulenge to freethe refugees? appeared Burundians,thebestthingthatcouldhappen So shouldn’tweadmitthatwiththeexceptionofdis- at risk to fightrabidex-genocideurs. Stuttgart signatoriesanticipatedputtingasingleperson I assume it’s obvious to us all today that none of the 20 but the RPF thatstoppedthe genocide. protection, justasin1994,itwasn’tOperationTurquoise, Banyamulenge militaryadvancethatprovidesthequickest had beenthought.Ifthisisconfirmed,itwon’tbethe ing theirown’hostages’andnottheBanyamulenge,as reports, itappearsthattheFAR/Interahamwearekill- Based onourteams’statementsandalsopress But committed by whom? This involvedprotectingcivilianrefugeesagainstabuses. 3. Protection: Tanzania. in Zaireandwanttostaytherearenottransitfor tion thatitcanbeshowntheyarestillsomewhere national forcetoday,exceptfortheBurundians,oncondi- […] Inshort,itnolongermakessensetocallforaninter- Where are the others? mate.) the refugees.(These numbers are, ofcourse, only approxi- around Lake Kivu and we have access to around 75% of Today itappearsthatourteamshavegonealltheway 2. Gainingaccess: - Protect civilian refugees. - Gain access torefugees and displacedpersons to: 1. To refresh your memory, we called for an intervention as airdrops could beginthisweekend. regarding internationalmilitaryinterventionintheKivu I believeitisurgentforustoclarifyagainourposition international community’s inaction. On 30NovembertheICRC’sPresidentdenounced they want. to knowwheretheyare,howmanyareandwhat The problemoftheBurundiansremains…firstwe’dneed decision ismade. Rwandans whowanttogobackwilldosobeforeany extend theUNhumanrightsmandate?Inpractice, Protect thereturningrefugees?Wouldn’titbebetterto atrocities. we hadsaid,thesemenhaveprovencapableoftheworst attacking andlootingcivilians:Reinforcetheideathat,as country andaregoingtoinflamethesituationthereby - DisarmingtheFAR/Interahamwewhoinvadedback The only mandate we think isstill relevant is: - - - different: ation, clarifythatwehadcalledforsomethingentirely If andonlyifwearequestionedonthemilitarydropoper- more than ever, henoted. [...] Theinternationalcommunity’s credibilityisatstake countries well in advance, Sommaruga added. However, humanitarianorganisationshadwarnedother munity wasunwillingtoacknowledgethedangerinZaire. As withthepriorconflictsinBosniaandRwanda,com - president said. shameful pageinthehistoryofhumanity,”ICRC [...] “Thisintolerableinactionwillforever remain a eastern Zaire as oneof ’intolerable inaction.’ position oftheinternationalcommunityinconflict International Committee of the Red Cross, described the On Saturday,CornelioSommaruga,Presidentofthe Extract: required to dealwithaccess. The forcewecalledforthreeweeksagoisnolonger majority of peopleinthe coming days The airdropistoolatebecausewewillhaveaccesstothe A protection force, not an assistanceforce November 1996 (inFrench). Community’s “Inaction,’’AFP(France),Bern,30 ’ICRC President Criticises the International

61 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

On the same day, the international force was formally tion against them. So they opened the floodgates and constituted. shoved 5,000 refugees in our direction as a bone to gnaw on. At that moment, we thought that these 5,000 were the first wave of 200,000 refugees whose whereabouts no one knew and for whom we had to prepare, and they had already ’International Force Formally Constituted,’ AFP left for Tingi Tingi …! (France), Ottawa, 30 November 1996 (in French). We said, “We want to work,” and that’s what we did. We had still lots of problems, -- pressure for authorisation Extract: for the trucks to circulate, but that changed our strategy Organised at Canada’s initiative, the international force entirely. It was only later, when things had calmed down with a humanitarian mission was formally constituted on a bit, that we began witnessing the same events. We said Friday in Ottawa and the multilateral mechanism proposed to ourselves, “we’re in the same situation as two or three Thursday to provide aid to central Africa, was approved. months ago. Why did we stop paying attention?” … I had on my conscience the fact that my actions and decisions had During a 21/2 hour meeting at the Canadian Foreign Affairs helped the AFDL group and the Rwandan army to kill 10,000 Ministry, chaired by Assistant Deputy Foreign Minister or 15,000 refugees. It’s difficult to say that. We tried to Paul Heinbecker, a 14-member steering committee agreed set up our little clinic here, our little operation there, and to set up the international force headquarters in Entebbe, that’s exactly where they disappeared. Afterwards, when we Uganda, under the command of Canadian General Maurice thought about it, we realized that we had indeed been used Baril. The headquarters should be in place in the coming as bait. We didn’t even manage to reach and treat many of days. them because they always crossed very quickly into Rwanda.

Dr. José-Antonio Bastos, MSF ET (Emergency inter- sections Team) Coordinator in South Kivu (in French).

On 1 December, teams from MSF Holland, ICRC and UNHCR in Bukavu prepared to denounce the use of aid organisations as bait, and to highlight the refugees’ The same day, José-Antonio Bastos, Coordinator of the plight. But with the appearance of a new group of MSF Emergency team in Bukavu, sent statements from 5,000 refugees, the groups withdrew their decision in Chimanga massacre survivors to the MSF Holland head- order to address the new arrivals’ needs. quarters. On 2 December, MSF Holland’s Humanitarian Affairs Department (HAD) transmitted the report to Amnesty International and asked that MSF not be cited as the source. Also on that day, the desk and the HAD reminded teams in the Great Lakes region that Along with UNHCR and ICRC, we reached the conclu- all information regarding human rights was not to be sion that we’d obviously been used as bait. On 1 distributed without authorisation from headquarters. December, during a meeting of MSF, ICRC and UNHCR, the ICRC representative said, “It’s not ICRC’s tradi- tion, but if we are going to continue working together … we can’t treat refugees and later learn from villagers that ‘Massacre of Chimanga’ Report from Dr Jose they were shot after we’d left. There are problems here. Antonio Bastos, coordinator of the MSF We’ve got to do something.” The UNHCR delegate was an Emergency team in Bukavu, 1 December 1996 Italian, very technically minded, but had sent fairly strong (in English). reports to Geneva. The Banyamulenge authorities found out about them. We said to ourselves, “Maybe we (UNCHR, MSF Extract: and ICRC) should withdraw and announce to the world that 1. Background: this is not acceptable. They’re killing people five kilometres Chimanga camp was created in June 1994 after the influx away from our base and we can’t do anything about it.” of Rwandan refugees into Zaire. It was located some Just as we were making that decision, in the middle of our 75 km south-west of Bukavu and had a population of meeting, the Alliance liaison officers opened the meeting around 30,000 refugees. Seemingly a group of ‘hard line’ room door and said, “You want refugees? There are 5,000 Interahamwe lived in the camp, but integration with local on the road! Get to work!” On a micro level, what happened Zairian villagers from Chimanga village was good. to us in Bukavu was identical to the massive return of refugees driven from Goma to Gisenyi that took place on the day 2. Sources: that the threat of military intervention was announced. In - Journalists (Reuters, French cameraman Emmanuel, and our discussions with the authorities, it seemed clear that white Zimbabwean, Japanese, and German TV teams) they were increasingly uncomfortable about the killings. allowed to move freely within the rebel Alliance con- 62 They knew that we were preparing to react and take a posi- trolled area around Bukavu, found the Chimanga camp they are admitted between 18:30 and 20:30. survivors aretransferred toBukavuGeneral Hospital,were All vehicleswiththerescued survivors leavetheplace.The and 3notwounded: (…)). centre whereothersurvivors are hidden(3wounded:(…) SCF (1expat,1vehicle)shows upfromnearbyhealth evacuated. A second wounded (…) found in abandoned shelter and be pickedup. aid workersandjournalistsinsistotherwoundedstillto claim theareaisnotsecuredandeverybodyshouldleave, ed. Reuterssaytheyhavefoundthewounded.Militaries about thesourceofinformationlocationwound - A Few minutes after, rebel militaries show up, asking ------seemingly as follows: According toallthementionedsources,factswere 3. The events: - - ICRC (1expat, 2 vehicles) arrived. ates fromhidingplacetovehiclesandatthatmoment performs cleaninganddressingofwounds,ZRCevacu- first woundedisfound(…)hidingamongreeds,MSF vehicle metontheroad,andjoinedconvoy.The the woundedarehiding.OneZairianRedCross(ZRC) 30.11.96 MSFisguidedbyReuterstotheplaceswere massacre. organise therescueofwoundedsurvivors ICRC, theReutersjournalistsapproachMSFaskingto 29.11.96 thirddaywithoutanyactionfromUNHCRor of wounded. MSF reportsto UNHCR andtoICRC. 26.11.96 MSFisinformedbyReutersaboutthelocation population (food and basicmedical care). den aroundtheChimangavillage,helpedbylocal Around 80refugees,someof them wounded,stayedhid- to inform anybody. provided anyassistancetothewoundedthatescapedor rate sources).Theywerethreatenedtobekilledifthey grave andburythebodies(320accordingtomostaccu- dispersed. Thevillagersaretoldbythesoldierstodiga and somehand-grenadesarethrownatthem.Many in aplace.Theyareshotatwithautomaticweapons names forthelistrepatriation,andtostaytogether ing refugees for a meeting. They are told to give their 17.11.96: rebelsoldiersreachthecampandcallremain- Rwanda. Chimanga, 3,000refugeesstay,hopingtoreturn Banyamulenge rebels, the refugeesflee the camps. In In thefirstdaysofNovember,Bukavuistakenby tion. their reportsconfirmedthepreviousindirectinforma- Once survivors (8) from the massacre have been rescued, victims (from 300to 750). all ofthemverysimilar,differingonlyinthenumber points abouttheexistenceofamassacreinChimanga, received reportsfromZairianvillagers3different (MSF, Concern,IRC,SCF)goingalongsouth-westaxis, During first day of NGO assessmentsin Bukavu, NGO team in thebush. about themassacre,andtheyfoundonesurvivorhiding being burntaround20.11.96.Theyweretoldbyvillagers Bukavu, 1 December 1996 MSF Headof Mission inBukavu Dr. Jose A. Bastos, to Bukavu General Hospital. weapon andshrapnelwounds.Theyhavebeentransferred and ICRCrescued8survivors,4ofthemwithautomatic On 30 November, directed by Reuters journalists, MSF, ZRC had accesstoChimangaandfoundsomeofthesurvivors. survivors remainedhiddenaroundthevillage.Journalists Zairian villagers were forced to bury 320 bodies. Some were shotandhand-grenadesthrownatthem.Local ise theirrepatriation.Oncetheyallweretogether, 17 Novemberbyrebelsoldiersforameetingtoorgan- nearly 3,000thatremainedinthecampwerecalledon ing thefallofBukavutoBanyamulengerebels.The km south-westofBukavu,easternZaire)fledfollow- Most of the Rwandan refugees from Chimanga camp (75 5. summary: 8- […]: From: GafunzoCommune, Cyangugu Prefecture. Commune, Cyangugu Prefecture. 7- […]:female,2.Daughterof3.(…).From:Kamembe Cyangugu Prefecture. 6- […]:male,4.SonofAM.From:KamembeCommune, Gishoma Commune, Cyangugu Prefecture. 5- […]:female,6,bulletwoundinrighthip.From: Commune, Gikongoro Prefecture. 4- […]:male,bulletwoundinrightleg.From:Kavama Kamembe Commune, Cyangugu Prefecture. 3- […]:female,35,bulletwoundinleftthigh.From: Gishoma Commune, Cyangugu Prefecture. 2- […]:male,around30,bulletwoundinleftleg.From: Gikongoro Prefecture. shrapnel woundinleftknee.From:GitamaCommune, 1- […],female,around30,bulletwoundinleftforearm, 4. the survivors: pital. - 01.12.96:thesurvivors stay intheBukavuGeneralhos- From theinternal meetingwiththeDeskon thecrisisin mentioned as thesource of this information. in gettingaccesstothearea, we(MSF)donotwanttobe of any help to you. For reasons of (still) having difficulty being used/forwardedtoyou. Ihopethisinformationis know ifthesepeoplewere informed abouttheirnames can seethesitrepcontainsnames ofsurvivors,butIdon’t Bukavu teamregardingtheChimangamassacre.Asyou Please find attached the situation report of the MSF Dear Achmed, Extract: English). Amnesty International,2December1996(in to Achmed Motala, Legal Advisor Crisis Team, Letter fromTheoWijngaard,MSFHollandHAD

63 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

eastern Zaire on further cooperation with Amnesty regard- the only one communicating with Amnesty International ing a more systematic exchange of information, it became on this matter in close consultation with the MSF-H clear that such a cooperation is very much supported. I Emergency Desk for eastern Zaire will therefore regularly send you information which might - Preferably, information on human rights violations is be useful to Amnesty. gathered by the Information Officers in the field or, if However, nothing can ‘beat’ actual field research on this is not possible, by senior/experienced MSF staff human rights violations. Our teams in the field often lack - Any additional action undertaken or suggestions are wel- the time and the experience to do so. Moreover, they are come and should be addressed to the MSF-H Emergency constrained in doing human rights field research due to Team or the HAD operational considerations (access). Since we expect that - The BUS section will inform all other section on further human rights violations in eastern Zaire (such as the steps taken. Chimanga massacre) and in the rest of the region will Thanks for your cooperation. Many regards, not be of an incidental character, we strongly hope that Wilna Van Artzen - Emergency Team you will continue/follow up your field missions, which are Theo Wijngaard - Humanitarian Affairs Department highly valued by our staff in the field. Meanwhile, we will maintain contact at HQ level, for which I, or my colleague Ed Schenkenberg, will be the contact person. Many regards, I did a preliminary summary on Chimanga for Theo Wijngaard Amsterdam. They responded, ”This isn’t very solid. We need a report.” So I wrote my report, drawing a bit from Amnesty’s reports. It was more substantial. I waited for reactions but they never came. I wanted to say, ‘Eastern Zaire Crisis - Information on Human ”We’re going to make a public statement,” but the BBC had Right Violations,’ Message from Wilna Van already put the information out. Artzen (ET) and Theo Wijingaard (HAD) to MSF Nairobi, Kigali, and Ruhengeri teams, 2 Dr. José-Antonio Bastos, MSF ET (Emergency inter- December 1996 (in English). sections Team) Coordinator in South Kivu (in French).

Extract: Dear All, On request by the desk for the crisis in eastern Zaire, the Humanitarian Affairs Department (HAD) contacted On 4 December, the Zairian doctor from the Walikale Amnesty International regarding testimonies and other hospital notified the MSF team that several thousand information on human rights violations in eastern Zaire. refugees were streaming along the Walikale-Kisangani This request followed a detailed report from the Bukavu road. MSF team who evacuated and interviewed survivors of a massacre that recently took place near Bukavu. The team requested assistance from the BUS section to forward the information to human rights organisations. Apart ’Information Bulletin 244,’ MSF France Internal from doing so by the HAD, it was also stressed by MSF to document, 5 December 1996 (in French). Amnesty International that it should continue/follow up its field mission that it recently conducted in the region Extract: (Zaire, Rwanda, Tanzania). The Walikale head physician notified us that a consider- Since public advocacy on the atrocities near Bukavu are able number of people (no figures) had passed through the likely to further complicate access to the region, MSF town walking towards Lubutu. In particular, he observed decided in this case that the information gathered should malaria cases and a few diarrhoea cases. The Lubutu doc- be passed on to human rights organisations, such as tor said that increasing numbers of displaced persons were Amnesty International. On a case by case basis, it will be arriving and that he lacked medicines. assessed if information on human rights violations is used for external communications. Since the information gathered in general is of a sensitive nature to both witnesses, victims themselves, and MSF, several guidelines will follow to avoid unnecessary On 5 December, the Canadian Government’s Defence security risks: Minister questioned the relevance of an armed inter- - In principal any information on human rights violations national intervention, given that 600,000 refugees had is confidential and NOT for external distribution, before returned to Rwanda. consulting MSF-H (BUS section) - To avoid unnecessary and confusing communication On 6 December, the Canadian Commander of the force 64 problems, the Humanitarian Affairs Department will be that was still being organised announced that 165,000 international community’s inaction. tion. UNHCRrevealeditsfrustrationinthefaceof without eliminatingthepossibilityofarmedinterven- tions adaptedtothenewsituation,favouringdialogue, that humanitarianorganisationswerecallingforsolu- President ofMSF’sInternationalBoard,toldthepress Like theICRC’srepresentative,DorisSchopper, in very poor health. MSF’s HeadofMissioninKisanganisaidthattheywere refugees had been spotted roaming in eastern Zaire. cial in Kisangani, said that both malaria and diarrhoea are Some areinvery poorhealth.NicolasLouis, anMSFoffi- the capitalofUpper Zaire, the country’s third-largest city. “100,000 to 400,000” Rwandan Hutu were converging on tres west of Goma), humanitarian sources reported that But basedonstatementstaken inKisangani(400kilome- Bukavu and Kindu (southofLake Kivu). small groupshadbeenobservednorthofMasisi,between west ofSaké, north ofLakeKivu.He said thattwoother “large group“ of around 150,000 people headed north- be “totallyoperational”withinaweek.Heidentified begin by Sunday ifnecessary, while the headquarters will According totheCanadianofficer,operationcould larly in casefooddrops should benecessary. Kampala –wascontinuingtomakepreparations,particu - and fewerthan50Britishsoldierswhoarecurrentlyin force –composedof350Canadians,Americans However, GeneralBarilclarifiedthatthemultinational Rwandan Hutu wandering intheregion. Zaire. According to Baril, there are fewer than 165,000 his latestestimatesoftherefugeepopulationineastern the Canadiangovernment’sannouncements,heannounced General MauriceBaril,wasinNairobionFriday.Echoing The commanderofthemultinationalforce, Canadian the OugadougouDeclaration. Rwandan PrimeMinisterPierre-CélestinRwigemacriticised This point of view is obviously shared by Rwanda. to return home. a catalyzingrole,”prompting600,000Rwandanrefugees announcing thattheforcewouldbecreated“hadserved longer seemednecessary“atthisstage”becausesimply Minister DougYoungsaidthatmilitaryinterventionno to fewerthan700men,nolongerhadapurpose.Defence force, createdformallyaweekagobutcurrentlyreduced But onThursday,Canadareversedcourseandsaidthatthe by the humanitarian implications of thesituation.” deployed,” emphasisingthattheywere“deeplytroubled thing possibletoensurethattheinternationalforceis UN andtheOrganisationofAfricanUnitytodoevery- ticipants inthe19thFrance-AfricaSummitcalledon“the In a declarationonthe situation in the Great Lakes, par- Extract: French). Refugees,’ “Future UncertainforInternationalForceand AFP (France),6December1996(in over the international community’s inaction. Commissioner SadakoOgataexpressedher“frustration” sised that help was needed to gain access to the refugees. however, theUNHighCommissionforRefugeesempha- ready toadaptthechangedcircumstances.OnFriday, Some, likeMSF,hadcalledforitandnowsaytheyare are dividedontheneedtodeploylong-awaitedforce. Under theseconditions,thehumanitarianorganisations been deprived of foodanddrinking water. having asignificantimpactonthispopulation,whichhas kill them. told howtherebelshuntedthemdowninforestto attacks onthecampsandstatementsofsurvivors,who several massgravesdatingfromthemid-November The internationalpressreportedthediscoveryof eastern Zaire. tions toabandontherefugeecampstheyhadmanagedin medical aidafterfightingforcedhumanitarianorganisa- tion tosave1.2millionciviliansdeprivedofallfoodand Last month,MSFwasthefirsttocallformilitaryinterven- got tobe able tochangeyour position.” situation,” the MSF official said. “That’s different. You’ve last fewweeks,butwearenotexasperatedbythecurrent “We are very frustrated by how things happened over the the predicted humanitarian catastrophe. at leastaccordingtocurrentinformation,theabsenceof return ofmorethanahalf-millionpeopletoRwandaand, The situationhaschanged as aresultoftheunexpected tional organisations must adapt. Médecins SansFrontières(MSF)alsosaidthatinterna- said spokesperson Rolin Wavre. today. “Wearenotangryaboutthechangedsituation”, just afewweeksago,othermeansaremoreappropriate while military-humanitarian intervention seemedrelevant to alargenumberofpeoplecontinues,butnotedthat The ICRCacknowledgedthattheproblemofgainingaccess Extract: (France), 6 December1996(inFrench). Urgency ofanInternationalIntervention’,AFP ‘Humanitarian Organisations Divided Over the

65 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

On 9 December, the Director of MSF UK prepared a response to Alex De Waal’s criticism of MSF and ‘Several Mass Graves Containing Bodies of Hutu OXFAM that was broadcast on 27 November on the BBC Refugees Discovered in Eastern Zaire,’ Le Monde (see above). She advised all MSF’s Communications (France), 8 and 9 December 1996 (in French). Directors to handle all information, especially statistics, with caution. MSF’s different sections continued Extract: to speak in the press on the ’numbers battle’. In late November, Amnesty International had denounced the “executions” committed by rebels and elements of the Zairian army. Specifically, the humanitarian organisation noted that in the Chimanga camp south of Bukavu, wit- ‘Negative Publicity,’ Message from Anne-Marie nesses stated that a Tutsi-dominated armed group had Huby, MSF UK Executive Director to all Directors killed some 500 refugees who were buried in mass graves. of Communications, copy to Press Officers in delegate offices, 9 December 1996 (in English).

Extract: Florence Aubenas, ’Zaire: Mass Graves and Dear all, Dying Refugees in the Virunga Forest,’ For your info, I am sending you an extract of a BBC TV Libération (France), 7 and 8 December 1996 script (by Alex de Waal yet again, about aid agencies and (in French). the Kivu crisis) to which we are going to reply. Alex is a bit of a one-man band, but his criticism has Extract: definitely had an (probably long-lasting) impact in media “We managed to cross the forest in two weeks,” said a land, particularly in the UK. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT man named Prospéritas, surrounded by his three wives and WE DO NOT DROP OUR GUARD. I have read on CCmail [MSF five children. “We thought we were lucky because we were Intranet] that Nicolas Louis has been quoted as saying among the first ones going to Goma and only one baby that hundreds of thousands of people are about to flood in the family died. But then we came under fire from the into Kisangani (or was it another town?). Once again, we soldiers again.” are venturing figures that may turn out to be totally exaggerated. You may not be in the firing line in your country, The refugees are following a road that leads to the out- but we are here, and the UK media is very influential in skirts of another camp, Mugunga, 9 kilometres south of Europe and the US. We just cannot take a parochial view Goma. Three weeks ago, just as residents of Katale and of this problem. Kahindo emerged from the forest, Zairian rebels evacuated the site. Their patrols were posted at the entry to the I am urging you to brief your teams in the field to road. The trap snapped shut on both sides of the forest, ensure that they do not describe rumour and estimates guarded by scores of dead bodies. as fact. I know that all the mass graves of eastern Zaire are not open yet, and that access is still not possible, but Repatriation: Immediately afterwards, only a few kilo- the attitude of the media HAS CHANGED, and we cannot metres away, UNCHR had stationed vans to assist with go on as if nothing had happened. There are going to be repatriation. Only 100 refugees arrive every day. At that lots of 1996 retrospectives in the media over the next few pace, the officials of humanitarian organisations estimate weeks, and the issue of the responsibility and account- that it will take more than three years to evacuate all the ability of aid agencies will be raised again. refugees hidden in the Virunga forest. As of yesterday, Please let us know what you can do. the Zairian rebels, who deny committing any civilian Best wishes to all, massacres, agreed to allow observers into the zone they Anne-Marie control to assess whether human rights violations have been committed. Prospéritas left with his wife and children, heading the opposite direction into the forest “so that the planes can’t ’Deadly Controversy,’ Opinion-editorial by Jean- see us anymore.” They flee every time they hear footsteps Hervé Bradol, MSF France programme manager, and they walk at night. “In the camps, with my own eyes La Croix (France), 1 and 2 December 1996 (in I saw soldiers trained by our former army,” Prospéritas French). said. “I said to myself, ‘they’re going to attack Rwanda. We’re better off staying here. We’ll go back home when Extract: the time is right, after the fighting.’ But in the end, the Did we exaggerate the risk facing more than 1 million war came to Zaire.” people displaced by the war in the Zairian province of Kivu? Many commentators seem to think so. Additional information is in order here. It’s useful to take a quick retrospective look at mortality following similar episodes. 66 In October 1993, when 350,000 Burundian refugees fled precondition for implementing a preventionpolicy. practice requiresthatwemakethem.Itisanabsolute if wehavetotreatourprojectionswithcare,medical Perhaps wewerewrongforbeingprematurelyright.Even to close the programmes in theKivucamps. population. Manyobserverscriticisedusafterwedecided ceptable and constituted a serious threat for theregion’s cause of the current conflict. The situation was unac- attacks fromthesecamps.Thosesamearethe tional community’sexpense.Fortwoyears,theylaunched committed genocidetorebuildtheirforcesattheinterna - Zairian refugeecamps.Theaidsystemenabledthosewho phase ended,wewould close our programmes in the In November1994,wedecidedthatwhentheemergency what has happened tothem. Rwanda, butthereare700,000moreandwedon’tknow numbers ofdead?Sofar,500,000peoplehavereturnedto have died. Must we now become accustomed to unknown dead. Inthreeyears,someonemillionhumanbeings The GreatLakesregionhasaccustomedustonameless still inaccessible hills of SouthKivu? seven people.Whocountedthebodiesandgravesin However, theaverageRwandarefugeefamilyincludes seem tofactorintothecommentators’thinkingeither. of thechildrenhaddiedinrecentweeks.Thisdidnot in whichafatherormotheroftenmentionedthatone reports showedinterviewswithheadsofRwandanfamilies the deadandseriouslyilldonotwalk.Televisednews share that simple, commonsense observation. Usually, enough todoso.Butthecommentatorsobviouslynot walk fortensofkilometresarethosewhohealthy This requiresaresponse.Bydefinition,peoplewhocan mortality predictions. some toquestion,sometimesharshly,aidorganisations’ The impactoftheimagesthismassiverepatriationled people reachedRwandaon17Novemberingoodhealth. For justonceinthisregion,hundredsofthousands Who exaggerated? than 14,000refugeesintheKivu,forarateof1.2percent. the pressrelease–quicklyresultindeathsofmore water supplies could –andthehypotheticalwas used in in theGreatLakesregion,cuttingofffoodanddrinking On 9November,MédecinsSansFrontièresannouncedthat the Ogaden(1980) and Ethiopia(1984). percent. SimilarmortalitydataexistsinThailand(1979), a totalof900,000diedintwomonths,forrate5.5 In 1994inGoma,Zaire,around50,000refugeesoutof operation were relatively simple. Rwanda inseveraldays,wherethelogisticsofamajoraid an extremesituation,astheBurundianrefugeesreached ity rateof2.5percent.However,thisisnotanexample to Rwanda,9,000peoplediedintwomonths,foramortal- people who, in away,misled them.” they were promised. So the commentators turned on the the westernpressfeltfrustratedatnothavingimages Turning thetables,hesaid,“Caughtupinmediarush, “In fact,thenumbersdistractedfromrealproblems.” didn’t makepeoplerespondtotherightissues,”hesays. particularly becauseoftheeffectitproduced.“Thefigures that theefforttoproduceapreciseestimatewasanerror, in Bosnia.Withoutassumingblame,Inkeiacknowledged and otherorganisationshavealreadymademistakes,as [...] Still,thesystemformakingprojectionshasitsrisks the war economy.” “We didthattoshowhumanitarianaidwasfeeding tional community,”saysMSFpresidentPhilippeBiberson. withdrew completelyfromtheregiontoalertinterna- from thissituationwouldbetoforgetthatin1994,we MSF makesagoodargument.“Toaccuseusofprofiting sequence and moved atanunexpected speed. This time,inmid-November,eventsfollowedadifferent of 900,000whofloodedintoGoma)diedin1994. examples includingthe50,000Rwandanrefugees(out information drawnfromcomparablesituations.”Hecited bers,” Inkei said. “Our evaluations are based on concrete and epidemics.”“Wehavenevertriedtoinflatethenum- It read,“20,000peoplehavealreadydiedfromfamine from thegroup’sPresidentincludedaninternalestimate. It wasinevitable.On15November,afundraisingappeal ach. accusation as if someone had punched him in the stom- Switzerland’s Communi-cationsDirector,respondstothat of disasterstowinthefundingrace.DenisInkei, MSF automatically suspectedofrushingtothefrontlines phenomenon, humanitarianorganisationsarenowalmost Since theemergenceof‘charity-as-businessventure’ Extract: Rwandan Health Minister. ment’s budget,” saidCélestinKayitare,key advisortothe month. “Thisexorbitantsum representshalfourgovern- mated tocost$12millionand theprojectwastolastone Hutu refugees.Worthyofthe Pharoahs,theplanwasesti- Rwanda-Zaire border,witha plantorepatriate700,000 Frontières Belgiumcameto Gisenyi,nearGomaatthe The non-governmentalorganisationMédecinsSans Extract: French). L’Hebdo (Switzerland),12December1996(in Organisations HavetheRighttoExaggerate?’ Denis Etienne,’DoHumanitarianAid 1996 (inFrench). in NGOActivities,’ElPaïs(Spain),19December Ramon Lobo,’ZaireCrisisHighlightstheFlaws

67 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

The refugee crisis in eastern Zaire and the parallel crisis to be the BUS anymore. The other sections represented in Rwanda – cause and effect of the prior one – have in yesterday’s meeting however, think it is important highlighted the serious flaws in humanitarian organisa- to keep a BUS in place. They do not want to take tions’ work. “The facts show that the refugees returned over the BUS duties and think that Amsterdam should home in only four days instead of a month and that the remain the BUS in the Kivu Crisis. Further inter-desks operation took place with support from many people, not negotiating is going on today and the upcoming days just MSF Belgium,” Kayitare said. “So what are they going to find solutions that will terminate this deadlock. We to do with all that money? Of course, they haven’t given will keep you all updated on that. us any.” Milagros Font, MSF’s Financial Manager in Rwanda, noted 3/ The termination of the BUS for the Zaire Crisis also that, “When funds remain from a specific project and that has consequences for inter PR-communication. MSF money comes from a large donor (a government, an insti- Amsterdam will no longer provide you with general tution, or the European Union), we suggest alternative updates on the whole region. For information we want uses,” Font said. “If they refuse, we return the donation.” to refer each of you to the PR colleagues of the section …One year ago, the Rwandan government expelled 37 involved in each separate module. NGOs. MSF France was among them, accused of acting as - MSF Belgium (Rwanda:) Gisenyi, Butare, explo Kibungo a messenger for Hutu extremists in the different camps. - MSF Spain (Tanzania:) Kigoma, Ujiji, Kasulu, explo … “Thirty percent of the NGOs do good work and 70 per- Ngara, (Rwanda) Cyangugu cent are a disaster,” Kagiyate said. …”There is a problem - MSF France (Zaire:) Kinshasa, Kisangani, (Uganda:) with the medicines. Many are already expired when they Kisoro/Kasese arrive.” - MSF Holland (Zaire:) Goma, Bukavu, (Rwanda:) Ruhengeri, MSF’s Font says this is due to the inexperience of some Kibuye NGOs. “We apply very strict controls,” she says. “We are subject to extensive bureaucratic procedures, particularly at the local level. That is why we use products that are good for more than a year…” “Also, people give money for that little black child On 12 December, in honour of its 25th birthday, MSF they saw on television at noon,” an MSF doctor said. France organised a symposium on the topic of ’humani- “But they’re not interested in development programmes tarian responsibility’, which included a discussion on because those are less visible. And that’s the media’s the position of NGOs in the Great Lakes crisis. The fault. With the one-half percent of income taxes devoted discussion was covered in the press. to ‘other issues of social concern,’ there should be a list On 13 December, following rumours about an interven- of reliable NGOs to which citizens could direct their money tion of Rwandan forces to repatriate them by force, and then demand an accounting and results.” 300,000 Rwandan refugees fled camps in Tanzania for Kenya.

On 11 December, desks from the various MSF sections ’Humanitarian Aid Movement in Disarray,’ Le noted the deadlock within the international ET. Each Monde (France), 21 December 1996 (in French). section in eastern Zaire reclaimed operational inde- pendence. Extract: What lessons can be drawn from this series of failures? Must we resign ourselves to impotent medical power? Is withdrawing the only way to show opposition? Or ’Last communication update Zaire Crisis’ MSF, should we stay to care for the most deprived, in spite of PR Amsterdam, 11 December 1996 (in English). everything? How far should warlords be allowed to go in diverting aid to their own coffers? And above all, what Extract: position should we take faced with a political power also […] in disarray, but one still capable of manipulation? How 2/ Yesterday’s desk meeting in Brussels has brought the can we elude its traps and avoid becoming the tool of its ET-cooperation of MSF sections in the Zaire Crisis into hidden strategies? How can we end the confusion of roles a deadlock. MSF Amsterdam does not want to be the between humanitarian aid providers and politicians, when BUS anymore, because it finds various sections do not the former are used – to excess - to disguise the inaction respect the rules and ways of working in ET operations of the latter? that all sections agreed upon months ago. Amsterdam feels it is pushed in a rather ceremonial role (providing These are some of the questions raised during a recent general overviews) instead of a coordinating role, and symposium organised by Médecins Sans Frontières in Paris does not want to play this role anymore. That is why on the topic of humanitarian responsibility in honour of 68 Amsterdam as from last midnight declared herself not the group’s 25th birthday. a deadly ‘non-event.’ aid people wandering in the Kivu, lost in the oblivion of and Burundiand,inparticular,thattheywereunableto had toaccept‘severe constraints’ ontheirworkinRwanda refugees. Heisstillbitterthathumanitarianorganisations it wasdelightedbythemassiverepatriationofHutu director. Thegovernmenttriedtoconvincepeoplethat responded Jean-HervéBradol,MSF’sCommuni-cations That isstillnoreason“toswallowRwanda’sprettystory,” dangerously overstated the case.” that proved to be a figment of the imagination – they would resultinamilliondeathsbeforeChristmas–one lous claims.Bypredictingahumanitariancatastrophethat Mobutu regime.”And,theyadded,“theNGOsmaderidicu- aiding formerRwandangenocideursandsupportingthe manipulated” intheserviceof“aFrenchpolicyaimedat that intherecentKivucrisis,humanitarianaid“was [...] Jean-ChristopheRufinandAlainDestexhealsonote national governments. danger, acollectivesecuritytaskpreviouslyassumedby assigned the responsibility of protectingpopulations in destinies. Thehumanitarianaidmovementhasbeen has givenwaytoanewambition:controllingcollective changed. Theinitialgoalofeasingindividualsuffering become moreprofessionalandmedia-savvy,itsrolehas Over theyears,ashumanitarianmovementhas direction than expected. Ten days ago, the Tanzanian they leftina flash.Andtheyheadedin theopposite - again.Therefugeeshad been expectedtostay,but of Rwandanrefugeestook the entireworldbysurprise this summerandinZaire November,themovement [...] AnUnanticipatedExodus: AfterthecrisesinBurundi refugees had taken tothe road throughthebrush. [...] Bytheendofdayyesterday,morethan300,000 a glance, to fleetowards the Tanzanianinterior. belongings andleftthecampforgood,withoutawordor minutes later,someoftheLumasirefugeesgatheredtheir One afteranother,thebagsoffooddisappeared.Afew Food Programme,(WFP)retreatedtowardthewarehouses. threatened. TheTanzanianworkersrecruitedbytheWorld side of the fence, the crowd waiting for food jostled and In a split second, the mood turned ugly. On the other another. Allatonce,everyonefroze.Someonescreamed. employee nearthescalesstoppedservingfood.Then nine sitesclosetotheborder.Suddenly,aRwandan refugees hadassembledafterthe1994war,dividedamong northwestern Tanzania,wherenearly50,000Rwandan weighed, hauledanddistributedattheLumasicampin As oneveryothermorning,foodrationswerebeing Extract: French). Libération (France),13December1996(in ‘Tanzania: RefugeesFleeforTheirLives,’ force was being dissolved. was tointerveneineasternZaireannouncedthatthe The steeringcommitteeoftheinternationalforcethat leave each day,repatriation quickly got bogged down. But withonlyseveralhundredpeoplevolunteeringto 31 December. Rwandan Patriotic Front. Everyone was to return home by of thegenocideagainstTutsiandvictory exile theremorethantwoyearsago,fleeingtheimpacts government issuedanultimatumtothosewhohadtaken because thenumbersthreatenedtoriseabove23,000. The ICRCtookchargeoffoodandaskedMSFforhelp by Fridaymid-day,theirnumberhadreached23,000. increased. OnThursdayevening,therewere13,000and At Shabunda,thenumberofdisplacedpersons site near Lubutu. An MSFteamprovided aid. December, 70,000 refugees arrived at the Tingi Tingi Kivu. TheICRCaskedMSFtohelpcareforthem.On17 of refugeesreappearednearShabunda,inwestern During thefirsthalfofDecember,tensthousands troops had already received the ordertopack their bags. On Saturday,aCanadianarmyspokespersonsaidthatits hundred men,mostofwhomwerestationedinUganda. had remainedatthepreliminarystage,withonlyafew to sendthesoldiershome. Most areCanadian.Theforce Secretary GeneralBoutrosBoutros-Ghaliofthedecision Commander, GeneralMauriceBaril,willsoonnotifyUN including GreatBritain,FranceandtheUS.TheCanadian mittee, composedofrepresentativesfourteencountries, at theconclusionofameetingforcesteeringcom- will ceasetoexist,diplomatssaidonFriday,13December, to conductahumanitarianinterventionineasternZaire At theendofmonth,multinationalforcethatwas Extract: found between 40,000 and 50,000 refugees in Tingi Tingi, The team conducting an evaluation mission in Lubutu Extract: (France), 16 December1996(inFrench). to DissolveWithoutTakingAction,’LeMonde ‘The Zaire Multinational Intervention Force MSF France, 17 December1996(in French). ’Information Bulletin249,’Internaldocument ,

69 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

a village 9 kilometres from Lubutu in a swampy area. MSF visits and setting up a medical transit centre (to receive gave priority to setting up first-aid medical facilities and the displaced persons, perform medical screening, vacci- a sanitation programme. The teams on site believed that nate children against measles, identify and treat epidemic the Zairian authorities did not want the refugees to stay illnesses, etc.), which will enable people to be registered in the area and were preparing to push them towards and later, possibly benefit from aid or accommodation. Walikale. In three days, we will reinforce our teams in Walikale and Lubutu. These activities were necessary with respect to the authorities. Kisangani is a large city (around 400,000 people), Thirty-eight thousand refugees (10 percent of whom are governed by several authorities that do not necessarily Burundian) arrived in Shabunda. The ICRC has asked MSF have the same interests. Those include parish priests (La to respond. Procure), the army, the governor and businessmen. The city was completely destabilised by the arrival of the FAZ in full flight”. Given that situation, the various authorities had a common desire to arrest and limit the actions Frédéric Fritscher, ‘100,000 People Abandoned of ’rogue’ FAZ forces. Deep in the Zairian Forest,’ Le Monde (France), 17 December 1996 (in French).

Extract: Contrary to the authoritative statements issued by some humanitarian organisations, not all the Rwandan refu- In Tingi Tingi, the humanitarian organisations deter- gees who had been living in eastern Zaire for two years mined that the refugees were still under the control of returned home in November. Dislodged from the Bukavu their armed leaders, who had captured the aid, provid- and Goma camps by the Banyamulenge, 100,000 of them ed by the rebels between two mortar attacks.In a press -- Zairian rebels of Tutsi origin -- arrived in Tingi Tingi, release, MSF France stated that it was aware of this a hamlet located 7 kilometres east of Lubutu, a large and clarified that it would work to avoid reestablish- town half-way between Kisangani and Walikale. They had ing permanent refugee camps. The organisation noted walked for more than a month, fleeing the advance of that several hundreds of thousands of people were still ’rebels’ supported by the Burundian or Rwandan armies. missing in eastern Zaire.

[...] UNICEF and MSF teams have been working in Tingi Tingi for several days. The fleet of small aeroplanes has not yet been able to meet the camp’s needs but the ’Information Bulletin on Kivu and Upper Zaire,’ humanitarian organisations’ presence is reassuring. They MSF France Press Release, 18 December 1996 may also ultimately be able to encourage UNHCR’s inter- (in French). national bureaucrats to take an interest in the fate of refugees under their protection in the Goma and Bukavu Extract: camps. As of now, no UNHCR staff person has visited Tingi In Tingi Tingi (7 kilometres south of Lubutu), an estimat- Tingi or Shabunda, near Kindu, where 100,000 more refu- ed 70,000 refugees are gathered along the landing strip. gees have just been located and aided by the ICRC. The team’s preliminary medical evaluation revealed many cases of malaria, diarrhoea with suspicion of dysentery, severe anemia, infected skin disorders, foot wounds and malnutrition among children.

MSF France set up a rear base in the town of Kisangani, For now, cases of malnutrition have been detected but we where a team was already providing support to the expect a major food crisis. Some refugees have even been general hospital and managing a medical transit centre reduced to eating leaves and roots. The population density for the Zairian population. at the Tingi Tingi site is very high. The camp’s space planning is anarchic although the administrative structure is well organised (by prefecture of origin and by commune). The site is in a swampy area. Several small surface streams Minutes of the 24 January 1997 Meeting of are being contaminated by human waste. Médecins Sans the MSF France Board of Directors (in French). Frontières has begun an urgent water purification and sanitation programme to prevent likely contamination of Extract: refugees. The MSF team went to Kisangani and observed the needs On 17 December, a second evaluation by an MSF medical of the displaced and resident Zairian population, victims team put the number of refugees at 70,000. With UNICEF, of looting, rape, and acts of destruction by Zairian armed MSF set up six clinics at the Tingi Tingi site. A nutritional forces (FAZ) in disarray. The team decided to provide sup- centre was established to treat malnourished children. 70 port to the Kisangani general hospital by resuming patient massacres. We had wanted to, but hadnot done so. … Itwasclearthatwehadn’treallyspokenoutaboutthe some peopleatMSF,butnotforothersorthefieldteam. mid-December. Itwasstillabitvague.priorityfor ple haddiedintheforest.We’dbethinkingaboutthatsince journey since they left thecamps. Tingi tocollectstatementsfromrefugeesabouttheir MSF France’sCommunicationsOfficerwenttoTingi limited assistance. camps inZaire,wearerespondingunderaframeworkof tions we are aiding. To avoid creating permanent refugee genocide, are almost certainly present among the popula- and Interahamwegroups,leadersofthe1994Rwandan [...] Médecins Sans Frontières is aware that armed ex-FAR eastern Zaire whose fate is unknown. There are currently hundreds of thousands of people in placed persons’ statements when Ifindmy notes. Tell meifthiscanbeofanyuse.I’llhavetwomoredis- a complicated task. to getthemtalkandobtainingpreciseinformationis people couldspeakfreelyaboutRwanda,itwasstillhard Bukavu. Butevenifthingswereslightlydifferentand leaders. That would have been unimaginable in Goma and fact thatwewereusingpeoplerecruitedbythecamp help themreturntoRwandaandoneguycriticisedthe freely thaninGoma.Forexample,twogirlsaskedmeto In thebeginning,Ifoundthatrefugeesspokemore back? reliable information. Maybe when Brigitte and Pierre get round outbutit’sdifficulttofindprecisenumbersand visit toLubutu.Therearequiteafewthingsverifyand Here iseverythingIwasabletogatherduringa1 Extract: interviewed by AnneFouchard-Brown (summer 1997). Anne Guibert, MSF FrancePress Officer (inFrench), spective mortalitystudytofindouthowmanypeo- on the massacres. The idea was to produce a retro- I wenttherearound20Decembertowriteareport tions officer, 30 December 1996 (inFrench). Fax from Anne Guibert, MSF France communica - 1/2 day had about speaking out publicly. Dutch mediachilledanynotionMSFHollandmighthave For severalmonths,thecredibilitycrisisvis-à-vis to increasefundraising.ItwasabigstoryinHolland. exaggerated itspredictionsoftherefugees’condition zine. ThequotegavetheimpressionthatMSFhad Fundraising DirectorweremisquotedinaDutchmaga- Last december,statementsfromMSFHolland was also team security to consider. wards, there wasacertain fear of speaking out. And, there time, itwasamajorcrisis.Ihadtheimpressionthatafter- In theend,contextwasrestoredsomewhatbutat tance. Thethingsthatweresaidtakenoutofcontext. ing thatwholeperiodwasasenseofperspectiveanddis- just referringto thatanditwaspoorly interpretedby Americans were denying etc…”So it’s possible that he was going onandaroundabout howmanyrefugees.The was like: “Well, you know, there have been so many figures time.” AndifIbelievehim,then whathemeanttoexpress a lotofplaying with figures about thiswhole crisis atthe his position. And then he says indeed, “You know there was fund raisingreasons,thatyouhavetobereliable.Thatwas that itwasnotappropriate,youcouldn’tdofor bit togettheattention.”Ourfundraisersaidthathefelt know, ofcoursesometimeswehavetoexaggeratealittle in thatinterview.Someonesaidsomethinglike,“Well,you There werefivefundraisersofbigNGOsintheNetherlands still, nooneknowsexactlywhathesaidintheinterview. So itwasextremelyhardtogetbackthereality.Actually, for fundraisingreasons.”Itwasquotedthatwesaidthat. like asifwehadsaid,”Yesofcourseexaggerated, it was story. Particularlybecauseitwasreferringtoquotes, negative. For days, we didn’t manage really to reverse the paper copiedthatstuffanditwasallnegative, were reallytotallyfools.Everylittle,nasty,stupid,news- And theeffecthasbeenthatforatleastaweekmedia funds“. in theNetherlandswas:“MSFexaggeratedordertoget zine asapressrelease,soinfactwhatbecametheheadline of theinterview.Thiswasreleasedbythatparticularmaga- to getmorefundraising.Wehaveneverseenthetranscript that waslinkedtostatementsaboutusingfiguresinorder with figuresinthatwholecrisisonwhatwasgoingon.”And Dr. Jacques de Milliano, MSF HollandGeneral Director written aboutthestatistics.Whatwasmissingdur- impact inHolland.Therewasaninternaldocument That wholenumbersthinghadaverypowerful saying, “Wellofcoursetherehasbeenbigplaying of Fundraisingatthetimeleastwasquotedas InaninterviewinafundraisingmagazinetheHead and MSFInternational vice-président (in English).

71 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

the journalist. And then, they wrongly brought into con- In his 11 January 1997 sitrep, the MSF Holland Head nection with these other statements made by someone, of Mission visiting Bukavu announced the team’s deci- like, “Yes of course we sometimes must exaggerate.” So, sion to change their approach toward refugees so that factually, even by reading the text, it was not correct as it the rebels could no longer use them as bait. The sitrep was presented in the media. But it was the time for media was transmitted to all operational MSF sections in Zaire attacks on MSF, they really were so keen on getting us down and Rwanda. that we couldn’t escape it anymore. It has undoubtedly led to confusion here. We really had to think also in retrospect about how correct were we, what did we do wrong and how should we do better. There was a Sitrep Kivu , from MSF Kigali, Ton Berg, (tem- lot of self-investigating going on. That was one process that porarily in Bukavu) to MSF Amsterdam, MSF happened somewhere in that same period, which undoubt- Goma, MSF Bukavu, MSF Kigali and Kivu support edly made us less keen on being very active on media stuff. team, forwarded to other sections, 11 January 1997 ( in English). Ruud Huurman, MSF Holland Press Officer (in English). Extract: In the Bukavu area, information on ethnic cleansing did not only become stronger and stronger, it might even have a relation with the work of the humanitarian organisations. UNHCR-ICRC-MSF are working closely together It was pretty difficult. I don’t believe that this was to assist larger groups of refugees who are on the move. a deliberate policy of MSF Holland. I think that they When larger groups are found the authorities are aware of really slipped up because they said to themselves, this as they monitor our movements very closely. Several “We sounded like we were contradicting ourselves so we’d be times when we wanted to assist a group the area was better off not to say anything.” They should have said, sealed of for a military operation in order to make the area “He’s talking nonsense. He’s a good guy but he’s not the safe enough for us to go in. When returning there after Communications Director, he’s the Fundraising Director. permission of the authorities, no refugees were found any We’re really sorry.” They weren’t brave enough to say, ”He more. The dilemma, expressed in the last sitrep about our made a mistake.” Luckily, there was no impact here in the fear that our presence is not improving the chances of the UK It stayed in Holland.” refugees to survive is now even stronger. Are we becoming a risk for the refuges ? Anne-Marie Huby, MSF UK Executive Director It is decided to change our intervention approach towards (in French). these groups of refugees. We will encourage people to come to the main roads and spread the news that they will get assistance on the road. This way we are sure that our assistance is helping the refugees and the last two During the same period, the coordinator of the MSF days, when concentrating on the road activities this fear Holland team in Bukavu reported to the Head of is almost over. Both in North and South Kivu we know that Mission and the Executive Director about the massacres the humanitarian situation is bad and we hear more and around Bukavu and suggested that MSF withdraw. more from refugees that men and boys do disappear from refugees groups, taken by the Alliance, the Interahamwe, etc...

I suggested three or four times that we leave and close the mission. I remember talking to Lex (Winkler, MSF Holland Executive Director) in Kigali around Christmas. I presented my arguments. My informa- “20 PEOPLE ON AVERAGE DIE tion on the massacres around Chimanga, statements from EVERY DAY IN THE TINGI TINGI the people who’d escaped, the fact that we’d been used as bait… I have a very clear recollection of their questions and CAMP” their thoughts. “Did you hear the killers? Are you sure this was a massacre? You had stories from villagers saying they arrived two days later and killed people but you don’t have any eyewitness statements.” After the problem with the figures, they were very, very cautious. Things were completely paralyzed! On 14 January, during a joint press conference in Paris, MSF France and UNICEF emphasised that the health Dr. José-Antonio Bastos, MSF ET (Emergency inter- situation in Tingi Tingi was deteriorating because of 72 sections Team) Coordinator in South Kivu (in French). limited general food distributions and logistical dif- mation that hadbegun to circulate on themassacres. Shabunda. Therewasnodiscussionoubouttheinfor- ficulties preventingaccesstothe60,000refugeesin of refugees who wishto return to Rwanda. protection is also needed urgently to guarantee the safety militias arepreventedfrom controlling thecamp.UNHCR so thataidpassesdirectlyto headsoffamiliesandthe militias. Newproceduresmust beputinplacequickly ised andcontrolledbyformer Rwandanauthoritiesand As intheKivuregion,camps nearLubutuareorgan- precarious,” Dr. Vassetsaid. distribution system which has been organised is extremely continues toworsenandweseenoeasysolutions.“The tions, whohavebeentakenhostageagain.Theirsituation part oftheinternationalcommunitybutcivilianpopula - delays indistributionsandthelackofcommitmenton The leadersandmilitiamenarenottheonespenalizedby price today of theaidactors’ slow response. for theseshortages.Thecivilianpopulationispayingthe cal willonthepartofinternationalactorsareresponsible Logistical problemswithdeliveryaswelllackofpoliti - 30 tonnesgetthroughdailytoTingiandAmissi. nearly 70tonnesshouldbedistributedperday,fewerthan delivered tothecampcannotmeetallneeds. While than twodays’rationsperperson.Thequantityoffood distributions havebeenconducted,theequivalentofless refugees’ arrivalinTingiTingi,onlytwogeneralfood are receivingsupplementaryfoodrations.Sincethe individuals (pregnantwomen,theelderly,andchildren) nourished children. Another 1,800 particularly vulnerable therapeutic feedingcentreistreating193severelymal- Feeding centresareoverwhelmed.TheUNICEFandMSF trition, the primarycause of adultmortality is malaria. malnutrition. Whileadultsarealsosufferingfrommalnu- recorded wereamongchildrenunder5,withmostdueto 20 peopleweredyingeveryday.Morethanhalfthedeaths people diedintheTingicamp.Lastweek,morethan alarming rate.Between18Decemberand11January,380 beginning of the month, mortality has increased at an All healthindicatorsconfirmthatdeterioration.Sincethe today.” in theirhealthstatus.Wearefacingarealemergency food, wehaveobservedanextremely rapid deterioration returned fromLubutu.“Giventheirfatigueandthelackof Brigitte Vasset,ofMédecinsSansFrontières,whojust “The refugees began arriving 1,5 months ago,“ said Dr on theKivu camps inOctober. ing for weeks following the Banyamulenge rebel attacks Kisangani inUpperZaire.Therefugeesarrivedafterwalk- Tingi andAmissi, near Lubutu, 200 kilometres from More than 100,000 Rwandan refugees face catastrophe in Extract: French). MSF France,Belgium,14January1996(in Tingi Tingi Camp in Upper Zaire,’ ’Twenty PeopleonAverageDieEveryDayinthe Press Release, working in theAmissicamp. medical andsanitaryneedsinthecamp.UNICEFisalso Tingi today.TheMSFandUNICEFteamsarehandling MSF, UNICEFandWFParetheonlyagenciesoperatingin Kisangani. ing in these camps. MSF also works in Goma, Bukavu and Today, MSF,UNICEF,andWFP aretheonlyagencieswork- and wesee no easysolutions.” again beentakenhostage.Theirsituationisgettingworse in assistance,butthecivilianpopulationwhohaveonce leaders or militias who are being penalized for the delay who has just returned from theregion. “It is not the are onlygoingtogetworse,”explains Dr BrigitteVasset, ous. Therainyseasonisabouttostartandtheproblems that we have managed to put in place is extremely precari- “We arefacingarealemergencyhereandthedistribution the protectionofrefugeeswhowanttoreturnRwanda. ling thecamps.ItisalsourgentforUNHCRtoassure the headsoffamiliestopreventmilitiasfromcontrol- must quicklybeputinplacesothataidpassesdirectlyto the formerRwandanauthoritiesandmilitias.Anewsystem These campsarestillorganisedandunderthecontrolof tonnes offoodadayyetlessthan30getthrough. of foodrationsperperson.Therefugeesneedalmost72 general fooddistributions,equaltolessthantwodays in October.Sincetheyarrivedtherehavebeenonlytwo Banyamulenge rebelattacksontheKivurefugeecamps half ago,mosthavingwalkedforweeksfollowingthe The refugeesarrivedatTingioveramonthand receiving supplementary food rations. individuals (pregnantwomen,the elderly, children) are nourished children. Another 1,800 particularly vulnerable by MSFandUNICEFtherearealready193severelymal- are overwhelmed;intheTherapeuticFeedingCentrerun adult mortality is malaria. Aid agencies’ feeding centres are alsosufferingfrommalnutrition,themaincauseof most oftheirdeathsduetomalnutrition.Whilstadults than half the deaths are children under the age of 5 with last weekmorethan20peopleweredyingeveryday.More 11th January380peoplediedinthecampatTingiTingi; over thelastcoupleofweeks.From18thDecemberto All healthindicatorsshowthedeteriorationhasincreased Zaire. camps, 200kmfromKisangani,nearLubutu,inUpper 100,000 RwandanrefugeesintheTingiandAmissi The healthsituationhasdeterioratedsharplyforthe Extract: MSF UK, 14 January1997(in English). in TingiRefugeeCamp,’PressRelease, and UnfairDistributionCause20DeathsDaily Camps inUpperZaire–SeriousFoodShortages ‘Mortality RisesSharplyinRwandanRefugee

73 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

1) The title, ‘Twenty People are Dying Every Day,’ is too similar to, ‘Are 13,600 Deaths Insignificant?’ Although ’In Zaire, Rwandan Refugees’ Suffering the number appears to be confirmed this time, we Continues – Some 300,000 People in Terrible should avoid using the tone that caused us a lot of Health,’ Libération (France), 15 January 1997 damage in the international press. (in French). 2) The first paragraph mentions, “attacked by the Banyamulenge rebels…” This is the only faction Extract: named, which could suggest a political accusation and Two months after more than 500,000 refugees returned to thus, a bias. And what about the ex-FAR, the former Rwanda, those deep in the forest inside Zaire continue to genocideurs, and the FAZ who also participated in the suffer. Driven out of the Goma, Bukavu and Uvira camps by fighting? All right, that makes sense. South Kivu rebels and exhausted by weeks of walking, they 3) The entire final section of the press release falls into are now near Kisangani, in the north-west, and Kindu, in the category of commentary. It may be a little soon to the west, virtually deprived of all humanitarian aid. Their draw conclusions and point fingers at the international health status, and particularly that of children, is cata- actors. In the phrase, “lack of political will on the part strophic, according to witnesses from UNICEF and Médecins of international actors” and “paying the price of the Sans Frontières (MSF), who returned from a month-long mis- aid actors’ slow response,” we are accusing UNHCR, the sion in the two camps set up near Lubutu, 170 kilometres ICRC, etc. Even if they are not named, they will know from Kisangani. who we mean. In this situation, it is unwise to make In Tingi Tingi, 120,000 people are packed along the roads, accusations against our partners. in the forest and in the swamps. They are stealing crops 4) Once again, we’re teaching UNHCR a lesson. I thought from farmers in the region to survive and the situation that as well. It’s rather easy to demand this and to between the refugees and the local population is extremely urge that, and to criticise in a vacuum. That’s why we tense. too barred the comments on UNHCR. “UNHCR must also In this camp, “20 to 30 people are dying every day and urgently guarantee the protection of refugees who wish that’s among those who are registered,” says UNICEF’s to return to Rwanda.” After a meeting with UNHCR at Patrice Duamelle. “Half of them are children under 5.” The the end of the year, we were convinced that they were causes of mortality are malaria, diarrhoea, respiratory infec- really concerned about the situation. Last week, they tions, and malnutrition. On 25 December 1996, a UNICEF sent 18 people to the region. Are we sure that those feeding centre registered 60 children suffering from extreme people aren’t doing anything? Have we tried talking malnutrition. By 12 January, that number had risen to 193. with UNHCR before telling them what they should be MSF confirms that “mortality is increasing at an alarming doing? It didn’t take long to see the results. This morn- pace. Between 18 October and 11 January, 380 people died ing, an MSF Switzerland staff member was at a meeting in the Tingi Tingi camp. Last week, more than 20 people at UNHCR. Someone made it very clear that the attitude were dying every day.” gaining ground there is: “We’ve had it with MSF!” Quite [...] The situation is even worse further south in Shabunda, understandable, of course. where 60,000 people are gathered, accessible only by canoe. No one has been there since 26 December. An interagency It’s too bad that after the COM discussion in Amsterdam, mission is supposed to leave today for that location. we didn’t have more consultation before distributing press The key problem facing efforts to save the refugees - who releases across countries. are reported to total between 200,000 and 300,000 - is Still, this press release is well done and the text dealing logistical. Success depends on the good will of the interna- with the events and the health studies carried out in the tional community. camp deserve wide distribution. That is why we distributed it, removing the parts referred to above. [...] “As in the Kivu, the camps near Lubutu are organised I hope that we will be able to talk about this next and run by former Rwandan authorities and militias,” MSF Thursday. says. The group is calling for new systems to be established that work directly through heads of families.

’Response to Denis Inkeï’s Comments on the Press Release,’ Email from MSF France ’Comments on the Press Release,’ Email from Communications Director to Communications Denis Inkeï, communications director, MSF Directors in other sections, 17 January, 1997 Switzerland, to the MSF International Press (in French). Officer, 14 January 1997 (in French). Extract: Extract: There is a famine underway in Tingi Tingi. Children are In the follow-up to our telephone call, I am responding to dying of hunger. When the press release was distributed, the items in the ‘Tingi Tingi’ press release that we think WFP had distributed 300 grams per person over three 74 are inappropriate. weeks. The leaders had been given the food, not the UNHCR was ’selling’them to theRwandans, etc. pursued, that WFP didn’t want to help them, that the army wascarryingoutmassacres, thatpeoplewerebeing of informationontheabuses. WeknewthattheRwandan poorly there.”Atthattime,wealreadyhadafairamount a doctor in thefield. She saidthingslike, “It’s goingvery briefed the reporters publicly. Her comments were those of ward given the context. Regarding thetitle,DenisInkeïisright.It’salittleawk- ing, we decided nottoissuea joint release. Because UNICEF refused to address that question in writ- with whomtheMSFteammetwanttoreturnRwanda. who carriedoutthegenocideandthatseveralrefugees we stateclearlythatthecampiscontrolledbythose Regarding the’politicalbalance’ofpressrelease, that there would befriction between usand UNHCR. rificed inthisoperation.Inthatcontext,itisonlylogical as hostages;wemustnotethat many hostagesweresac- We thoughtitwasagoodideatodescribetherefugees situation of some of the Rwandan and Burundian refugees. tecting refugeesis,atbest,outofstepgiventhetragic of theleadershipUNagencyresponsibleforpro- In thefaceofthisprettyseriousassessment,reaction since they arrived. to warzones,severalhundredofwhomhavebeenkilled ago. ThousandsofBurundian refugees were repatriated area; 10,000returneestoRwandafromBukavuaweek dying of hunger, not including those still roaming in the real assistance (Tingi Tingi, Shabunda and Amissi) and most favorably);atleast200,000refugeesleftwithout in Goma (the region where the crisis was resolved the accompanied byparticularlyhighmortality:6,300bodies the phone.TherepatriationofRwandanrefugeeswas week beforethepressconference,wetalkedtothemon particularly shockedbytheagency’slackofresponse.A bers –prettyhighlevelfromUNHCRGenevawhowere Specifically regardingUNHCR,therewerealsostaffmem- prior months. had shownsomehostilitytowardsaidorganisationsinthe even thoughtheaudienceincludedseveraljournalistswho doctors presented.Reportersdidn’taskanyhardquestions the pictureofhealthsituation that UNICEFandMSF setting. Everyone, including the reporters, felt lousy given position. It all occurred in a completely non-aggressive conference andwasinterviewedtoclarifytheUNHCR’s UNHCR’s spokesperson in France, attended the press but fornow,therealityissomethingelse.MmePertuis, relations effect of sendingthe18staff members isclear Vasset saidthattheywereextremelycynical.Thepublic heads offamily.UNHCRwasn’tdoingmuchandBrigitte manager then Communication Director (in French). Operations hadjustcomebackfromthefieldand eign presscorrespondents’club.OurDirector of We heldapressconferencewithUNICEFatthefor- Dr. Jean-Hervé Bradol, MSF France programme rity for humanitarian organisations. authorities toinvestigatethekillingsandensuresecu- them enter.MSFissuedapubliccalltoRwandan gone tothehomeofMSFteam,whodidnotlet their houseinRuhengeri.Thekillershadpreviously three Médecins du Monde volunteers were killed in targeted withviolence.Onthenightof19January, Beginning inearlyJanuary,expatriatesRwandawere still in the camps. also vetoedanydiscussionofthe’mercenaries’whowere that WFPdidn’thaveenoughmoneytoprovidefood.They’d not arrivedonsiteaftertwomonthsofprocrastinationor was outofthequestiontocomplainthatUNHCRhadstill about responsibilities,specifically those ofUNagencies.It sure that it was all factual and that no one pointed fingers that ourmessagewasn’tespeciallyunusual.UNICEFmade We’d hardly ever had so many reporters, especially given However, morethan40showedupatthispressconference. saturated, wethoughttherewouldn’tbemanypeople. had gottenhammeredandfeltthatthejournalistswere French presshadbeenfollowingthingsclosely,butsincewe given thecontext,createdahugestir.Fortwomonths, We joinedupwithUNICEFforapressconference,which munity. So itwasprimarily a very factual communication. lack ofpoliticalwillonthepartinternationalcom- pletely unrealistictotalkaboutit,butitdidthe Médecins Sans Frontièresbelievesthatcertain Rwandan beneficiaries. strategy targetinginternational organisationsandaid Médecins SansFrontièresvigorously condemnsthisdeadly Gisenyi, underscore agrowing climate ofinsecurity. tions andcivilianpopulations, particularlyinKabayaand acts ofintimidationtargeted atinternationalorganisa- international presenceinthefield.Inlasttwoweeks, The likelypurposeoftheseattackswastodiscourageany seriously wounded. gangs. ThreeMDMvolunteerswerekilledandafourthwas and Médecins Sans Frontières – were attacked by armed isations –MédecinsduMonde,SavetheChildrenFund (Brussels) On Saturdaynight, three international organ- Extract: interviewed by AnneFouchard-Brown (September 1997). Anne Guibert, MSF FrancePress Officer (inFrench), attacks becauseatthatmoment,itseemedcom- communications didn’t discuss protection and We werefocusedonthepeopleinTingiTingi.Our French). Release, MSFBelgium,22January1997(in ‘Rwanda: MSFCondemnsDeadlyStrategy,’Press

75 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

provinces lack a minimal level of security. Médecins Sans Frontières calls on Rwandan authorities to investigate these murders and promptly ensure a minimum ’Information Bulletin 256,’ MSF France Internal level of security for humanitarian teams and the civilian document, 23 January 1997 (in French). population. Médecins Sans Frontières will decide its future involve- Extract: ment in health programmes on the basis of forthcoming Zaire: security measures. -Tingi-Tingi : Although the teams have been reduced, MSF has, for now, The arrival of some 15 reporters the day before yesterday decided to maintain its current programmes in Gisenyi, provoked sharp tension in the camp. People were wait- Cyangungu, Butare and Kigali. MSF is providing support to ing for food that had still not arrived. Groups of men four hospitals, 35 health centres, 3 camps for Zairian and were massed around the WFP warehouse. The threatening Burundian refugees and is caring for 350 unaccompanied atmosphere led the MSF team to withdraw from the camp children across the country. for the rest of the day. WFP began distributing the 120 tonnes of food in the warehouse. Three MSF volunteers work in the camp (doctor, nurse and logistician). A fourth may join them in the next few days. Minutes of the 24 January 1997 Meeting of the MSF France Board of Directors (in French).

Extract: Stephen Smith, ’Escapees from the Zairian Rwanda Jungle,’ Libération (France), 22 January 1997 Three members of MDM Spain were killed in Ruhengeri. (in French). Last Saturday night, the MSF compound was attacked and items were stolen, but the attackers were not allowed to Extract: enter the house. “It’s a scandal,” says an official of a medical organisa- The MDM Spain compound was also attacked but it’s not tion. He says that “under US pressure, the World Food clear what happened, beyond that three people were shot Programme (WFP) did not do its job” and that the UN High to death and another was seriously wounded. Supplies Commissioner for Refugees “is making a mockery of its (and money?) were stolen and then the army drove off statutory protection mandate.” ... A member of a humani- the attackers. tarian organisation adds that “in southern Kivu where The team is traumatised and considering what to do. our teams are prohibited from travelling, Laurent-Désiré Should teams be reduced or withdrawn, allowing local Kabila’s rebels are also decimating the Rwandans heading teams to take over the activities? We have not yet made home, especially the intellectuals.” any decisions. The NGOs met in Kigali but did not take any overall position. The tendency (though not on MSF’s part) was even to minimize the event. No one knows the killers’ identity. ‘Interview with Brigitte Doppler’, MSF There are many other attacks, with threats and simu- Coordinator, broadcast on the television net- lated executions. These attacks are of an anti-white and work TF1 (France), 24 January 1997 (in French). anti-NGO nature. The record is turning grim. Rwanda is ’Burundi-izing’ and the idea of a ’prohibited zone’ is Extract: emerging. People are arriving late and in very bad shape … they’ve walked a tremendous distance and have lots of wounds… 55 percent of the deaths are among children under five. …We’re getting ready for a possible epidemic explosion in the camp. On 21 January, around 15 reporters went to the Tingi Tingi camp. The MSF Press officer provided them the refugee statements that she had been able to collect. The press presence created tension as the refugees were waiting for a delayed food distribution. The MSF I brought all the reporters into the nutrition centre teams had to evacuate temporarily. V9 and the cholera camp. I’ve known them all since Somalia so we’ve talked a lot.

People were coming out of the forest in terrible shape! There was no food. We weren‘t able to feed them. Tingi Tingi was in the deep forest. There was only one cargo plane and not enough food was arriving. And Kabila was advancing very 76 quickly. With Pierre Nabeth (MSF physician-epidemiologist), deteriorating situation in Tingi Tingi. On 23January,MSFwarnedthepressagainabout stay in Tingifor more than 1 what they were saying was obviously true. But I couldn’t from ’badguys,’sotheyweren’tveryrepresentative,evenif ments. That’snotverymany.Amongthoseten,fivewere in the end, everyone dies. Otherwise, allyou’redoingisprovidingpalliativecareand ing out.Iwasconvincedthatthat’swhathadtobedone. worst butthat’snottrue.…Iwasn’tworriedaboutspeak- the population’shistory.Youalwaysthinkyou’veseen lasted 1,5months.Itwashorrible,especially if youknow gee camp,escapeesintheforest,deepforest…Tingionly refugees wereinanabsolutelyintolerablesituation–arefu- we startedtosetupasystemgathermortalitydata.The logistical problems. So thatwastheprioritywefocusedon. because justbefore,theemphasishadbeenonfoodand France 3.Butthemessagedidn’tgetoutintheirarticles informally onthemassacresbeforetheyleft-AFP,CNN, planes tothecampwithreporters,webriefedsomeofthem (French weekly)…WhentheFrenchgovernmentsent ments, astheneedarose,toCNN,Nouvel of carryingoutthesurvey.…Wedistributedstate- physician-epidemiologist) hadtoworkasadoctorinstead only threeorfourpeopleontheteam,Pierre(Nabeth, carry out the retrospective mortality survey. Since there were be evacuated.So I wasn’tvery comfortable. We couldn’t refugees. In nearly two months, they have received barely The lackoffood remainsthemajorproblem forthe have died, including 287childrenunder 5. children under5years old. Since18December,526people The daybeforeyesterday,22 refugeesdied,including16 Tingi site in UpperZaire. Rwandan andhundredsofBurundian refugeesattheTingi The situationremainscriticalformorethan100,000 Extract: interviewed by AnneFouchard-Brown (summer 1997). Anne Guibert, MSF France Press Officer(in French), so. Inmid-January,Icamebackwithtenstate- the massacres.Wehadwantedto,buthadn’tdone It’s obviousthatwehadn’treallyspokenoutabout Brigitte Doppler, MSF France Medical Coordinator, 1997 (inFrench). Zaire,’ MSFFrance,PressRelease,23January ’Situation StillCriticalinTingiTingi,Upper 1/2 Tingi (in French). days because I had to Observateur goals of MSF’s presence in the Great Lakes region and desks andmanagers atheadquarters,reviewed the In late January, MSF teams in Rwanda, as well as the rhoea. in choleraisolationtents,andtreated1,200casesofdiar identified 120casesofcholera,hospitalized170patients During thepast10days,DoctorsWithoutBordershasalso bring cargoplanestothe isolated camps. Nations andhumanitarianagencieshavenotbeenableto insufficient stockstofeedeveryoneinthecamp.United Although somefooddistributionhasbegun,thereare 15 -afurthersignthatthesituation is worsening. has alsobeguntoaffectmoreandrefugeesoverage increased from50to250sinceDecember25.Malnutrition dren in the Doctors Without Borders feeding centres has 4-day supply.Thenumberofseverelymalnourishedchil have eachreceivedfewerthan1,000gramsoffood-a Since theirarrivalnearlytwomonthsago,therefugees food shortageisresponsibleformany of thedeaths. evacuated refugeecampsontheRwandanborder.Asevere Tingi inlateNovember,havingfledonfootfromthe 100,000 Rwandanand100Burundianrefugeesarrivedin of theadultdeathshavebeenfrommalaria.Morethan children’s deathshavebeenduetomalnutrition,andmost 21, including16childrenundertheageof5.Most to thepopulation.Twenty-tworefugeesdiedonJanuary ber DoctorsWithoutBordersteamprovidinghealthcare situation is deteriorating rapidly, according to the3-mem in arefugeecampTinginorth-easternZaire.The December, 526people,including287children,havedied January 23,1997-NewYork,NY:Sincethe18thof Extract: tents. treated and 170 patients are hospitalized in isolation most deadlyillness,1,200diarrhoeacaseshavebeen in the camp but for now, simple diarrhoea remains the Over the last 10 days, 120 cholera cases have been treated food supplies. do not have access to cargo planes required to deliver general situationcontinuestoworsen,aidagenciesstill site aretoolimitedtoallowafulldistribution.Whilethe A new food distribution is underway, but food stocks on that the situation isdeteriorating. increasingly affectingpeopleabove15,furtherindication today comparedto50on25December.Malnutritionis the feedingcentrecontinues to grow,withmorethan 250 ration. The number of seriously malnourished children at more than2,000gramsoffood,theequivalentfourdays January 1997 (inEnglish). the PastMonth,’MSF USA, PressRelease,23 Tingi, Zaire-526RefugeesDeathsReportedin ‘Refugees FaceHealthCatastropheinTingi - - -

77 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

specifically in Rwanda, where security incidents were dences involved in these incidents directed at MSF suggests multiplying. that one or another party to the conflict is not interested in seeing us stay/work/assist/advocate. Question about the MDM’s killers, so no protection requested from authorities. - The populations being aided are no longer providing pro- Letter from Bernard Pecoul, MSF France General tection. Director, to all coordinators in the Great Lake - In addition: medical staff files refused, difficulties never Region, all programme managers of the Great before experienced in obtaining visas and work permits and Lake Region and all Directors of Operations, 28 administrative controls imposed on NGOs. Undeniable lack January 1997 (in English). of coordination and difference of opinions among different ministries. Extract: - Furthermore: no support from the UN and little solidarity Dear friends, among the NGOs (death of the 3 MDMs seen as a simple On behalf of all General Directors I address you this mes- robbery gone bad). sage. Due to the recent developments in the Great lakes region [...] Proposal: (Rwanda, Zaire, Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda), we would like - Close all programmes considered non-essential. Only (++) to ask you to draw up a common analysis of the situation projects remain for a period of three months, i.e. Burate as soon as possible. if the situation is stable, and unobtrusive emergency preparedness This analysis should conclude with: - Reduce and replace teams (physically and psychologically 1) a common definition of MSF’s short term objectives in impossible to keep too many inexperienced volunteers on the region: why is MSF present today in Rwanda, Burundi, standby). Tingi Tingi, etc. ? - Announce to the government and partners that we will 2) a common definition on a ‘modus operandi’, a way to withdraw in 3 months (except ++ projects) and final with- coordinate, the adaptations that have to be made: the drawal if no positive changes how-aspect. - Keep supplies to the bare minimum, donations, transfers - Possible departure of sections? We would like a proposal from the coordinators and desks - Low profile concerned as quickly as possible. This proposal should be - Strengthen security measures (already underway). based upon a hopefully strong agreement. As soon as we receive the proposal a conference call will be organised with the operational and general directors. During this telephone meeting the proposal will be either Message from the MSF Belgium Rwanda pro- approved, if the proposal seems coherent, or reviewed and gramme manager to the MSF Belgium team in submitted to further discussion. Kigali, copy to other sections’ programme managers. 28 January 1997 (in French).

Extract: Message from MSF Belgium to Kigali to MSF MSF can perform its medical assistance role in Rwanda Belgium, Spain and Holland officials, 28 January (even if currently constrained in certain at-risk areas) but 1997 (in French). the advocacy role is very limited – on the one hand, by the presence of human rights observers, who are professionals Extract: in this area (but whose access to at-risk communities is Events: limited just as MSF’s, - on the other, because MSF does not - 3 security incidents in 3 weeks targeting MSF at 3 different have confirmed first-hand information. However, it is still locations. possible to speak out about the general situation in Rwanda, - In the Cyangugu and Kabaya cases, only MSF was targeted. the humanitarian needs and the insecurity that hampers aid - All 3 incidents were carried out by armed individuals. from reaching the populations. However, it is not possible to make critical or condemnatory statements (but MSF does Conclusions – hasty? not have its own objective information to present so such - Intimidation or a “polite invitation” to get out of town. advocacy would not be justified). Conclusions strengthened by the impression that the [...] Recommended measures Kabaya and Cyangugu incidents were staged. In Kabaya, - Low profile and maximum security measures the apparent motive of the attack was the need for medi- - Streamline teams, vehicles (don’t be too visible, watch out cines/looting of the pharmacy. Upon investigation, no for the pattern of the white 4X4 seen everywhere), avail- medicines were found to be missing… able resources - Suspend (not close) non-essential programmes [...] The prospects of staying: - Reorganize essential programmes, particularly in terms of 78 - Without being paranoid, it seems to us that the coinci- human resources the GreatLakesregionisunrelatedtoBelgiangovern For Steffi:IcanassureyouthatMSFBelgium’sinterestin Comments: - further intotheMasisi. security problems, the teamwasstillunabletotravel was facingacatastrophicfoodsituation.Butbecauseof mission intheSakéregionwherelocalpopulation finally obtainedauthorisationtoconductanevaluation On 30Januaryand1February,theMSFHollandteam tions sharethisview. a waytocarryoutourmission.IthinktheotherMSFsec aggravated bythesecuritysituation,itisuptousfind always workhandinglove…Indifficultcircumstances, kind ofpopulation,evenifassistanceandadvocacydon’t Our dutyofassistanceandadvocacyistobeclosethis is apost-genocidesituationandtheconflictcontinues. there. Thepopulationsareinaprecarioussituation,it the GreatLakesregionbecauseamajorcrisisisunderway agree!!! MSFBispreparedtocontinueitsoperationsin an assertionandIexpectthattheothersectionswould ment! Andevenlesssotomoney!!!MSFBrejectssuch - - situation inTingi Tingi. On 31 January, MSF renewed its warning regarding the the authoritiesaboutaccess. It wasalltimeveryinsecure.ButImainlytalkingwith continue. Weshouldtryandseeifthatroadbecamesecure.” that thereweretroublesinSake.Sothenwesaid,Wecannot We camehalfwayandthentherewasaradiocontactsaying appropriate position later. people involved(Biruta,Jerome)inpersonandtakean our activities.Ithinkitwouldbebettertospeakthe presenting theGovernorwithatemporaryofficialhaltto Concerning officialattitude:Idon’treallyagreewith keep teamsthere. be establishedrightawayinGisenyiandCyanguguifwe authorities’ perceptionofMSF!Theserelationshipsmust cussion onMSFactivitiesinsidetheprefectureand (local healthauthority),militaryleader)andopendis Link withprefectureauthorities(prefecturehead,Mediresa Brussels mid-Febifnecessary. departure asplanned,Gloriafrom8March).Visit Support coordination(Alexarrives,MurielonR&R,Javier in SaketoentertheroaddirectionofMasisi. February wetriedalreadyonce,gotagreenlight That wasverydifficulttoenterMasisi.Ithinkin Marcel Van Soest,MSFHollandFieldCoordinator, Goma, JanuarytoMarch1997 (inEnglish). - - - greater attention tothis growing catastrophe. of EmmaBonino,European Commissioner,willleadto Dr. Vassetsaysshehopes this weekend’splannedvisit under agefive. Since December18,719peoplehavedied,55%ofthem refugees havebeengivensupplementaryfeedingrations. to a therapeutic feeding center, and more than 1,800 teers haveadmitted259severelymalnourishedrefugees In recentweeks,DoctorsWithoutBordersmedicalvolun - “It’s important to act.” context iftherewerearealpoliticalwill,”saysDr.Vasset. that theycouldmountanaidoperationinthiscomplex from Kisanganirepaired.“Governmentshaveindicated food couldbe increased, andthe road ber andfrequencyofplanestruckscapablebringing deliver aidhavebeenexhausted.”Sheaddsthatthenum- to provideassistance,donotbelievethatalltheways Borders. “Ourvolunteersinthefield,whoarestruggling Dr. BrigitteVasset,HeadofOperationforDoctorsWithout nations andaidagencieshasnotbeenconvincing,”says “The constraintsarereal,butsofartheactiontakenby hamper the deployment of assistance. and soldiers from the former Rwandan army, which could the campsareagaincomingundercontrolofmilitias tion. Tocomplicatematters,concernhasbeenraisedthat Kisangani, where food stocks are housed, is in bad condi- been transported.Andtheroadtorefugecampfrom have beeninfrequent.Insufficientquantitiesoffood which dependonsmallandsometimesunreliableplanes, and politicalconstraints:Humanitarianaidcargoflights, Food distribution has been hampered by both logistical ing 19children under 5. food. OnJanuary26alone,therewere36deaths,includ- local populations,whoarealsosufferingfromlackof also increasedtensionsbetweentherefugeesandnearby since theirarrivaltwomonthsago.Thefoodshortagehas one-third of the food considered necessary for survival fled thefightingineasternZaire,havereceivedatmost and Amisi,Zaire.The100,000refugeesinthecamps,who ease andstarvationintherefugeecampsnearTingi-Tingi Last week,175people,including98children,diedofdis- Extract: Release MSFUSA,31January1997(inEnglish). 2-Month FoodShortageClaims719Lives’Press ‘Another 175DieinZairianRefugeeCamp- MSF Belgium, 31 January 1997 (inFrench). Food Needs,’PressRelease,MSFFranceand Received LessThanOne-ThirdofTheirBasic Over TwoMonths,TingiRefugeesHave

79 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

The MSF Holland team in Goma sent headquarters its of disintegrating security for expats and freedom of access comments regarding the dilemma of advocacy versus will make a compromise difficult. MSF should recognise assistance to populations. It specifically criticised MSF the worth of its own advocacy and speak out about what it for having halted its advocacy on violence in the Masisi sees, even if this means we have to leave. If we continue in order to devote itself to provision of assistance to to work in a country where we are forbidden to mourn the the refugees. murder of the three expats, and we voice no protest, need we bother with advocacy at all?

‘Contribution to the Advocacy Debate,’ Message from Amanda Harvey and Marcel Van Soest, MSF Holland Goma to the HQ, HAD and MSF Holland During an early February visit to Zaire, Emma Bonino, Kigali, 31 January 1997 (in English). European Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs, denounced the international community’s policy of dis- Extract: tributing only a trickle of aid and specifically singled We write this article merely to stimulate debate on the out the USA. tremendous decisions that face MSF in the Great Lakes region in Africa regarding advocacy and the continuation of our medical programmes. We are aware that speaking out about human rights abuses can deny MSF’s obligation to provide medical assistance to those in need. This is par- Philippe Lemaître, ’500,000 Refugees Suffering ticularly a consideration in emergency response. However, from Hunger in Eastern Zaire,’ Le Monde increasingly in this region, the division between advocacy (France), 4 February 1997 (in French). and the Hippocratic oath cannot be ignored. Extrac: It is bizarre that MSF France, who delivered a tremen- She was in Tingi Tingi on Sunday. “Here we are, facing a dously strong advocacy message on the refugee politics group of individuals who do not exist and who go unde- much earlier than MSF Holland, now supports camps for tected by the radar of the most powerful armies in the these people. Medics could argue that they have a moral world [an obvious reference to the U.S.],” Bonino said. obligation to deliver aid to whoever needs it. There are ”In December, we were told that there was no point in women and children involved. But it is known that all coming since almost all the Hutu refugees had returned ages and sexes participated in the Rwandan genocide. In home to Rwanda. We were accused of seeing things. The this region, if the family leader is Interahamwe, his whole international community must acknowledge that it was family is Interahamwe. That is the reality of the culture. mistaken. This matter has to be re-opened.” To impose our cultural conceptions on this situation is misplaced and self-deceiving. The Interahamwe have Bonino intends to ask the UN Security Council and the never relinquished their determination to exterminate the European Union’s Council of Ministers to formally acknowl- Tutsi. Would we give aid to the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia? edge that Rwandan and Ugandan troops carried out Or the Shining Path in Peru? attacks in Zaire. Although the European Union calls for the integrity of borders, Belgium is the only country to [...] Fortunately, there were amongst the emergency yet oppose the presence of Rwandan and Ugandan armies team, a few members who had worked in the former in Zaire. During the last EU meeting in January, France’s Masisi project for the displaced Zairians. Thanks to them, silence was noted when the Great Lakes issue came under this programme restarted (which says a great deal for a discussion. demand-driven organisation). But, there are no refugees left around Goma, so the international community, press […] and most aid workers have lost interest. What a wasted Bonino acknowledges that she is not sure she will achieve opportunity not to use the press presence in November to her goals. Neither Hutu refugees nor Zaire and its exhaust- bring attention to the plight of Masisi. What a waste of ed regime are major concerns in Washington. Sources our previous advocacy report. close to Ms Bonino say that the Americans have powerful intermediaries within the EU who are prepared, in an act [...] The Interahamwe-led refugees in the interior of Zaire of total cynicism and without hesitation, to block action are in very poor shape. The critical humanitarian conflict on the fate of hundreds of thousands of individuals. [...] arises again: the moral and medical obligation to assist, It is also true that the US recently invested $500 million regardless of political affiliations and past crimes, verses in mines in north-western Zaire. the use of NGOs as pawns on a political chess board. It is hard to turn our back on suffering, so always search The trickle of international aid has not yet benefited the for middle ground - where we continue our work and use refugees and displaced persons, let alone the affected advocacy to put pressure on the international community Zairian population. “European humanitarian aid will be 80 to act. However, in this region, the additional problems provided without discrimination,” Ms Bonino stated, in Zaire. announced thattherewerenomoreRwandanrefugees On 3 February, the Rwandan ambassador to the UN loud enough,we’dhavegottenthatkindofpresscoverage. - can’t.Ifwehad“’bigtalkers’inthefieldandifwe’dyelled problem isthatshespeaksinNGOlanguagebutwe–MSF said unbelievablethingsinatypically’NGO’style.Thereal gets alotmoreattentionthanwedo,intheshortterm.She solely of problemswith gaining accessto the refugees.” of death.“Thisbreakdownisobviouslynottheresult said inTingiTingi.“Thelackoffoodistheprimarycause nation. “Iamnotpleasedwiththesupplysituation,”she agencies hadnotdisplayedthegreatestpossibledetermi- of U.S.pressure.Ms.BoninoappearedconvincedthatU.N. this “drop-by-dropaiddistributionpolicy”wastheresult dinator madeseriouschargesofthatnature,saying Kisangani onSaturday,theMédecinsSansFrontièrescoor- assistance” policytoavoidthecamps’consolidation.In (NGOs) arecriticizingthemforcarryingouta“minimal to thecamps.Severalnon-governmentalorganisations UN agencies,hopingtomobilizethemsendmorefood Zairian authorities,butisalsodirectinghereffortstoward [...] Sheiscountingonanopencompetitionamong satisfaction. providing herinterlocutorswithadditionalgroundsfor 200,000 andas many as 400,000 Hutu remain inZaire. returning from afour-daytriptoZaire,said thatatleast Bonino, EuropeanCommissoiner forHumanitarianAffairs, He madehisstatementon thesamedaythatEmma Kayinamura said. genocide andcivilwarthat brought theTutsitopower, The soldiersareHutu who fled Rwanda afterthe1994 ence Monday in NewYork. to Rwanda,saidGidéonKayinamuraduringapressconfer - soldiers (Hutu) and their families” who refused to return “There arenomorerefugeesinsideZaire except for40,000 Extract: interviewed by AnneFouchard-Brown (summer 1997). Anne Guibert, MSF FrancePress Officer (inFrench), up inTingiwithaplanefullofreporters,she to getacross.It’scertainlytruethatwhensheshows Emma Bonino said thingsthatwehadn’t been able February 1997 (inFrench). Representative totheUN,AFP(France),3 ’No MoreRefugeesinZaire,SaysRwandan doesn’t have somuch negative impact. time keepingyour head clearinorderthatyourstrategy dangerous, sohorriblethings werehappening.Itisallthe It wasarealnightmare. And thewhole area isso big,so ber, butsomepeopledidit.…Butitwasallverydifficult. was incooperationwithICRCandUNHCR.Notahugenum - ing forthetrucktocomeberepatriatedRwanda.It that theycould come to,theywouldbe taken careof,wait- support … there were afew temporary points where we were into the jungle that MSF is on the main road… if they want bush. Wechangedourstrategygettingthemessageverbally using themainroadandnotlookingforrefugeesin couldn’t domuchmore.Theonlythingwasstopping,just get thefact that theywere really killed and bywho,you toward UNHCRandauthorities.Butagainbecauseyoudon’t Then there was a lot of lobbying, internally with ICRC, then westoppedimmediatelytogetalloffthemainroads. killed probably. It was clear that we were used as a lure and once wefoundpeople,thenextdaytheyweregoneand roads to look for them and help them. And it was clear that we didnotseethemontheroad.Thentooksmall Walikale thattherefugeeswantedtoreturnRwanda,but assistance operations. disappeared. MSF and ICRCcalled off the search and the teamhadpassedthrougharea,refugees Bukavu roadandwenttofindthem.Thedayafter to returnRwanda.MSF/ICRCleftfortheWalikale- that agroupofrefugeeshidden in theforestwanted That same day, a joint MSF/ICRC team, was notified refugees’ behalf. General KofiAnnantoinstituteanaidprogrammeonthe Derycke, Belgium’s lead diplomat, would ask UN Secretary Zaire at380,000.HealsosaidthatonTuesday,Erik ment estimatedthenumberofrefugeesstillineastern Querton toldAFPonMondayinNewYorkthathisgovern- [...] BelgianforeignaffairsministryspokespersonAndré alongside rebels in eastern Zaire. ties’ chargesregardingthepresenceofRwandantroops The diplomatagainrejectedZairianandBelgianauthori- their own families.” are keeping a small number of refugees hostage, including gee toanarmyofcriminalsremaininginZaireandwho humanitarian organisationstoextendthestatusofrefu- Kayinamura said.“Wedonotthinkitisappropriatefor “We knowthattherealrefugeeshavegonehome,” others were on the road. We knew from people in it wasonthe3rdofFebruary.TheICRC,us,and The firstplacewetriedtoenterwasWalikale.Ithink Marcel Van Soest,MSFHolland Field Coordinator, Goma, January to March 1997 (inEnglish).

81 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

On 4 February, driven by a rumor that the rebels had taken the neighboring town, the 40,000 refugees in the Shabunda camp again fled into the Kivu for- ’Situation in the Great Lakes Region,’ Letter est. That same day in Rwanda, four UN human rights from Robert Muller, MSF officer for MSF-UN rela- observers were killed. tions in Geneva, to MSF Operations Directors, 4 February 1997 (in French).

Extract: ’40,000 Rwandan Refugees from Shabunda Flee This morning I met with Sergio Vieira de Mello, Executive Advancing Rebels,’ AFP (France), Geneva, 5 Director of UNHCR. I passed on your recent observations February 1997 (in French). regarding the situation in the countries in the Great Lakes region. He promised to bring the information on the vari- Extract: ous issues to Ms Ogata’s attention: i.e. the tragic situation The approximately 40,000 Rwandan refugees at Shabunda, of the refugees in eastern Zaire where mortality is increas- eastern Zaire, abandoned their camp after receiving infor- ing, security problems in Rwanda and the lax attitude mation that the rebel offensive had taken a nearby town, of the international organizations, the tragic impacts of UNHCR said Wednesday. population displacements in Burundi, problems resulting from the continuous arrival of refugees in Tanzania, and “All the Shabunda sites are empty,” said Dillah Dumaye, UNHCR’s lack of adequate response. UNHCR’s regional deputy in the region, quoted by a [...] spokesperson in Geneva. Vieira de Mello told me that UNHCR was facing currently insurmountable political problems, combined with a situa- Local Zairian authorities reported that the Hutu refu- tion that made logistics extremely complicated and costly. gees, accompanied by 7,000 Zairians from the area, had However, he assured me that UNHCR overall was aware evacuated their makeshift encampments after hearing of all the NGOs’ problems and that he would instruct the that Katshunga, 45 kilometres northeast of Shabunda, had staff to improve communications between NGO teams and fallen into rebel hands. UNHCR. UNHCR added that independent confirmation of this report was impossible. [...]

Preparations had been made to evacuate the 40,000 On 6 February, following the killing of the UN observ- refugees and their departure was orderly, the UNHCR rep- ers, MSF Belgium announced that it would withdraw its resentative on site noted. “The refugees packed up, took teams from the Rwandan prefectures of Cyangugu and the plastic sheeting they used to make shelters and left,” Kibuye. Doumaye said. The UN agency does not know where they have gone. On 7 February, the MSF teams announced that they Preliminary aerial reconnaissance did not reveal their would halt their activities at Tingi Tingi because of whereabouts. Additional search missions are expected on insecurity related to the site’s proximity to fighting. Thursday. UNHCR called for safe passage zones to be opened so The fleeing refugees are said to be headed west, perhaps that refugees could be repatriated to Rwanda. to Kalima and Kindu. They abandoned their camp the day after four days’ worth of food was distributed. The UNHCR was the only humanitarian agency remaining in Shabunda after other international organisations with- Isabelle Vichniac,’ Calls For Opening of drew in mid-December because of insecurity and resupply Humanitarian Corridors,’ Le Monde (France) 7 problems. February 1997 (in French).

Extract: “Contrary to criticism from those who are at a safe distance and have no responsibilities in this matter, UNHCR, MSF notified UNHCR and ambassadors of western WFP, UNICEF and the NGOs are doing what they can, nations in Zaire of the gravity of the situation in Kivu, given nightmarish conditions and chronic insecurity,” said the urgent need to provide food to the Tingi Tingi refu- Sergio Vieira de Mello. He noted that Ms Ogata’s trip had gees and to develop logistical means to reach them and three specific objectives. First, to ensure that refugees protect them. receive at least a basic minimum of aid. And, second, to create humanitarian corridors, primarily for the Rwandans. UNHCR repeated that while it supports the Rwandans’ return home, it is not encouraging the Burundians to do 82 the same as their country is gripped by civil war. Five hundred of themasked that sheresign. return home,statingthatRwandawasrelativelysafe. for Refugees,calledonRwandanrefugeesinZaireto eastern Zaire,SadakoOgata,UNHighCommissioner hands. TherefugeesfledtoTingiTingi.Whilevisiting On 8February,theAmisicampwasinrebels’ them later inCongo. so theycouldleave.Somedid,becausewemetupwith insecurity on theground. ed, invalids, women, children and the elderly) because of take the at-risk populations groups home (the ill, wound- In addition,itisverydifficulttoorganizeplaneflights [...] pressure on them. refugees fromarmedextremistswhoareputtingsevere be found (see above). The taskthen will be to separate and 40,000morewhofledShabundahaveyetto ate 120,000refugeesfromTingiTingi,40,000Amisi The safepassagezonesshouldmakeiteasiertorepatri- not wish to return,”she acknowledged. ing. “Giventhat,Ithinktherearemanypeoplewhomay ing thoserefugeeswhowishedtoreturnhomefromleav - in eastern Zaire. She accused Hutu extremists of prevent- On Saturday, the official visited the large Tingi Tingi camp edging thatsome refugees might not wantto go back. stated thatRwandawas“relativelysafe,”whileacknowl - Speaking during a press conferencein Nairobi, Ms Ogata fighting inZaire to return home. for Refugees,calledonRwandanrefugeesthreatenedby On Monday,SadakoOgata,theU.NHighCommissioner Extract: metres away. We tried to get them back on their feet that it couldn’t stop there. The fighting was 15 kilo- At TingiTingi,weknewandtheyknew,implicitly, Brigitte Doppler, MSF France Medical Coordinator, (in French). Says,’ ’Refugees MustReturnHome,SadakoOgata AFP (France),Nairobi,10February1997 Tingi (in French). V10 should maintain its presence. various MSFsectionsdecidedthattheorganisation Rwandan situation,theOperationalDirectorsfrom On 10 and 11 February, after a discussion about the and illness.” thousands ofpeopletodiebyweaponsandfromhunger ing thatMsOgataresign“forhavingallowedhundredsof “Sadly, UNHCRhasfailed,”theletterread,recommend- Tingi hadsigned it. tures toldAFPthataround500intellectualsfromTingi camp onSaturday.Ajournalistwhocollectedthesigna- The letterwaspresentedtoOgataduringhervisitthe and call on hertoresign.” its primarymissionofassistingandprotectingrefugees that sinceJuly1994,UNHCR“hascontinuouslyabandoned Refugees, 500refugeesfromtheTingicampstated In an open letter to the UN High Commissioner for Extract: - - - - - - - The reasons to beinRwandanow are: its presence there for the timebeing. country ornot,ithasbeendecidedthatMSFwillmaintain Rwanda: Weighingupthereasonswhethertostayinthis Extract: why we exist. It fitsperfectly inourcharterandthusit isthereason than others, for thetime being. There areplacesinRwandathat couldbeconsideredsafer activity freezing). is evidentlycalm(exception, maybeICRCafter10daysof other NGOswillingtosupplytheneedsuntilsituation With thecurrentsecuritysituationthereareprobablyno or have disappeared. of thesedoctorsandhealthprofessionalsareinjailand/ The localhumanresourcesaredecreasingbecausemany tion. The latestarrivalsareinaparticularlypoorhealthcondi- health system. The newarrivalsproduceanadditionalstrainonthe increasing. There are many needs in the country. These needs are 1997 (inFrench). Resign,’” ’Tingi TingiRefugeesCallonSadakoOgatato -11 February 1997 (inEnglish). Minutes of Directors of operations Meeting , 10 AFP (France), Kisangani,10February

83 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

The reasons for not to remain there the time being are: On 12 February, a delegation representing CARE, -Security risks in many areas, and maybe in the whole Oxfam, ICRC and MSF1 testified before the UN Security country is very, VERY high. Today is seems to play with Council on the Great Lakes situation and reminded the fire to be in places like Ruhengeri, Gisenyi, Kibuye, Council that humanitarian action cannot substitute for Cyangugu and maybe Kigali rural and north of Kibungo. political initiatives. -There is an increase of the individual probabilities of risk for those who remain. -Independently of the risks, there is a tendency to consider as normal the life taking risks and this is not the ’Briefing Security Council on the Great Lakes case. But people don’t know it because there is no visible Crisis,’ Jacques de Milliano , President MSF H reaction. Not to react is in fact to accept this high risk and MSF International, 12 February 1997 (in (in general, not only in Rwanda) linked specifically to be English). an expat in an NGO, as a normal duty. Extract: The discussion has turned around the following points: On behalf of Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without * Consequences of the humanitarian aid evacuation have Borders, I would like to express our sincere thanks for the been evaluated. It is evident that this evacuation would opportunity to address you directly as a representative imply a great difference in human lives. of an organisation that has been deeply involved in and * Understanding the current decision of reducing teams, it committed to the Great Lakes region and its populations, is decided to keep only the essential activities to save lives which has been so profoundly affected by the ongoing in those places where security conditions allows to do so. crisis. MSF is extremely worried about the current develop- * Security conditions, although they are not easily mea- ments in the Great Lakes and is hopeful for your willing- surable, do not force us to stop all activities today. This ness to use your leadership and political influence to put does not mean that situation may change for the better a halt to the dramatic events occurring in the region. or for the worse. * If MSF was a direct target, there would be no doubt For the last several years, the UN has failed systematically about leaving the country. But we have no clear elements in this part of the world to act in a timely and political that make us think this way. However, we know that we coherent way. ln April 1994, when the genocide broke out are part of the international aid community, and any in Rwanda, the sole act of the UN was to withdraw most of member could be a target at a given moment. its own troops from the region. After more than 1,000,000 * MSF will remain to implement curative activities, to save refugees poured into Zaire, no measures were taken in lives, and to having a close contact with the population. the 2 following years to prevent the camps in Zaire from If we knew who is the responsible of the latest killings, becoming strongholds of the Interahamwe militia and the we could then change our interpretation and our position. former Rwandan army. Instead, humanitarian aid was left But we have no certitude. to be misused by the extremist leaders to enhance their * The current security situation does not justify emer- grip on the camp population and to further destabilise gency preparedness activities, neither the management the region. ln November 1996, despite initial gestures to of the ET stock. the contrary, the UN was unable to implement a military * MSF does not want any kind of armed escort or armed intervention to disarm and separate the ex-FAR military guards. This will limit the type of activities we can carry and the Interahamwe militia from the population, to orga- out. nize a safe return of the refugees back to Rwanda, and to set up safe zones for the Burundi refugees who could not Therefore, conclusions have been the following: return because of the lack of security in Burundi. 1. We will continue in Rwanda 2. We will reinforce the security and we will reduce activi- Now we again face the consequences of the absence of ties to those considered essential to save lives. a comprehensive political approach. Soon the tail could 3. We will keep one common coordination wag the dog again. Rwanda seems unable to cope with 4. We will keep separate desks. the massive return of refugees and appears to be heading 5. We will not work with armed escorts or armed guards. toward civil war. In the last month, violent incidents have This could be revaluated in the future. multiplied. [...] 6. We will clearly inform departing volunteers about the In Kivu - in Zaire - the existence of hundreds of thousands vital risk of working in this context. of trapped refugees was denied internationally for several months. Now that large groups of refugees have been identified, those that are accessible are continuing to suffer from lack of food, and many remain beyond the reach of humanitarian assistance, caught in the midst of a war.

1. Composed of Jacques de Milliano, Pierre Salignon, Congo desk manager and, for the last two months, Head of Mission in Kisangani and Annick Hamel, Head of 84 Mission in Burundi. - - - - - Kivu: several types ofproblems: In Zaire from the humanitarian point of view there are [...] 3. ZAIRE. need for reconciliation intheregion. a broader, longer term agenda that addresses the acute tions inneedofaid.Theseinitiativesshouldbepart security ofinternationalagencies,andaccesstopopula- tive toguaranteetheprotectionofpopulation, security intheglobalcommunity,itmusttakeinitia- international bodyentrustedwithensuringpeaceand humanitarian and political situation in Rwanda. As the The UNmustacknowledgethedownwardspiralof We recommend: and unaccompanied children. centres, programmesfortraumatizedvictimsofviolence, up toonemillionciviliansinhospitals,communalhealth significantly reducingourabilitytoprovideassistance of foreignworkersfrom47toabout15inthelast2weeks, hold themajorityofitsprojectsbyreducing the presence sequences ofrecentevents.Forexample,MSFhasputon ished protectionofthepopulationareimmediatecon- and aid workers to the populations in need, and dimin- A patternofincreasedinsecurity,reducedaccessaid What are the implications? - - - Rwanda is almost ontheverge of civil war. 1. RWANDA. have recorded 20to30deathseveryday, themajor- providing medical assistanceintheTingi Tingicamp 120,000 people).Sincelate December,MSFdoctors for the most vulnerable refugees in Tingi Tingi (about The mainhumanitarianissue isalackofassistance fighting inand around Kivu. ...): -whereasizablegroup ofrefugeesfledfromthe The othersideofthefront-line(Kisangani,TingiTingi, given overall responsibility for protection. tion andtherefugeesno“lead”UNagencyhasbeen There hasbeenalackofprotectionthelocalpopula- Zairians and refugeesinneed; had verylimitedaccess to both internally displaced On therebelside(andmainlyinSouthKivu).MSFhas become atarget. staff members,signalingthatinternationalpresencehas point withtheassassinationof3NGOworkersand5UN by theRwandanarmy.Mid-Januaryhasbeenaturning in rebel activity has led to violent search operations resulted in a spiral of insecurity in Rwanda. An increase A returnofex-FARsoldiersandInterahamwemilitiahas ons are severely overpopulated. An effective justice system is notyet in place,andpris- homes, land, and employment. of integration,involvingissuessuchasthereturn Rwanda. Thismassiveinfluxhascausedasevereproblem one millionrefugeesfromBurundiandZairereturnedto At theendoflastyearinaperiod6weeks,about priate instruments. body tomobilizethepoliticalwillandselectappro - that itistheresponsibilityofthismosthighlyesteemed humanitarian, andmilitary-atitsdisposal.Webelieve The UNhasavarietyofinstruments - political, economic, conflict. for theregionthataddressesstructuralcausesof -to work-atthesame time - toward adurable solution respected (refugee conventions and Geneva Conventions); immediate protectionandassistanceofthepopulationare -to assurethattheexistingconventionsdealingwith simultaneously to turn the tide: It isuptotheSecurityCouncilactonseverallevels missed opportunities, isspreading in theregion. The destabilization process startedlong ago and, due to danger andverylimitedaccesstothepopulationsinneed. resulted inafailureofprotectionthepopulations can besummarizedasadestabilizationprocessthathas -From ourvantagepoint,thesituationinGreatLakes CONCLUSION. cerning the Rwandan andBurundianrefugees. should alsostresstheprotectionmandateofUNHCR-con- tect andassisttheZairiandisplacedpopulation.TheUN -the UNshouldmandateaninternationalagencytopro- in need. to allow aid agencies to have access to the populations -the UNshouldputpressureontherebelsinSouthKivu frontline. population of Tingi to a safer area away from the -the UNshouldmoveurgentlythevulnerablerefugee Werecommend: make apresentation tothememberson the worsening tal organisations) welcomedthishistoric opportunity to brief theUNSecurityCouncil. TheNGOs(non-governmen- Doctors WithoutBorderswere invitedforthefirsttimeto This morningOxfam,CARE,and MédecinsSansFrontières/ Extract: population is going todie. this problemisnotsolvedquicklythewholevulnerable among themandmovedawayfromthefront-line.If rated fromtheex-FARsoldiersandInterahamwemilitias be solvedunlessthemostvulnerablerefugeesaresepa- zone between the two sides. The current crisis cannot recently emptiednearbycamps,nowconstituteabuffer The refugeesatTingiTingi,includinganewinfluxfrom been compounded by the advance of the front line. constraints. Overthepastweek,theseproblemshave problem hasprimarilybeenalackoffoodandlogistical and indirecteffectsofmalnutrition.Upuntilnow,the ity children under 5 years old, mostly from the direct MSF Belgium, 12 February 1997 (inFrench). in theGreatLakesRegion,’PressRelease, ’NGOs Call on Security Council toTake Measures

85 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

humanitarian situation in central Africa’s Great Lakes to take action on the Great Lakes, to make it their highest region, but warned that humanitarian assistance must no priority issue.” longer be used as a substitute for political action.

Since the beginning of the genocide in 1994 in Rwanda, the Security Council has consistently failed to abide by the Geneva Conventions and to take action to address the ‘Security Council Hears from Médecins Sans underlying causes of the conflict and to help find politi- Frontières, OXFAM and CARE on the Great Lakes cal solutions in the region. Humanitarian action has been Crisis,’ Press Release, MSF France, 13 February used as a substitute for political action. 1997 (in French).

Today, NGOs gave first-hand accounts to the Security Extract: Council of the deteriorating situation in Rwanda, Burundi, Last night, several NGOs – Oxfam, CARE and Médecins Sans and Zaire. They particularly highlighted three issues: Frontières – were invited to speak for the first time to mem- the tremendous problems aid agencies have had getting bers of the UN Security Council in New York on the issue of access to deliver aid to populations in need; the growing the Great Lakes region. Grasping the opportunity to share risks to the lives of both civilians and aid workers; and their concerns, the NGOs reminded listeners that humani- the spread of conflict into other countries in the region. tarian assistance cannot substitute for political initiatives.

In eastern Zaire the war is spreading. Last week 40,000 Since the Rwandan genocide began in 1994, the Security refugees fled Shabunda camp, and aid agencies were Council has failed to adopt any of the measures necessary forced to evacuate from Tingi Tingi - a camp of 120,000. to guarantee protection and assistance to the region’s In the past three weeks in Rwanda, over 300 Rwandans civilian populations. Humanitarian action as often served and 8 international aid and human rights workers have as a substitute for political action. been killed. In Burundi, the government has forcibly regrouped over 150,000 people in what appears to be a Regarding eastern Zaire, where hundreds of thousands policy of forced “villagization.” Entire provinces are off of people are currently threatened by fighting and lack limits to aid agencies, leaving hundreds of thousands of assistance, MSF asked that diplomatic pressure be brought civilians without adequate protection or assistance. to bear immediately to:

Aid agencies cannot solve these problems with biscuits, - Ensure the safety of the families of refugees and dis- vaccines and water. People will continue to die and the placed persons trapped between the warring parties. war will continue to spread throughout the region unless - Transfer refugees from Tingi Tingi and Amisi to a site the UN Security Council, member states and regional lead- that is safer and more accessible to aid operations, ensur- ers take decisive action. ing that the most vulnerable are transported. This transfer should enable families and others who wish to return to The NGOs called on the UN Security Council to: Rwanda to be registered. 1- Make the Great Lakes crisis their first priority in inter- - Separate militiamen and soldiers from civilians. national diplomacy, in particular by putting full political - Ensure that food reaches families that really need it. For and diplomatic resources behind the search for a regional over two months, the absence of political will and delays political settlement, which builds on previous initiatives in aid operations have rapidly worsened the situation in the region. The recent appointment of Mr Sahnoun, for remaining refugees in Zaire. Only real political will the new representative of the Secretary General to the can avoid new human tragedies and endless population Great Lakes region is an opportunity to make real prog- displacement. ress toward a regional political settlement. High-level diplomatic and financial support from the members of the Security Council is now needed.

2- Immediately give full assistance to the UN agencies, That same day, MSF France joined with the French the International Committee of the Red Cross, and NGOs NGOs Médecins du Monde and Action Contre la Faim working in the region to gain access to affected popula- to demand that international humanitarian law be tions, both to protect and to assist them. observed in eastern Zaire. 3- Follow through on earlier commitments made on behalf of reconstruction and reconciliation in Rwanda.

The three agencies said today, “the international community has tended to offer short-term responses to each successive chapter of this crisis. It is time to realize the scale of the spreading conflict and the long-term danger 86 it poses to the region. We are asking the Security Council tions did not haveaccess to that region for weeks. Shabunda, harassed byAllianceforces. Aid organisa- The otherstriedtosurvive intheforestaround Around 30,000 werespottedheading toward Angola. tres west of Bukavu, fled againafter AFDL attacks. December aroundthetown ofShabunda,170kilome- The 40,000refugeeswho hadgatheredsincemid- saying, “You shouldhave launched a public debate.” cized ICRCfordoingthat.Iwasprettystronginmyattack, During ourannualmeetingin1998,we[MSFFrance]criti - ity.” Butthetwogroupsdecidednottogopublicwithit. same saying,“It’saseriousproblemforhumanitarianactiv- authoritarian fashiontoldUNHCRandMSFHollandtodothe sion and - if we’re to believe this official – in a fairly mid-February, ICRCcametoaradical,firm,andfinalconclu- because they were being used [to harm refugees]. So in not notify the other sections ofthe matter. took apublicpositionontheissue.MSFHollanddid do thesame.However,noneofthreeorganisation refugees. Itcalledonthetwootherorganisationsto aid operations because they were being used to harm UNHCR officialsandMSFHollandthatitwasendingits In mid-February,theICRCdelegateannouncedto site further from the combat zone. - Themostvulnerablepopulationsshouldbesettledata protection programmes. necessary politicaldecisionstoestablishgenuinerefugee guaranteed byallparties and theUNshouldmake - Access to refugees and displaced persons must be Sans Frontières urge that humanitarian law be observed: Action ContrelaFaim,MédecinsduMondeand isations toensurethatcivilianpopulationsreceiveaid, of nationsandtheinabilitynon-governmentalorgan- Given theseriousnatureofthissituation,cynicism Extract: manager then Communication Director (in French). it (ICRC)wasstoppingthistypeofoperation the ICRC had informed UNHCR and MSF Holland that An ICRCofficialtoldmethatinmid-February 1997 (in French). ACF andMDMPressRelease,12February1997 Humanitarian LawBeObserved,’MSFFrance, Médecins Sans Frontières Urge That ’ActionContrelaFaim,MédecinsduMondeand Dr. Jean-Hervé Bradol, MSF Franceprogramme Belgium. Cooperation MinisterandformerPresidentofMSF UN SecurityCouncilandReginaldMoreels,theBelgian delivered to Amnesty International, members ofthe Alliance forces in eastern Zaire. The statement was It describedthelarge-scalemassacrescommittedby in presscirclesandamonginternationalorganisations. in Kivu at the beginning of the war, began circulating Later inFebruary,thefirst-handtestimonyofapriest Great Lakes. plan proposedbythespecialUNrepresentativefor resolution 1097whichincludedthefive-pointpeace On 18February,theUNSecurityCouncilvotedon team was returning to workinthe Tingi camp. The sameday,MSFFranceannouncedthatareduced 37. Bukavu had killed at least nine people and wounded The MSFteaminGomaannouncedthatthebombing that itsplaneshadbombedrebel-heldeasterncities. On 17February,theZairiangovernmentannounced Considering that 200,000to250,000ofthem reachedthe refugees are still in Zaire.” speaks thelocallanguage,said that,“653,000Rwandan ness, whospentfouryearsin SouthandNorthKivu 450,000 havereturnedtotheir country.”Thisreliablewit- and Development.“Outof a total of 1,103,000, atmost and ReginaldMoreels,BelgianSecretaryforCooperation representatives of theUNSecurity Council’s members, witness statementdeliveredtoAmnestyInternational, to Rwanda,”saysawesternerreturnedfromKivuin “Most oftheRwandanrefugeesinZairehavenotreturned ’the rebels.’ refugees’ statementsdenouncingmassacrescommittedby observed severalmassgravesthere.Healsoreportedmany he knewwell.Guidedbyrefugeeswhohadescaped, the refugees’flight,he visited the camps again, which killed ordiedofstarvation,exhaustionillness.”After hundred thousandrefugeeshavealreadydied.Mostwere anonymity forsecurityreasons,statedthat,“several ish off the Hutu refugees.” The witness, who requested emphasizes the“Tutsirebels’systematicdesiretofin- returned from the Kivu after four years, the document returned toRwanda.Writtenbyawesternwitnesswho that themajorityofRwandanrefugeesinZairehavenot Amnesty InternationalandtheBelgiangovernmentstates delivered tothemembersofUNSecurityCouncil, Refugees andthoseofRwandanauthorities,adocument Contrary tothestatementsofUNHighCommissionon Extract: Monde (France), 26 February 1997 (inFrench). ’Hutu RefugeesMassacredinEasternZaire,’Le

87 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

Tingi -Tingi, Shabunda and Amisi camps – before those them all. Furthermore, given the presence of extremist two were abandoned again – he questioned the status elements in the camp, witnesses tend to speak cautiously. of “at least 400,000 missing refugees,” emphasing that he was not including “the 117,000 Burundian refugees” […] This weekend in his interview with the Flemish news- whose whereabouts are also unknown. paper Het Laatste Nieuws, Reginald Moreels referred to a “direct witness statement and several indirect [second- Referring to statements from UN High Commission on hand] confirmations” supporting his claim of ‘genocide.’ Refugees (UNHCR) and Rwandan authorities that all The statement he referred to was sent to the Belgian Rwandan refugees have returned home, the document government as well as to the UN Security Council, Amnesty delivered to Le Monde emphasises that this “battle of International, and several newspapers, which published numbers is a strategic one” in that “its goal is to prevent extracts. The report’s author, who requested anonymity all international intervention on behalf of the remaining for fear of reprisals, is a priest who spent four years in refugees and to attract the maximum reconstruction aid to Kivu, a Zairian province bordering Rwanda, and speaks the Rwanda.” The document’s author, who witnessed refugees local language. The statements he gathered on site and returning to Rwanda in mid-November 1996, based his the mass graves identified supplement information from argument on first-hand observations in Goma on 15, 16, Amnesty International and other sources (cf. Libération, 7 and 17 November. December) but contrary to the writer’s statement, do not prove “the Tutsi rebels’ systematic desire to do away with If the issue were only one of fighting between Zairian the Hutu refugees.” Considering that many missionaries in rebels and the government army, “the Rwandan refugees open conflict with the rebels have been expelled or have would have no more reason to flee than the local popula- fled, the Catholic Church’s impartiality may also be open tion. But the Rwandan Hutu refugees are fleeing massa- to challenge. cres that Tutsi rebels are carrying out against them. They constitute a military objective.” The rebels’ argue that [...] Over the last five months, statements offered as the refugees who have not returned are all “genocideurs,” authoritative have been based on uncertain calculations. he notes, “while UNHCR says that overall, 7 percent of Late last year, contrary to all evidence, the Rwandan refugees participated in the 1994 killings” killing more government and US diplomats tried to bolster the notion than 500,000 Tutsi and Hutu opposed to President Juvénal that after 70,000 refugees returned home en masse in Habyarimana’s regime. November, there were “no more refugees in eastern Zaire.” Starting from the 1.2 million Hutu refugees counted in “In the eyes of the rebels and of world opinion, call- early 1995 in the eastern Zaire camps, the exiled Rwandan ing every Hutu refugee a ‘genocideur’ legitimises the opposition concluded that since only 200,000 – 250,000 use of force and even eliminates, these refugees,”the refugees had arrived in the new camps inside Zaire, “at document’s author said, explaining that “the many mass least 400,000 were missing.” However, this comment men- graves attest to the systematic desire to do away with the tioned in the missionary witness statement, combines the refugees. These mass graves are everywhere, still hidden dispersed Hutu who have not yet come out of the jungle and very difficult to reach,” he added. It is dangerous to or who died there of hunger, illness or exhaustion and the be surprised by rebels in this area. They’ll execute you civilians executed by the rebels. They are all “missing.” immediately.” But the former are victims of the international community’s non-assistance while the latter are victims of abuses whose scale is not yet known.

‘Zaire: Questions About the ‘Second Genocide:’ Despite Knowledge of Massacres, It’s Impossible to Count the Dead,’ Libération (France), 27 On 20 February in a message to headquarters, the February 1997 (in French). MSF France Administrator in Kisangani was surprised by MSF’s insistence that the FAR were controlling the Extract: Tingi Tingi refugees and spoke out against UNHCR’s Amnesty International was able to document large-scale weaknesses. killings with precision. But travel restrictions imposed by the rebels – for security reasons – in this war zone, make it impossible to conduct an overall assessment. At Tingi Tingi, the largest Rwandan refugee camp 250 kilo- ‘After Three Months in Kisangani, Strong metres east of Kisangani, Hutu refugees state that “many Feelings and Several Questions,’ Message from are dead,” accusing Laurent-Désiré Kabila’s supporters Dominique Bracq, MSF France Administrator in and units of the Rwandan army of opening fire on them Kisangani, to Headquarters, 20 February 1997, “without warning, indiscriminately, every time they had (in French). the chance.” Because the refugees were initially widely dispersed, and then wandered for several months through Extract: 88 the dense equatorial forest, no one can attempt to count Why do you insist on repeating in every press release that immediately to asite far fromthecombat zones. most vulnerableTingirefugeestobeevacuated reactivating themultinationalforce.MSFcalledfor On 28February,theUNSecretary-Generalproposed Dominique Bracq, Kisangani Administrator Thanks again toallthose who believeinideas. fight it! ! live highoffthismiseryandthosewhoaretryingto ing withoutmakinganydecisions?Alltheyreallydois incompetents andslackerswhogofrommeetingtomeet- Great Lakescrisis,moneytheysquanderedonpaying UNHCR receivedfromtheEuropeanCommunityfor Where do we draw the line on the millions of dollars children are not FAR? in thecamp.HowcanweexplaintoUNHCRthatthese UNICEF has counted 3,000-4,000 unaccompanied children ties? camp by seekinganagreementwith the Zairian authori- vulnerable population(womenandchildren)fromthe How canwetellUNHCRthatitmusturgentlyremovethe counting the refugees whowant to return Rwanda? How canweforceUNHCR,afterthreemonths,tostart do itsjob? charge ofrefugeerepatriation – UNHCR – doesn’t want to What dowewhentheonlyagencymandatedtotake hunger. will trytofleebutdiequicklyfromexhaustionand be attacked.Manyofthevulnerableinthispopulation the rebels.Incomingweeks,thiscampislikelyto The TingicampissandwichedbetweentheFAZand Unanswered questions: taking action and carrying out theirmandate. the beginning,they’vedoneeverythingpossibletoavoid These press releases have benefited UNHCR above all. From agree that we madeachoice here. start denouncingthekillersthey’veseen.We’vegotto I don’tthinkthatafterICRCvisitscriminalprisonersthey women and children amongthem. to provideassistanceinspiteofthatbecausetherewere groups thathadparticipatedinthegenocide.Weagreed who theywereandthatcertainlythearmed We knewbeforegoinginwheretheserefugeescamefrom, our work??? the FARarecontrollingcamp?Howhasthishelped On theoccasion ofthevisittoParis UNSecretary- Extract: Groups,’ ’MSF CallsforImmediateTransfer ofVulnerable 1997 (inFrench). Press Release,MSFFrance,28February them toRwanda. He promisedtocreatesecuritycorridorsrepatriate camp, which the remaining refugees had abandoned. announced thathistroopshadtakentheTingi ated fromKisangani.On2March,Laurent-DésiréKabila On 1March,allaidorganisationsincludingMSFevacu- Rwanda onavoluntarybasisundertheauspicesofUNHCR. possible. Later,theserefugeesshouldberepatriatedto removed fromthecombatzonewhilesuchactionisstill elderly –shouldbeevacuatedonaselectivebasistosite The mostvulnerable–women,children,theill,and conduct short visits. in thecampbecausefightingissoclose.Wecanonly Our teamscannolongermaintainapermanentpresence situation is worsening every week. camps andinadequatemobilizationofaidagencies,the ence ofsoldiersandformerRwandanArmedForcesinthe food needs.Becauseofthemilitaryinstability,pres- refugees havereceivedlessthanone-thirdoftheirbasic In the last three months, the Rwandan and Burundian basis. - 2,000arereceivingfoodsupplementsonanoutpatient - 600are hospitalized inintensive feeding centres; - 800have died; Of 11,000children under 5inthis camp: dead were children under5. early December1996andlateFebruary1997.Halfofthe Of 80,000peopleinthecamp,1,575havediedbetween hunger. Rwandan refugeesintheTingicamparedyingof near the city ofLubutu. be broughttobearendthefamineinrefugeecamps Médecins SansFrontièresasksthatalldiplomaticmeans General andhisSpecialEnvoy for theGreatLakesregion, that fightingwould drawclose.AMSFdoctor whoman- preparing yesterday tofleeintothenearby forest,fearing In the Tingi Tingi camp, nearly 120,000 refugees were reduced their presence onsite. and MSF and the other humanitarian organisations had line hadalreadymovedcloser totheTingicamp refugees intheTingicamp. On7February,thefront impossibility ofprovidingaidtoRwandanandBurundian tension around Kisangani and in the Kindu region, and the on the worsening situation in eastern Zaire, the increasing Zaire capitalonSaturdaymorning.Thisdecisionwasbased Tingi decidedtotemporarilywithdrawfromtheUpper The MédecinsSansFrontièresteaminKisanganiandTingi Extract: 1997 (inFrench). Again,’ ’120,000 TingiRefugeesAbandoned Press Release, MSF France, 1 March

89 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

aged to reach the camp yesterday said that the population same clarification method as we expressed in yesterday’s was beginning to flee, making it impossible, once again, press release. to provide them with aid. The situation facing this population has worsened since Hello Everyone, last November. Between 16 December and 20 February, I would like to insist to MSF Holland and to other offices more than 1,500 people died in the Tingi Tingi camp. More that we do not consider the lack of fundraising campaigns than half the deaths were among children under 5. for Zaire during that period as problematic. We in Belgium, The nations involved in the region have been procrastinat- for instance, did a huge end of the year campaign. Even ing for more than three months. International mobiliza- though it had been planned months in advance, an image tion to aid the refugees has never amounted to more than in our campaign referred to the crisis in Central Africa. So, a public relations gesture. However, the most vulnerable even if it was not done on purpose the public has inter- groups in the adult population and children are the first preted our campaign as being linked to the current situa- victims of this failure to take responsibility. Caught in tion in Kivu, something that did not really bother us, by a vice between the warring parties, they must flee yet the way. I think we’re not the only one office that had end again, without assistance. In recent weeks, another of the year appeal’s or anything else of that sort. So please 30,000 refugees have already fled the advancing rebels, refrain from using this argument. Belgian journalists have heading for Shabunda and Kalima. No one knows what has already held it against us and asked us to explain why WE become of them. DID DO a campaign whereas our colleagues did not. Médecins Sans Frontières again condemns the UN member Thanks, Anouk states’ inertia and again asks that all measures be taken to ensure that the tens of thousands of refugees in distress in eastern Zaire, as well as Zairian resident and displaced populations, who are also victims of current events, are protected. On 3 March, the UN Special Envoy for the Great Lakes region encouraged MSF to ’keep the pressure up’ to gain access to refugees.

The debate over the ’numbers battle’ continued among the MSF sections. ’Information Bulletin 273,’ MSF France, 3 March 1997 (in French).

Extract: ’The International MSF Position Towards Meeting this morning at MSF Paris headquarters with Misusing Info for Fundraising Purposes,’ Mohammed Sahnoun and his advisor. He is trying to Messages MSF Belgium and MSF Holland Press obtain a ceasefire in the region but recognizes that this Officer, 2 March 1997 (in English). will be very difficult as long as the Security Council members hold opposing views. He encouraged MSF to keep Extract : the pressure up to obtain access to refugees and for their […] protection. -the letter Anne-Marie Huby wrote to Alex de Waal contains unchecked information. To my knowledge MSF and other agencies consider that the amount of Rwandan refugees who returned to Rwanda during the Zaire crisis at the end of last year was approx. 800,000. At least that On 4 March, in the French daily La Croix the MSF France is what Fiona Terry stated when she returned from Kigali Coordinator in Kisangani criticized the inaction of being an information officer. the international community regarding the Tingi Tingi refugees. -the 1.2 million refugees were UNHCR counts of the Goma, Bukavu, and Uvira camps, although the Uvira refugee population had also be counted by the MSF-H team present. Probably the total amount was too high because the Julia Ficatier, ’The International Community estimations of the Goma camp population (UNHCR could Did Nothing to Save Tingi Tingi,’ La Croix not do a census) we have used this figure, because it’s the (France), 4 March 1997 (in French). only indication of the amount. Extract: -MSF Holland did not do any fundraising campaigns dur- ”For three months we have been saying repeatedly that the ing for the refugees in Zaire. I am sure that there have Tingi Tingi camp and its 160,000 refugees had no future,” been more countries where MSF is present and did not said a bitter Pascal Vignier, Médecins Sans Frontières’ 90 do fundraising campaigns. These countries can have the coordinator in Kisangani. On Saturday, he was evacuated of thepeople), wealsohavetotalkabout thefactthat If wetalkabout themedicalconditionof victims(half ing solely on medical data. journalists, withoutmakingpoliticalstatements,rely- Tingi refugeesandinsistedthatMSFonlyrespondto relevance ofapressconferenceinNairobiontheTingi the MSF-USACommunicationsDirectorquestioned In amessagethatdaytotheOperationalDirectors, zone inGoma.Thatteamcantakeresponsibilityforthat.” of course, with UNHCR. We haveanMSF team inthe rebel yes, wesupportthehumanitariancorridorsincooperation must beabletoaccompanythemonthewayback–then gees mustchoosevoluntarilytoreturnRwanda,andwe [...] MSFisclear,“Ifwehavesolidguarantees–therefu- Ubundu.” some aresaidtohaveheadedsouth,towardsthetownof and belessvisible.Accordingtoanunconfirmedsource, in small groups so that they could find food more easily know thattherefugeeswereplanningtoleavecamp the refugeesarealsoonfrontlinesoffighting.We Tingi. Giventhatthecampislocatedalongfrontlines, is goingon?TheremustbesurveillanceflightsoverTingi announced thattherefugeeshavecomeback.Justwhat the campwasemptiedofitsrefugees.Todayrebels vive thewalk.Whathasbecomeofthem?First,onFriday, facilities, mostlywomenandchildren,whocouldn’tsur- “… Therewere30,000peopleinourhospitalandfeeding That was the route they had to follow to take Kisangani.” same time,itwasalongtherouteofrebeladvance. camp wascompletelydependentonoutsideaid.Atthe camp, whichhadbeenthreatenedfromthebeginning.The the rebelsannouncedthattheyhadtakenTingi munity allowed the situation to deteriorate. On Sunday, ers. “Theendwasinevitable.Buttheinternationalcom- to Kinshasaalongwiththeotherhumanitarianaidwork- fled into the forest. health andaboutthelackof accessastherefugeeshave about thefactthatweareconcerned abouttheirpresent about themedicalcondition of refugeeswhenweleftand es sinceSaturday.IfMSFhas anythingtosayitisonly nothing newandhavenonewsfromMSFeye-witness - military. News is changing daily. Our teams have seen Events aremovingsoquickly,thestoryispoliticaland and thenthat means they have Kinshasa. is waitingtoheariftherebelstakecontrolofKisangani region, thestoryisnow“politicalandmilitary.”Everyone From what l am hearing from correspondents in the Extract: Directors, 4 March1997(inEnglish). Samantha Bolton,MSFNewYorktoOperation ‘Press ConferenceonTingiTingi,’Messagefrom refugees and the obstacles to providing aid. France issuedanewwarningaboutthefateof On 6March,duringameetingwithreporters,MSF et bises. with playing into the national anti-rebel feelings - thanks control andapressrelease-pleasealsobecarefulinParis there whoisuptospeedandableorganizedamage a goodidea-wewillbelaceratedandthereisnoone Bonne chanceetbises-lreallydonotthinkNairobiis with your guy fromthe field oncehereaches Paris. should beverycareful-evenwithwhatyoudoandsay French pressissloppilyusingwords like genocide-we Lisette’s sitrepfromGomainwhichshestatesthatthe CAREFUL WITHTHEFRENCHPRESS-Pleasealsonote called me inNY). is alreadywhysomeoftheJohannesburgcorrespondents “anti-rebel” standandpro-Frenchgovernment(that refugees and protection will be taken in the light of our MSF isalreadyseenasFrench-anythingwesayaboutthe profit - just asMobutudid in hisfirst10 years ofreign. hope andstabilityfornewinvestmentshort-term - thattherebelsareseenaspossiblybringingalevelof a whole the rebels are being widely welcomed everywhere Zairians areonlyinterestedineconomicsurvival-thaton long-term projectsinKinshasa.Theysaythatasusual, [...] SpoketotwoMSFerswhohavejustcomebackfrom over aweek, so there will benothing new worthsaying. very aggressive.Secondly,theinformationwehavewillbe in generalisveryhardenedagainstMSF,sotheywillbe gees. FirstofallthepresscorpsinNairobiandAfrica -thanks toMarcelVos-aboutnumbersandtheserefu Re: The main problem is that we have had such a scandal only on medical data. to journalistswhenasked-atleastinthefield-andalso just keepingquietonanypoliticalfrontandonlytalking [...] I think this might be one time when MSF is better off Kinshasa. hands of the French governmentand certain elements in for militaryintervention,orwewillbeplayingintothe could implyanythingwhichbeinterpretedasacall We muststayclearofanypoliticalstatementswhich 50% werewellfedandmilitia(likewedidattheUN). -accusations from theZairiangovernment (whoaccused -expulsion in Zaire(for the moment we are not expelled) newspapers were present. They raisedquestions on: refugees inZaire.ATVchannel, 3radiochannels,2weekly Yesterday, wehadameeting withsomejournalistson Extract: cation officers, 7 March 1997 (inEnglish). France communicationofficer to MSFcommuni - ”Tingi-Tingi pressrelease”MessagefromMSF

91 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

NGOs of being responsible for - the death of 25 000 people when leaving Kisangani), we answered that we obviously are not responsible for the defeat of the Zairian soldiers, ’Action Contre la Faim, Médecins du Monde and we were not there to freeze the frontline. Médecins Sans Frontières Issue Urgent Call for Guaranteed Protection of Rwandan Refugees in Journalists also asked questions on the other side (Goma, Eastern Zaire,’ Press Release, ACF, MDM, MSF Bukavu, can we easily work here? Are there massacres? Did France, 7 March 1997 (in French). we witness massacres?...). We explained that we would try to have access to the area of Tingi Tingi through the rebel Extract: zone in the coming days. Action Contre la Faim, Médecins du Monde, and Médecins Sans Frontières, which have all been working in the Tingi Tingi and Amisi camps since December 1996, are again calling for immediate measures guaranteeing the protection ’Zaire: MSF Says Thousands of Refugees Will Die of refugees who wish to return to Rwanda and for those in A New Exodus,’ AFP (France), Paris, 6 March people that continue to flee the fighting. This is a life-or- 1997 (in French). death question for the most vulnerable among them.

Extract: The three non-government organisations thus call for: Several thousand refugees, primarily children and people - Zones to be placed under UN responsibility and honoured at risk, will die from malnutrition during their latest by the warring parties in which fleeing civilian popula- exodus in eastern Zaire, the humanitarian organisation tions may be aided and protected; Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) said in Paris on Friday. - The warring parties to facilitate access to refugees and Until last week, 650 children under 5 were being treated displaced persons in war zones; in MSF’s intensive feeding centre in the Tingi Tingi camp, - Immediate access to the Tingi Tingi camp, near where 250 kilometres southeast of Kisangani. Hutu Rwandan the refugees who are unable to travel have remained. refugees left the camp on Saturday, fleeing the advance of Laurent-Désiré Kabila’s rebel troops. MSF is also particularly concerned about the 2,500 other children who were being cared for in feeding centres and the 25,000 at-risk individuals fed in Caritas’ kitchens. The same day, in the French daily newspaper La Croix, “Wherever they go, many will not make it alive,” said Dr the MSF France Zaire programme manager, returned Jean-Clément Cabrol, who has just returned from Zaire. from Kisangani, published an opinion piece condemn- Since December, the refugees’ health status “has contin- ing international indifference in the face of the trag- ued to deteriorate because of lack of food, in spite of edy of the Rwandan refugees in eastern Zaire. the aid provided,” he said. “Recently, the mortality rate exceeded 4 people/10,000 per day,” he explained, chal- lenging the “international community’s slowness to take any action.” “Pierre Salignon, MSF France programme man- According to Bernard Pécoul, MSF’s Executive Director, ager, ‘International Indifference is deadly,’ La some of the 160,000 Rwandan and Burundian refugees Croix (France), 7 March 1997 (in French). from Tingi Tingi have headed west, fleeing the rebels’ advance, while others remained in the area or went Extract: towards Rwanda. Hundreds of thousands of Hutu refugees, both Rwandan “We have teams in Goma and Bukavu (North and South and Burundian, have faced a tragedy for more than two Kivu) that want to find the refugees in the zone held by months and are fleeing fighting in eastern Zaire. The Kabila’s forces, but we’re not allowed to go there,” Pécoul international community’s unwillingness to provide aid is added, noting that in Kivu, “the refugees lack both aid only making the situation worse. and protection.” [...] … These technical limitations are real. But at other In response to the Zairian government’s charges against times and in other places (including Kurdistan and South humanitarian organisations, Dr. Cabrol said, “An NGO can’t Sudan), western nations have shown that when the possibly move the front line,” adding that, “The problem political will was present, they were able to mount aid is not whether humanitarian organisations are expelled, operations in complex contexts. That will is not present but the failure to assist people in need.” in this crisis. No nation has been eager to deal with the ’Hutu’ refugees in eastern Zaire, particularly because they include militiamen and soldiers from the former Rwandan armed forces, the same people who organised the 1994 genocide of more than 500,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutu On 7 March, in a joint statement with Action Contre la in Rwanda. For several months, the international commu- Faim and Médecins du Monde, MSF France called for the nity has been unable to separate the extremists from the 92 refugees’ protection to be guaranteed. refugees and has since refused to intervene. Kisangani by 150 kilometres ofrailroad tracks. rebels’ advancearrivedinUbundu,atownlinkedto On 10March,tensofthousandsrefugeesfleeingthe the areas where abuses were occurring. human rightsviolationsbutdidnotobtainaccessto ICRC wasdispatchedtoeasternZaireinquireabout the refugees.AmissionoffourUNagenciesand plan and allow aid organisations to obtain access to to thefightingineasternZaireacceptUNpeace The UNSecurityCouncildemandedthattheparties the least concern. them survive–oritswillingnesstoletdiewithout at the mercy of the international community’s will to see the weakestamongthem.Morethanever,theirfutureis tims of current events. This is a life-or-death question for in easternZaire,aswellZairianresidentswhoarevic- the protection of tens of thousands of refugees in distress ceptable. Allmeasuresmustbetakenurgentlytoensure The inertiaoftheUnitedNations’membersissimplyunac- [...] What are they waitingfor? to apopulation in danger. public relations gesture. They are guilty of non-assistance provide aidtotherefugeeshasneverbeenmorethana than threemonthsandtheinternationalmobilizationto involved intheregionhavebeenprocrastinatingformore who expressedtheirdesiretoberepatriated.Thenations since Januaryandwas unable torespondtherefugees refugee protection,hasbeenpresentineasternZaireonly [...] UNHCR,whosemandateisnonethelesstoensure ered by ferry.” need drinking water andmedicines,which mustbedeliv- between thetwosides,”Barton said.“Therefugeesalso “We needextramotorboats tocrossthe300metres River, whiletherefugeecamps areontheeasternside. But thetrainstationison westernsideoftheZaire tonnes are expected onMonday. under Zairiangovernmentcontrol,andthat120additional to Ubundu Saturday by train from Kisangani, which is Barton noted that 65 tonnes of food had been delivered tried to distribute foodbut they wereoverwhelmed.” Food Programme’sregionalspokespersonsaid.“WFPstaff “Many oftheserefugeesareinverypoorshape,”theWorld Monday. Ubundu, UNspokespersonBrendaBartonannouncedon els floodedhumanitarianaidstaffovertheweekendin Tens ofthousandsrefugeesfleeingadvancingreb - Extract: (in French). Ubundu,’ ’Tens of Thousands of Refugees Flood into AFP (France),Nairobi,10March1997 Security Council and Amnesty International. that awesternwitnessdeliveredinFebruarytotheUN nearly the entire report on the killings in eastern Zaire The French daily newspaper, taken refuge intheforests. ern Zaireat400,000andbelievethatmostofthemhave number of Rwandan Hutu and Burundian refugees in east- Employees of charitable organisations place the total Zaire. who fled Tingi Tingi, the largest of the camps in eastern In Ubundu,therefugeesareamongsome160,000people also on the westside. Ubundu andwillcontinuetoworkthere,butthestripis She alsonotedthattheWFPstaffsetupalandingstripin but could not take off because of heavy rain, Barton said. biscuits, wasreadytoleavefromKisanganionMonday A small Andover airplane, loaded with four of high-protein ized thatthe debate wasfocusingonthe word.Noone systematic. Icalled itanewgenocide.But Iquicklyreal- the breadthofkillinghewitnessed? “Themassacreswere soon as they get to Rwanda. It was no use… “What about I explained,“butthey’llbe refugeeswithinanhouras impossible“, they told me. “These people aren’t refugees“. them, hidden in acar, to UNHCR to ask for an escort. “It’s secuted andwantedtohelpthemcrosstheborder.“Itook victorious arrival,themanhidTutsi,whowerebeingper - Everyone becameavictim.”Oneweekbeforetherebels’ dying forunknownreasonsandinnumbers. ing andgoingperpetually,‘cleansing’operations,people a kindofabsurdroutinewithrunawaysandescapeescom - nesses. HesavedTutsiandtheninturn,Hutu.“Therewas his safetybutthatofthoseclosetohimandotherwit - to anonymity, “for obvious reasonsofsecurity.” Not just has launchedhimontotheinternationalstage,heclings the ZairianborderwithRwanda.[….]Whilehisstatement and endedup,bychance,ontheshoresofLakeKivu, country. Afewyearsago,thismanchosetogoAfrica a long interviewwith him in the capital of a European motion afterthreemonthsofvacillation?Libérationheld is thepersonwhomanagedtosetUNmachineryin just sentaninquirycommissionintothefield.[…]Who was madeavailabletotheUNSecurityCouncil,whichhas Determined tobeveryreliablebyWesternembassies,it describes summaryexecutionsandhiddenmassgraves. the witnesshasrequestedanonymity.Thedocument Zaire atthehandsofTutsifighters.Forsafetyreasons, witness regardingmassacresofHuturefugeesineastern Libération ispublishingtheentirestatementofawestern Extract: (in French). the West,’Libération(France),10March1997 ’Massacres inZaire:TheWordsthatWokeUp Libération, published

93 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

talks about the killings or about how to stop them, but the Thai frontier. Masses of refugees coming and going, about whether or not to use that term. Personally, I don’t pushed in all directions, it’s classic. From a technical point use it any more. I’d even say that I don’t give a damn, of view, this is nothing new. I’m not fighting a last-ditch that I find all that pathetic. The situation is unbearable. humanitarian battle here. The difference is more political For me, that’s all that counts.” than technical. I’ve had a consistent position since the crisis began. Since the beginning, I’ve said – in Geneva, Brussels, everywhere – that we had to provide aid and security, too. What’s odd for me, as a professional in the field of humanitarian emergencies, is that the warning On 11 March, the USA and UK rejected the UN Secretary threshold for the international organisations and the General’s 28 February proposal to reactivate the multi- NGOs was set so high. It’s true that the security condi- national force for eastern Zaire, initiated in November tions aren’t the best. It’s all very precarious. But I have 1996. The proposal had French support. the impression that the response is somewhat automatic The same day, as AFDL forces approached Kisangani, and that the specifics of the problem are not being con- the French president called on the international com- sidered. We manage by saying, “Well, after all, they’re only munity to undertake a ’humanitarian’ intervention in getting what they deserve.” eastern Zaire. Other nations ignored the call because they suspected France of being motivated primarily by a desire to block the rebels’ advance. When he returned from Zaire, Xavier Emmanuelli, French Secretary of Reports on the fate of refugees hunted down in eastern State for Emergency Humanitarian Action and for- Zaire increased in the international press. mer MSF Vice-President, said that he had not seen humanitarian organisations working with refugees and announced that France’s humanitarian emergency unit would provide support. ’Hutu Refugees Trapped in Zaire Between Tutsi and the Crocodiles (Ubundu)’, The New York Times (USA), 12 March 1997 (in English).

’Humanitarian Pressure for Zaire,’ Libération Extract: (France), 12 March 1997 (in French). The campaign against the Hutu refugees has been especially unforgiving, foreign diplomats and Zairian human Extract: rights experts say, because many of Mr Kabila’s fighters I saw the Rwandan refugees in the Ubundu camp (ed. note: pushing westward toward Kisangani are Tutsi volunteers 75,000, according to the World Food Programme) and the from Rwanda bent on avenging the deaths of relatives at displaced Zairians at the “H site” in Kisangani, a camp for the hands of the Hutu. people without family members. I also went to Kisangani. For weeks before Mr Kabila’s men made their push on It did not look good to me. I didn’t see any UN aid agencies Tingi Tingi, then home to more than 150,000 Hutu, Zaire’s or NGOs in the field. In terms of humanitarian presence, constantly retreating army supplied the refugee camp with only the Zairian Red Cross and one person from Caritas was weapons, hoping that once properly armed, the former there, Father Jeffrey, at the Kisangani church office. I saw Hutu soldiers would block the rebellion’s advance. Under the others only in Kinshasa. I was very surprised because international pressure for a cease-fire, Mr Kabila pledged this is a tense situation. It’s pretty unbelievable. There he would not attack the Tingi Tingi camp, only to have are refugees in distress in the forest, fleeing in precarious his men overrun it a few days later. Refugees here who conditions, but I didn’t see the aid organisations. traveled for more than a week through dense forest tell [...] I’m going to speed up aid shipments. I’m going to of being chased for days with the sound of gunfire and rely on the NGOs that do want to respond, particularly the mortars seemingly never more that a bend in the footpath Zairian Red Cross, and if there were others, that would be away. great. [...] Something unbelievable is going on… It’s a silence, or “We walked all day and all night because there was no way a half-silence; the media is putting out low-key information to rest,” said Dr Camille Kabakira, who has still not seen in its reports on this catastrophe. The international organ- several of her family members since the attack. “So many isations are annoyed too, because these are Hutu. What I’m people got lost and left behind in the terror. There was a worried about is – bluntly, since this has to be said clearly panic and people scattered as best they could.” - that these are not considered ‘good’ refugees. We thought the ’good’ refugees had returned to Rwanda (ed. note: last In this respect, Zaire’s civil war has meant the pursuit November) and that the others, the ones who didn’t go of Rwanda’s ethnic conflict clear across a neighboring back, must have had reasons not to return, that they’d been country. Since there appears to be no end to the blood involved in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi minority. animosity between Hutu and Tutsi, the only answer many The result is that, yes, we help them, but reluctantly. Hutu here see for themselves is to beg for international 94 [...] There have been similar situations in the past, like at protection or keep pushing westward. ing state required. from providing the treatment that the refugees’ appall- ous obstaclestherebelsimposedpreventedteam remaining attheTingiandAmisisites.Thevari- several hours’accessperweektothe2,000refugees Beginning on12March,anMSFteamwasgranted violations. ters sent a press officer to help document human rights to obtaininformationonthemassacres.MSFheadquar - tional surveys in northern Goma, during which it tried Masisi sinceDecember,theMSFteamconductednutri - kilometres ofKisangani.Havinghadnoaccessto authorized aidorganisationstotravelwithin20 entire region.On18March,Laurent-DésiréKabila Zaire’s economiccapital,gainingcontroloverthe On 15March,AllianceforcestookKisangani,eastern assistance. access limitationsitwasimpossibletodeliveradequate were notpermittedtostayovernightinthecamp.With authorization from the AFDL. In addition, expatriate staff teams inthevicinity were alsoconstrainedbyadelayed to maintainaconstantmedicalpresencebystationing ing timewhichwereabsurdlyshortandirregular.Efforts to travelbyroadfromAmisi,resultinginconfinedwork- denied onsecuritygrounds.Medicalteamswereforced were in themostvulnerable medical state, was constantly Permission to land in TingiTingi, where the refugees departures fromGomaairportandcancellationsofflights. week. Access to Amisi was continuously hampered by late granted accessonlyforafewhoursday,daysper 10 refugeesdyingeveryday.Fortwoweeks,MSFwas ished. Mortality was extremely high, with an average of The majorityoftherefugeeswereseverelymalnour- severe dehydration,malaria,diarrhoeaandlegwounds. immediate emergencyintervention.Manysufferedfrom ing atTingiwereinadiremedicalstaterequiring thought tobescatteredinotherareas.Therefugeesarriv- the vicinity,aswellobtainaccesstolargenumbers provide medicalcaretoapproximately2,000refugeesin governmental organisations(NGOs),MSFattemptedto 12 March1997.Inco-ordinationwiththeUNandnon- MSF wasallowedtoreturnTingiandAmisionthe Extract: Kivu. Itwasmore orlessacoverbecause the job My titlewasPublic HealthInformationOfficer for English). in EasternZaire,’MSFReport,16May1997(in ’Forced flight:aBrutalStrategyofElimination and the approaching Rwandan rebel forces. Ubundu continuedforthe forest, pursuedbyvillagers Beginning on20March,the refugeeswhoarrivedin tion but people were very sensitive. So weweredoingsurveysandtryingtogetmoreinforma - stories ofvillagesbeingburneddown,peoplekilled. between theRwandansandCongolese.Wewerehearing Kabila troopsthathadcomein.Therewasalotoftension being targetedbytherebels,Rwandans,and population -notjusttherefugeestofindoutiftheywere find outabitmoreaboutwhatwashappeningtothelocal doing nutritionalsurveyswiththepopulationandtryingto access toMasisi,wewereworkinginareasnorthofGoma the repatriationofrefugees...Becausewedidn’thave attention wasontryingtogetaccessMasisiandfollowing clear. Sointhefirsttwomonths,FebruaryandMarch, out fromtheGomaareaandMasisi,everythingbecame was moreontherefugees.Whenrefugeesstartedcoming tion onMasisiinsomewaysfromBukavu,wherethefocus peoples’ hearts.FromGoma,therewasalotmoreconcentra- Masisi wasverymuchaprojectthatclosetolotof December. MSFHollandhadalwaysworkedinMasisiand We weredeniedaccesstoMasisi–wehadbeensince issue to befollowing. was happeningtotherefugeesornot.Butitaparallel wasn’t cleariftheMasisisituationwasconnectedtowhat was tolookatbothissuesandthetimethatIarrived,it was alsoitsowncontext.Italonghistory.Myposition ation in itself. It was related to the refugee situation but it MSF HollandhaddoneareportonMasisi,whichwassitu- Kivu, andthenyouhadthesituationinMasisi.InNovember, attacks ontherefugees,whichthenspreadtorestof tions takingplace.YouhadthesituationinBukavuwith wasn’t soclear.Youhadasensethatthereweretwositua- happening wascomingfromBukavu.AroundGoma,it came about…Theclearestindicationsthatsomethingwas of that the idea of sending someone in to support the teams some oftheincidentsaroundBukavu.Itwaslargelybecause something mightbegoingonbecausehehadwitnessed happening inBukavuwereasoneofthefirstindicationsthat tor inBukavuforMSFHolland.Hisreportsandwhatwas Bastos wasleavingwhenIarrived.Heprojectcoordina- time. Theyweretryingtoidentifytheproject.Jose-Antonio were basicallyuncertainastowhattheydoingatthat was aprojectinBukavu(thisbeforeIarrived)butthey document whatwashappeningwiththerefugees…There ground andhumanitarian experience tohelptheteams They werelookingforsomebodywithhumanrightsback- profile waswrittenupinDecember1996/January1997. on Missionin Goma from 18 Marchto2April 1997, Leslie Lefkow, MSF Holland Human Rights Officer, then MSFHolland HAD officer (in English).

95 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

to go back with them to help to try and document what was going on there and to try to find out more about what was Florence Aubenas, ‘Refugees Wander Blindly going on. Through Zaire,’ Libération (France), 27 March 1997 (in French). Leslie Lefkow, MSF Holland Human Rights Officer, on Mission in Goma from 18 March to 2 April 1997, Extract: then MSF Holland HAD officer (in English). They’re fleeing again. Those who escaped the storm have set up a new camp in Ubundu, on the other side of the river, 150 kilometres from Kisangani. There are fewer of them. By now, no one knows how many. And the story begins again. They settle in a bit, and then flee again. On 23 March, the team went back the same way, This time, residents of the neighboring village organised accompanied by Leslie Lefkow from MSF Holland the drive, fearing that their fields would be looted. “And Humanitarian Affairs Department. This time, team then they got scared when they saw some refugees sud- members took a different road than the one indicated denly collapse on the ground, as if struck by an illness at the AFDL checkpoint and went to a village where MSF that no one recognized,” a humanitarian aid official who had previously worked. The village and the health had managed to get to the site on Monday said. In Zaire, been looted. The population indicated that there had representatives of the World Health Organisation (WHO) been massacres in the nearby hills. anticipate “unknown infectious epidemics, comparable to the Ebola virus, which may be due to a prolonged stay in the forest.”

When we got to this checkpoint, we said that we were going direct to Masisi town but in fact, we didn’t-we went off the road. We went to a village off the road where MSF used to work. We arrived in the village MASISI AND SHABUNDA: and it looked as though nobody was there-you could see HUMANITARIAN BAIT people running from their fields into the bushes-so cars were not welcomed. So we got to the village and nobody was there. Then, bit-by-bit, people came out and we met the local health assistant. The whole place had been looted. The health centre had been completely looted. A lot of people said that there had been killings around in the hills and that there were graves in different places. They asked us if we On 20 March, two volunteers from the MSF Holland wanted to see them and we said no-we were there to see team in Goma conducted an evaluation mission in what the local health situation was and we would like to Masisi with AFDL’s authorisation. They found that come back. all the villages leading to Masisi past the Alliance checkpoint had been burned and abandoned by their Leslie Lefkow, MSF Holland Human Rights Officer, inhabitants. on Mission in Goma from 18 March to 2 April 1997, then MSF Holland HAD officer (in English).

At the end of March ‘97, we got permission to go into Masisi town and that was the first time in three Armed men forced them to go to another village, where months. So a team of a nurse and a logistician went they pointed out several mass graves. The village chief in. They went through a checkpoint called Mashaki check- told them that the rebels had attacked them. point which was set up mostly by Rwandans but also some Zairian members of the rebel group for the AFDL had participated. The team went up the road to Masisi town and they discovered that it was abandoned. All these villages had been burned down and were abandoned. At one point, As we were getting ready to leave, one of the driv- some boy gave them a letter-because MSF had been working ers said that we can’t go yet. They say that there in this area for quite a long time so they were well known are armed guys along the road and they are going to the local population-and the letter said that the people to shoot us if we leave. There was one guy, we called him were being targeted by the AFDL and that they wanted help Scarface, he was one of those people that you meet and and so on. The team reported this to the team in Goma and say, this person is evil. He would have slit our throats in 96 said that they wanted to go back in again and wanted me a minute -but what we found out was that he wasn’t in Then he left. women and young people who had been recently killed. attacks fromtheAFDL.Heshowedusseveralbodiesof as ashieldfromtheAFDLandofcourse,thisprovoked the populationhostage, living offofthem andkeepingthem was saying that this armed group in the village was holding wanted totalk.Sowetookhimwithusforawaysandhe another guywhowasateacherhoppedintothecarand ed soldierandhisgirlfriendinthecar.Aswewereleaving, lem itcreatedwasthatweleftthevillagewiththiswound- written summary of their visit. the following days, AFDLofficialsinGoma demandeda learned about the team’s detour off the main road. In MSF volunteersatthecheckpoint allnight.Theyhad On theroadbacktoBukavu, AFDLsoldiersheldthe holding the village hostage. the armed men were Interahamwe and ex-FAR and were leaving, amanjumpedintothecarandexplainedthat take care of a young wounded man. Just as they were Returning tothefirstvillage,teamwasasked decided that it wasintheir best interest to letusgo. us tohisleadercheckoutwhatdo,andthisguyhad group resistingtheAFDL.SoScarfacehadbasicallytaken been doing raids into this area and this was an armed that hadgoneinthere.ItwascleartheAFDL go. Wefeltlaterthatwewerethefirstinternationalgroup the worldaboutwhatwashappening,etc.Thenheletus about anhourandkeptsayingthathewantedustotell someone whowasverywelleducated.Hespoketousfor this guywasanex-FAZhemighthavebeenacommander- took ustotheheadchief.Thelogisticianthoughtthat sandal-I don’t think that they were soldiers. Then they bodies in the graves were decomposed. I saw a child’s insisted inshowingusthesegraves.Wetookphotos.The for 24hoursacrossthehillstothistinyvillage.They these massgraves.Sowestartedtomarchthefourofus charge. Hesaid,“Youcan’tleave-we want toshowyou on Missionin Goma from 18 Marchto2April 1997, on Missionin Goma from 18 Marchto2April 1997, Goma. Which,initselfwasreasonable,buttheprob- ed guywithus,-theywantedhimtogetback They letusgobuttheyalsomadetakeawound- Leslie Lefkow, MSF Holland HumanRights Officer, Leslie Lefkow, MSF Holland HumanRights Officer, then MSF Holland HADofficer (in English). then MSFHolland HAD officer (in English).

AFDL about the goal of itsmission. could weakenMSF’scredibilitybyhavingliedtothe programmes intheregion.Somesaidthatteam feared thatthiswouldendangerthevillagersandMSF’s the evaluationmissionsgatheredinMasisi.Others thought theyshouldpublicisetheinformationthat Some membersoftheMSFHollandteaminGoma access to Masisi again. report ofthetripandthenputtingrestrictionsonusgetting up. InthenextdaysafterinGoma,theykeptaskingusfora they werecompletelysuspicious,knewsomethingwas They didn’thurtanyone.Weallgotoutofitright.But dier didn’t recognize him. guy recognizedoneofthematthecheckpoint,butsol- Zairian forcesafterhavingbeencleansedfromMasisi.This Zairian TutsifromMasisiandthesehadjoinedthe worried because he was local and some of the troops were let woundandthathewasyounghealthy.Wewerealso the woundedguy’swound,theywouldseethatitwasabul- in thevehicles.Wewereafraidthatiftheywouldlookat all nightgettingdrunkonbananabeerandwewerelocked 30 militaryatthecheckpointandtheywereupinhills were worriedaboutthatbecausethereprobably20or kept usthereovernight.Theyneverlookedintothecars.We other carhadreportedthattheyhadn’tseenus.So that something was funny because we were so late and this we pickedthisguyuponthesideofroad.Buttheyknew village andwipeeveryoneout.Soweweregoingtosaythat had beentothisvillage,becausetheywouldthengothe with somestorybecausewedidn’twanttotellthemthat got tothecheckpoint,wedecidedthathadcomeup hadn’t andwehadthiswoundedguyinthecar.Before another cariftheyhadseenus.Itwasreportedthat nutritional survey inShabunda-wellfuckthat- that’shardly number ofreasons. Thepointwehadwas thatdoinga dize theoperationswehave running. Ithinktherewerea and dosomethingothers sayingthatwecan’tjeopar- us sayingweneedtospeakout aboutthis,weneedtotry should do.Itcamedowntoa splitinthegroupwithhalfof on Missionin Goma from 18 Marchto2April 1997, Plus, themilitaryatcheckpointhadasked dark andthecurfewwas5:30tobebackinGoma. We gotbacktothecheckpointat6pmanditwas forget that-therewere12of us-discussing whatwe whole teambeforeweleftforAmsterdam.I’llnever We hadhugeconversationsanddiscussionswiththe Leslie Lefkow, MSF Holland HumanRights Officer, then MSF Holland HADofficer (in English).

97 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

life saving operations (and was thus not a strong enough outside the country and with the support of a very good programme to worry about being put in jeapordy)! The specialist on human rights, they prepared that whole docu- tricky point that some people felt although I’m not sure that ment. Then it was mainly the strategy to use that document I agree with them, is that because we lied, because we through human rights groups and not to go public with it. weren’t transparent, that’s why people treated the Masisi It was mainly because we were not transparent actually, trip and the report differently from that from Shabunda. We and our activities there would risk the safety of the popula- didn’t have permission to go into those areas. From my tion and that would also risk our access again in the future. point of view, I didn’t see that as a strong argument. Maybe That was a clear message to the team when they were taken there were other politics going on in the organisation that and shown the mass graves. They were very much told, “We I didn’t know about. We had this big discussion and I said: cannot release you because if we release you, you will tell “ Are we sentencing those people in the village to death? Is everybody what you have seen and you have seen us here the AFDL going to screen all the villages in the area to see and they will come after us.” So that was the whole nego- where we went and is that poor schoolteacher going to suf- tiation between the team and the people to really try to fer for it?” Maybe it was more that because we hadn’t been calm them down: “this is MSF, we don’t pass on all the transparent and hadn’t had permission. Maybe there was information, we try to protect etc ...” So with these strong also a guilty conscience that we brought these people into negotiations it was also very much that a warning against danger unwittingly. On the other hand, that was the first going public because if something happens no matter if it’s time in three months that we had any idea about what was through us or not, these people will all be killed because going on in the area-and it was bad. I was very much in MSF would have given the information. So there was anoth- favor of doing something much stronger and in public with er reason, a kind of ‘don’t betray the people’ in that sense. that information. But the team decided no. In terms of So that’s why we did not go public. fighting for it-I guess there was a good argument that maybe having just come out of it, I wasn’t being rational.… Marcel Van Soest, MSF Holland Field Coordinator, We were very fearful that if people found out the name of Goma, January to March 1997 (in English). the village, that it would cause a reprisal. We didn’t say it, we used the K word when describing the village. We wouldn’t name the village. That was an issue for the logistician that affected [his opinion about] doing a public statement. But to be honest, my memory of that meeting is not very clear On 26 March, José Antonio Bastos, former MSF on the positions that people took at the meeting. In the Emergency team Coordinator in Bukavu, went to end, I felt that those that supported speaking out were not London to inform the Amnesty International official strong enough. It ended up coming away that we were not for Central Africa about the violence committed in going to do anything-and that was just too much. Masisi which he learned about during his mission.

Leslie Lefkow, MSF Holland Human Rights Officer, on Mission in Goma from 18 March to 2 April 1997, then MSF Holland HAD officer (in English). ‘Proposal for Plan of Action for Witnessed Masisi Events CONFIDENTIAL from Ed Schenkenberg, HAD to Goma programme manager, Masisi Explo Team, PS Network, HAD, HOM Goma , 2 April 1997 (in English). Already before that, in February, we had a lot of discussions about advocacy, témoignage. Because Extract: we could not do so much work, we also debated a Amnesty International lot about the fact that we needed an advocacy strategy; MSF and Amnesty International have recently intensified What do you do if you do witness violation of human rights? their contacts. Former project coordinator for Bukavu What is our role as a humanitarian organisation?…blah José-Antonio Bastos debriefed Amnesty’s researcher for blah blah…. Then this happened in Masisi and they had all central Africa on 26 March. For the moment, the AI agen- these things witnessed. So what to do with all that informa- da is aimed at the creation of an independent Commission tion? First of all with the whole team we had huge debates of Inquiry. On the advice of Mohammed Sahnoun, AI has and of course a lot of discussion with Amsterdam. So we sent a Memorandum to the UN Security Council on 24 decided then that for sure something had to be done with March, to request a Commission of Inquiry that should the information, but because we were not supposed to be investigate reports of atrocities in eastern Zaire. AI has there, we still had not explained what we really have done indicated that in the (near) future it might be interested and experienced. The main worry was what we really had to use MSF’s information, possibly with the view to sup- found. We were very concerned that the Kabila troops would port the work of the commission. go to that village and kill the people. So, to prevent that, we said that we were not going public; we were not going to tell the authorities what we had seen. But we had to do 98 something with that information. So, we brought the team volunteers could provide only inadequate aid. tion. Unable tomaintain an on-going presence the MSF were stillattheTingisite,inadesperatecondi- prohibited from entering the village. 1000 refugees were inLula,7kilometresfromKisangani.They On 26 March, UNHCR reported that 18,000 refugees occurred. And personally, I found thata little comforting. went intothecompiledmaterialsthatestablishedthis into Garreton’shands,andthatsomeofmyinformation into thehandsofUNHumanRightsCommissionand and informationIkeptwereused.I’msurethatitgot the future.Tome,thiswasanobviousone.Alldetails be recordedandsavedbecausetheycouldimportantin tion wasn’tlost.I’mconvincedthatsomefactsmust press. Butlater,forourpopulationatleastthatinforma- the events first-hand but couldn’t speak out directly in the see thattheinformationdidn’tjustdisappear.Wewitnessed went intoAmnesty’sreport.Thatwasalittlecomforting,to was responsible for Rwanda. The information I gave him So MSFHollandsentmetodebriefthefellowinLondonwho we can’t do muchnow.” tant details. Since it happened six months ago, it’s old and to doitbecauseyouhaveinformationandsomeveryimpor- have to debrief Amnesty International in London. You have be continued… Goma, which requires negotiating directly with Kabila. To other solutionistotreatthem inthehealthfacilities that theywillreceivecarewhich isnotacertainty.The under appropriateconditions andvoluntarily,ensuring We plan to call for their repatriation to Rwanda, but Tingi Tingi. No meaningfulaidcan reach them. the teamcontinuesonviaroadbetweenAmisiand refugees die.TheplanecanlandonlyatAmisiandthen it wassominimalthatalltheycoulddowatchthe fewer than two months. MSF teams tried to bring aid, but 18 %inoneweek.Ifnothingisdone,theywillalldie 14-22 March, 179 people died, for a mortality rate of 12 - refugees whowereunabletoflee.Duringtheweekof The situationinTingiistragicforthe1,000-1,500 Extract: sections Team) Coordinator in SouthKivu(inFrench). Dr. José-Antonio Bastos, MSF ET(Emergency inter- ment saidtome,“That’svery,veryinteresting.You Schenkenberg from thehumanitarian affairs depart- I returnedtoAmsterdamanddidadebriefing.Ed March 1997(in French). ‘Information Bulletin285’,MSFFrance,26 Belgian, French and Dutch sections and Zairian staff. nated theteam,whichincludedvolunteersfrom auspices ofMSFHolland.TheBelgiansectioncoordi- reopened missionwasregisteredofficiallyunderthe authorities did not welcome French organisations, the plies hadnotbeenlooted.Becausetheregion’snew found thelocalstaffingoodhealth.Thesiteandsup- the MSFFranceteam had evacuatedon1March.They MSF BelgiumEmergencycell,wenttoKisangani,which Coordinator inGoma,andMarie-ChristineFérir,from The sameday,MarcelVanSoest,MSFHolland’s camp in Lula. them today. The refugees havesettled into amakeshift deliver atruckloadofbiscuits,milkandmedicinesto Update: UNHCRannouncedtonightthatitwasableto from entering Kisangani. authorization. Therefugeesareblockedandprohibited rized tomeetthemyesterday.TheHCRdidnotobtainthis 7 kilometres fromKisangani.Onlyreporterswereautho- UNHCR notedthataround18,000refugeesarrivedsome state. See report Marie Christine comingday(s). in eastZaire.Generalhospital visited,verypoorandbad continue underMSFGomatill MSFBisregisteredtowork presence hereisconsideredas MSFHandcoordinationwill different atmosphereherethaninGomaprogramme.MSF opportunity tobringinFrenchnationalities.Completely show supporttoKisandpop[ulation]thenthisisthe As MSFiswelcomeandneededifweimmediately Goma to arrange4seats in the plane Goma-Kis on Friday. tomorrow toGoma.AndwiththismessageIwantask Goma) toaskKampsendall4expatsstandbyforMSFB as itisnotforaFrench.Gomaaskedtoday(viahcrKis- refugees. FrenchnationalitiesseemstobeOKhereaslong balanced betweenlocalpop[ulation]plusIDPsandthe MSF is considered very welcome, programme should be it. Incredible... and choseitastheirown,butunderstoodourwishtokeep in timeasmilitariesjustvisiteddaybeforethecompound MSF preparedtheirevacuationverywell,thanks.Alsojust difficult itistofindanappropriatehouseinKisangani. incredible. Justbefore,Iheardfromotheragencieshow and office.Everythingthere-plusthestaffpluscar- Arrived inKisangani,hiredataxiandwenttoMSFhouse An incredible experience: Extract: 1997 (inEnglish). Van Soest,MSFHollandcoordinator,27March Incredible ‘An Experience’ Update fromMarcel

99 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

From 26 March to 3 April, two MSF Holland volunteers medical services, and food. Then the refugees coming back (James Fraser, a logistician-administrator and Maryse would have a place to stop, rest, then keep going. The MSF Bonnel, a nurse) participated in a UNHCR mission, team had heard of things happening west of Kigulube. They did authorised by the AFDL, to travel from Bukavu to not know what was going on, but it could be dangerous. “If Shabunda via Kigulube to identify and prepare to set you are comfortable in going then you can go.” I said okay up transit points for the refugees. Maryse stopped in because I had no idea of really what I was getting myself Kigulube, halfway between Bukavu and Shabunda, to into… Maryse had received a good briefing on the areas we set up health stations, while James continued on to were in. She knew that in Nzovu and in the forest there were Shabunda with the rest of the group. The trip took nine people. She gave me as much information as she had and told days over a difficult road and under precarious security me my mission was to go far to the west to Shabunda to find conditions. A ‘facilitator’ required by the AFDL went out what is going on. There were two objectives: one to figure along with the team. out where our transit camps would be in the west; another would be to figure out what was happening… The ‘facilitator’ was a spy, he was sent to watch us. He was like the cousin of the head ADFL person in charge in Bukavu. He wasn’t too smart-, we could trick him-,and he was really lazy, if he was James Fraser ‘Exploratory Mission Report - very scared of the ADFL . We saved him twice because we stood Kigulube - Catchungu - Shabunda,’ beginning of up for him. The Rwandans and the people in Shabunda were April 1997 (in English). actually reporting to the general in Goma. Our contact was with the general in Bukavu and there was a power struggle going on Extract: between the two of them. So this guy represented the Bukavu 26 March-slept 39.5 km - Kiseku - departed Kigulube 9:50h people and everyone in the field hated him and even threat- arrived 17:45h- total travel time 7 hours 55 minutes. 27 ened him. He was the humanitarian affairs guy for the ADFL, March -slept 115.3 km - Catchungu- departed Kiseku 6:05h he was supposed to go to Goma, and they told him if he was arrived 18:30h- total travel time 12 hours 55 minutes. 28 going to land they were going to shoot him out of the sky. That March -slept 151.0 km - Keisha- departed Catchungu 8:15h is how bad relations were between them. arrived 17:45h- total travel time 9 hours 30 minutes 29 March -slept 172.0 km - Shabunda- departed Keisha James Fraser, MSF Holland Shabunda explo team, 6:35h arrived 10:10h- total travel time 3 hours 45 minutes 26 March to 3 Avril 1997 (in English).

Detailed notes on movements were only taken on way there as the main purpose was to come up with a detailed route description. On the return trip, our notes were hidden along with notebooks so as not to create problems In Kigulube, a priest told the team that AFDL soldiers when we met the military because our facilitator was had carried out massacres. In the villages where the always present and giving detailed reports to military team stopped, peasants - always warned in advance of personal along the route. The return trip took one extra the team’s visit by AFDL soldiers - said that those sol- day however between Catchungu and Kigulube due to the diers had been killing refugees and these who helped difficult road conditions. The trip took 9 days in total… the refugees. Posted along the Kigulube road all the Participants: way to Shabunda, they kept watch on the forest and MSF- 1 expat, 1 driver, 1 local staff nurse terrorised the population. James quickly concluded UNHCR: 1 expat, 1 driver, 1 local staff assistant that the mission should focus primarily on gathering Care: 1 local staff information on the violence. Alliance: 1 facilitator Total 8 participants -2 vehicles

Objective: Exploratory mission to assess the feasibility and possible James Fraser, ‘Exploratory Mission Report - locations for transit stations along the western axis from Kigalube - Catchungu - Shabunda,’ beginning of Kigulube to Shabunda. April 1997 (in English).

Extract: 23.5 km - village Gnakasana - 2 sick refugees present in village, part of a larger group which are found around village in the forest. Unable to The project coordinator took us aside before we were get estimate of numbers in the forest. going to Kigulube and explained to us our mission: to - First clear description by local population of the pressure try to go as far west as we can and to look for transit the military are putting on those who are helping the camp sites about every 25 kilometres so that when the refu- refugees. Population who help refugees will be elimi- 100 gees started to come back we could provide shelter, a place for nated by military. and look for information and speak to the locals. transit campsites,butIused that moreasanexcusetofind sible and get the info out. Use the info. I still looked for the around us,thegoalwastogetasmuchinformationpos - it wasclearassoonIfoundoutwhathappening the refugees who haveemerged from theforest. forest. Themilitarywhoarefollowingustheneliminate that weareinthearea,feelsafe,andemergefrom military followedus.Whenwepassthrough,refugeeshear from boththelocalpopulationandrefugeesalikethat we werecoming.Also,alittlemoredisturbing,heard the militaryhadprecededusinordertotellvillagersthat population. OnourwaytoShabundaweoftenheardthat sensitisation effortsofthemilitaryterrifiedlocal getting killed.Inaddition,thedeadlineforhelpingand cise descriptionswithlocationsandnumbersofrefugees to therefugees.Thestoriesrangedfrom incidents topre- stories orinsinuationsaboutwhatthemilitarywasdoing tary. Inpracticallyeveryvillagewestoppedinheard the villagersandrefugeesalikewereterrifiedofmili- […]As wedrovefromvillagetovillage,itwasclearthat - - - - there were twosick refugees inthe village - there are manyrefugees in theforest […] 93.5km- village Kilalou - […] 27km - villageKabungungue - cate tous what wasoccurring. us. Itwasclearhowever,thattheyweretryingtoindi- give usclearinformationastheywereafraidtospeak Many ofthosewhowerespeakingtousreluctant ing refugeesbutwereunwillingtospecifyanyincidents. Told usthattherehavebeenincidentsofmilitarykill- to us. We foundthisouton return tripfrom Shabunda. Refugee teenfromBurundiwasbeatenupafterspeaking had apresence there. that sizewhichcamethroughKigulubesincewehave which waspartofthegroup.Alsotherenotagroup in thegroup.Shehadnotheardanythingaboutanyone with endsup.Theyalwaysgetwordaboutsomepeople stated thattheyalwaysknowwerethegrouptravel those fourhundredseemedtohavedisappeared.She and remainedbehind.Thiswomanwasterrifiedbecause through withagroupof400.Shewastooilltocontinue there was a woman in this village which had come been killed village onthereturntripsayingthat43refugeeshad confirmed byanothervillagerattheotherendof there were 40 refugees killed in this village, the story forest. […]villager -themilitaryarekillingtherefugeesin national community.” He was going crazy… To me, they arekillingeverybody.Youhavetotelltheinter- One daythispriestcameuptous,”TheyareNazis, James Fraser, MSF Holland Shabunda explo team, 26 March to 3 Avril1997(in English). According to the UNHCRrepresentative, thesewere and noticed clothing scattered or strewn in trees. The teamdiscoveredmass graves inseverallocations refugees coming from Nzolu. that camethereandwentnorthwerenomore refugees togothere.TwodayslatertherewereADFLsoldiers always twoguyswhoweredressedverywell.Sowetoldthe After this,youwould see theregular villagers andthen point wedidnotknowthattherewerespiesineveryvillage. to Nzolu,becausethentheywouldbeintheloop.Bythis that wetoldthemtosendtherefugeesthroughforest said, butitallstilldidnotmakesense.Sowhatwewas did notknowwhatwashappening.Weknewthepriest if wehelpthem.Whatdodo?Helpus.”Atthatpoint five AFDLsoldierswereobservedalongthesamepath. had cometothehealthstationbythatroad.However, came backtoKigulubeafewdayslater,norefugees a fewkilometresnorthofKigulube.Whentheteam to takeapathleadingMSF’shealthstationinNzovu, the refugees,teamthoughtitbesttoadvisethem In responsetovillagers’questionsabouthowhelp - - - refugees in thisvillage 18.3km - village Kisuku Extract: to Kigulubefrom that direction since. heading forNzovu.Therehavebeennorefugeescoming approximately fiftysoldierspassedthroughKigulube to Kigulube,IwasinformedbyMarysethaton2April Alliance receivedthisinformation.Whenwereturned yet wehadnoalternative. To meitisclearthatthe These instructions were against my better judgment, we begantoinstruct them totake this pathtoNzovu. them thattheywerenolongerallowedtohelprefugees, how to help the refugees, since the military had told From thispointonwhenaskedbythelocalpopulation of Kigulube. the refugeestobypassmilitarypresencejustwest north ofKigulube)throughtheforest which willallow told thattherewasapathfromKisukutoNzovu(22km gees until Easter, after that they are going tokill us saying,“The Tutsis’saidwecanonlyhelptherefu- The Zairianpopulationwerecomingoutand James Fraser, MSF Holland Shabunda explo team, April 1997(in English). Kigalube -CatchunguShabunda,’beginningof James Fraser,‘ExploratoryMissionReport- 26 March to 3 Avril1997(in English). 101 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

signs left by survivors to indicate to other refugees that massacres had occurred. The UNHCR protection officer brought me to the side, told me that she knew that there were mass graves, and she needed my help to try and distract the spies in the village, as well as the ADFL guy in the car James Fraser, ‘Exploratory Mission Report - with us. So we came up with a plan how to distract people, Kigalube - Catchungu - Shabunda’, beginning of so we could look around and get information. She told me April 1997 (in English). that at Mquang there was a mass grave and that is why the soldiers were there. She had a list of other ones. In the vil- Extract: lage of Kisigu, there were more graves by the river. As we 7.2 km - road leading to mass grave (UNHCR list of sites went along, one of the first villages, the ADFL guy did not to be inspected). We were unable to inspect many of the want to get out of the car because he was too hot. So the sites due to the presence of a facilitator or local Alliance UNHCR protection officer and her assistant came out of the representatives present in every village. car with me. The assistant went towards the river and the - reported that at least 240 bodies recently (no exact date two spies in this village followed him. He got them in con- given) buried in this grave versation; so then we had the chance to look around. We - report confirmed by the Catchungu missionary found graves just over this hill on the side of the village, - from 0km to 12.3 km a pair of soldiers were stationed pretty big, of freshly dug soil, interned with little crosses in every km and kept us moving it. So then we took pictures. - when we arrived in Mpwe at 12.3km, third in command One interesting thing is that in the beginning there was no of Kigulube military asks facilitator where and if we had sign of anything and then as you drove along the road you stopped. Relieved to find out that we did not stop. started to see these graves, these big overturned fields on 12.3 km - village Mpwe the side of the road. As we got closer and closer to one of - heavy presence of soldiers - minimum five these towns, Kishiawutu, I asked, “What does G stand for? - this village is outer limit from Kigulube of heavy military Oh G is for grave!” There were seven alleged mass graves presence and there were crosses. When I was coming back we had a - mass grave site on right hand side while traveling west boy who had died in our car. He had malaria and he died. behind house with metal roof. On UNHCR lists to be Then we went with our driver and some people from the inspected. Inspection impossible. I did not see this village to the cemetery of that village and we had to walk grave. Reports from UNHCR said that this grave was large a long way. They had raised the soil with stones and they and to hide it, the ground was prepared to look like a did a nice job. So I started to ask them about burial rituals. second house was going to be built. Apparently they would never bury them inside the village - Numbers of victims in grave unknown. unless they were burying an important person. So all these - Dates of when grave was filled is unknown. other graves we saw in the village that were huge, did not jive with what the locals were telling me about the ritual 17 km [west of Kigulube] - clothing on side of the road and how they usually did things. - unable to stop on the way there, but on the return trip, vehicles were stuck in mud, giving me the opportunity James Fraser, MSF Holland Shabunda explo team, to inspect 26 March to 3 Avril 1997 (in English). - men’s and women’s clothing - headbands - pink plastic bowl - all items strewn across the ground - clothing hanging in tree. This has been identified (UNHCR sources) as an indication that killings occurred Village leaders reported that during an ‘ideological’ at this site. Refugees will do this to warn other refugees session, Alliance representatives ordered them to stop of incidents in areas. providing any support to refugees and help the soldiers - Followed path to small stream approximately 250 metres remove all signs of massacres along the roads. Just away, could not find any more evidence. before reaching Shabunda, the team came upon a group […] 38.7 km- village Kuseku 1 of soldiers ‘cleaning’ bodies. - refugees are spread out in the forest - military threatens those who help refugees - no mention of military harming local populations - there are refugees hiding in every village - refugees afraid to continue to Kigulube as the military As you got farther along the way, things got messier are there and messier. At this bridge at Shabunda, one side - confirmation by local population of 240 killed in mass was really clean and the other side they hadn’t had grave of 7.2 km west of Kigulube a chance yet to clean and there was lots of material: cloth- 102 ing; a license; eating utensils. So they were trying to clean als intheOlympics. They had these code names so they named afterthis Americanrunnerwhowon twogoldmed- after thatIwouldn’tactscared. TherewasthisCarlLewis, “Oh mygod,Iamnevergoing toseemymomagain”.But hear myheartgettinglouder andlouder.Iwasthinking,: […] … In Shabunda, on the ground in the dark I could not takenoforananswer.They finallygavethemtous. and theywouldsaynoweyes The nextdaywegotupanddemandedourpassportsback time Ithought,“Thepartyisover.”Andnothinghappened. hallway. They did not do anything but this was the only in themorningthesepeoplecameandstartedwalking snuck out and locked ourselves in that one room. At four to gobed,andthenwewaiteduntilitwasdark where. Ifoundakeytolockoneroom.Weallpretended talk totheUNHCRprotectionofficerandIlookedevery - So we were there and we were in our rooms. I went out to murdered. They came at night and killed them. I remembered when I left my last mission, two people were us andtold“Yougotothisroom,youthatroom.” with it. They brought us to this monastery and pointed to after making veiled death threats. Intelligence agency(SNR)heldtheteamovernight, In Shabunda, representatives of the Alliance then he left. “Do youhaveanydieselforus”andthenwesaid,“no” the truck,hegotintostoppedyellingandsaid. quickly. Assoonastheyweredoneputtingtheshovelsin shovels intoatruck.Theywereputtingawayreally time IcouldseebehindhimtherewereZairiansthrowing French. HestartedspeakingtomeinFrenchandatthesame was screamingatusandthenItoldhimonlyunderstood were runningupanddowntheroadcleaning.Sothisperson is the one who was identifying the soldiers as Tutsi who UNHCR protection officer who knew it was Kinyarwanda. She out andstartedyellingatmeinKinyarwanda.Itwasthe were surprised.Onecolonel,namedColonelJacksoncame we actuallycameacrossADFLsoldiersandZairiansthey cleaning upaheadofus.JustbeforewegottoShabunda freshly overturnedsoil,everybodytoldusthatpeoplewere sure thattheyweremassgraves.Butthefacttherewas compared totheothergrassthishighandIcan’tsayfor would seeahugesquare.Therebegrassthishigh mission foraccess.Therewereplacesyouwouldgoand telling uswedidnothavepermission to go,youneed per- ahead ofusandtheywere trying todelay us. Theykept going tokillusandhowtheyweregetaway took usasprisonersandtheytoldhowwere It wasscary.WegottoShabundaandtheykindof James Fraser, MSF Holland Shabunda explo team, 26 March to 3 Avril1997(in English). out of the forest. being usedaslurestoconvincetherefugeescome eral monthsearlier:humanitarianorganisationswere their strategy,whichaidagencieshaddeterminedsev- Members of the intelligence agency openly confirmed get mad. say, “Ofcoursenot,wehadyouprotectingus.”Hewould he wouldaskyou,“Wereyouscaredlastnight?”I us. Hewasreallypushyandtryingtoscareme.Thenextday wouldn’t havetheirrealnames.Hewassortofincharge gees fromthe forest ontothe main road. under threat, forced the missionary to draw out refu- AFDL soldierskilledseveralpeopleatthemissionand in the region. Just after the humanitarian team left, confirmed thatthousandsofrefugeeshadbeenkilled missionary whohadhiddenandprotectedrefugees On theroadback,teamstoppedathomeofa est.” good tousetheNGO’spullrefugeesoutoffor- us straight“Wecan’treachtheenemyinforest,itis - - 112.8 km […] Extract: […the] mission. they wereinthe villagegettingtheirvehicle repairedat were likelydonebyCommander Jacksonandhismenas confirmed nextdayby[…] local staff.Theexecutions automatic weapons. The firewokeusupandkillings 31, 3refugeeswereexecuted justoutsideCatchunguby The nightwespentinCatchungu onthereturntripMarch the river, killings confirmed by the priest’s local staff gees werekilledbyknifeatthebridgeandthrowninto The first night we stayed in Catchungu March 27, 5 refu- Tutsi andZairians,theywereacommittee.Theytold were representatives from theADFL,theywereboth They werebasicallyincontrolofShabunda.There James Fraser, MSFHolland Shabunda explo team, James Fraser, MSF Holland Shabunda explo team, April 1997(in English). Kigulube -CatchunguShabunda’beginningof James Fraser,‘ExploratoryMissionReport- 26 March to 3 Avril1997(in English). 26 March to 3Avril1997(in English). 103 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

- On the return trip Commander Jackson put up a show of Certain team members also compromised team secu- his power in Catchungu by rounding up approximately rity. In addition to the ‘facilitator,’ who served as 100 men. When we drove past to leave the village he was the AFDL’s eyes and ears, the MSF Zairian nurse had sitting in the middle of them smiling and waving at us inappropriate contact with soldiers, drew up lists of - After we left they went into Jim’s compound and killed refugees, and used the radio clandestinely. two of his local staff and a number of refugees. The only way the priest was able to stop them was by agreeing to get refugees moving out of the area down the road towards Kigulube. This information was originally given James Fraser, ‘Exploratory Mission Report - to me by the priest over the radio, later confirmed by M. Kigalube - Catchungu - Shabunda,’ beginning of of Save the Children in Bukavu. April 1997 (in English). - The priest states that there is a large mass grave just north on the road to Lulingu Extract: - This road to Lulingu is littered with bodies according to Not only did we have to be extremely careful because of reports from Jim and local staff the Alliance facilitator’s presence, but as the trip wore on, - We were told that on our way to Shabunda we would it became increasingly clear where the loyalties of some of come across many bones, decomposing bodies, skulls, local staff were. By the end of the trip we discovered that etc.. This was told to us by [the priest] and his local one of our local nurses was an informant for the Alliance. staff The night the UNHCR delegate and I were placed under de - Alliance beginning to go into forest to find refugees, facto house arrest, our local staff ate and fraternized with have a difficult time to find them, they are using us to the Alliance soldiers and commanders all night. As a result bring them out of the forest. we had no buffer between ourselves and the Alliance which we might have needed to manœuvre. It was clear that information was being passed, that excuses were being given and attempts to mislead us were coming from certain members of the local staff present on the trip. On There was a minister and his presence was a protec- the return leg of the trip, while we were in Catchungu, tion for the refugees, because the ADFL would not the nurse tried to secure a list of names from the priest’s kill the refugees until after he had left. He was the secretary. This list was of names of the local population guy who called the radio who said I have got to get out of which were helping refugees in the area. Polydor also here. He got out but I have never spoken to him again. On continued during the trip to secure lists of refugees, our way back to Catchungu, that was the night we were even after he was explicitly instructed that we were not sleeping and stayed at the mission. I heard the gunshots to collect names on this mission. One morning I caught and the next day there were reports of refugees killed in the the nurse using the vehicle code name at approximately forests and we were like, “Okay we have to go”. We told the 05:45 while the rest of us were sleeping. When asked who minister to come with us but he said, “No because if I leave he was speaking to, he stated that it was he who received they will loot. “So he stayed and when we were leaving we a call from the local wat-san in Kigulube. When I tried went by his place. There was Colonel Jackson and this little to confirm his story with the wat-san upon my return to Zairian guy. They had a lot of men from the village basi- Kigulube, the story was untrue as the wat-san only made cally standing behind them, basically playing a show of contact with the local nurse once, at approximately 09:00 power. I don’t know what it was. He put his chair in the in the presence of Maryse, the expat nurse. middle of the road, with all of these men with guns just standing there. We weren’t sure what that meant, but we were leaving. After we left, according to the priest over the radio, they went in the compound, in the missionary’s com- James Fraser suspected the UNHCR representative of pound and started killing the refugees. That was when he hiding information from the rest of the team and her said he had to go. He was protecting the refugees and he mission’s objectives remained unclear. had to tell them to start walking down the road or they would start killing everyone in the compound. So he was being forced to send the refugees away and as they were walking down the road they were being killed. That guy had James Fraser, ‘Exploratory Mission Report – been there for like 17 years! And he said it was always Kigalube – Catchungu - Shabunda,’ beginning peaceful. They didn’t always have much but it was nothing of April 1997 (in English). like the bloodshed they had seen in the last few years. Extract: James Fraser, MSF Holland Shabunda explo team, It appears to me that the UNHCR representative withheld 26 March to 3 Avril 1997 (in English). information from me at least twice. The times that this was clear to me were both incidents which had to do with the killing of local population. This may or may not have 104 been a coincidence. the refugees the teamwas in contact with. promised notonlytheteam’ssecurity,butalsothatof Finally, gapsintheradiocommunicationssystemcom- ing tocoverup the informationfromme. I thoughtyousaidthisandshewaslike,“Oh!”Shetry caught herlying.Iwastellingsomeoneelseandsaidbut front ofmethatpeoplewerekilledfortalkingwithusandI it. InBukavu,shewastalkingwithfriendsandsaidin again andthenshelied.Shejustdidnotwanttotalkabout and Icaughtherinthelie.Thefirsttimetriedtoask Children. She said it again in front of me to someone else later whenweweretalkingwithsomeonefromSavethe nothing.” Sherealizedshehadtoldme.Thenslippedup like, “What?”Shesaiditveryclearlyandthenshesaid,”Oh said theykilledthosepeoplethatwetalkedto.ThenIwas talking totheprotectionofficerandsoIradio’edshe came runningatusandkindofsurroundingus.Theywere we werecomingthroughandallofasuddenthesepeople the time…Icannotrememberwhichvillageitwasnow,but to besincere,moreshutmeup.Thatwasmyfeelingat a job,onthespot.YoucanworkatUNHCR.Itwastooodd to me. At a party, we talked for ten minutes. She offered me times likeonthewaybackandIfoundoutthatshehadlied would givemeabunchoftricks.Wehadsomeprettytough the misuseofand disrespecttowardsradio codes, bylocal identified asmilitary. Anotherproblemwith securityis were heardonourfrequencies, someofwhichhavebeen field, communicationsinSwahili andotherlocaldialects at theShabundaCatholicMission. Whilewewereinthe were equippedwithHFradios. HFmaterialwasstored most ofZaire.MSFalonelost 60vehiclesmanyofwhich the AlliancepossessenoughHFradiostobeablecover expats, localstaff,aswellforrefugees.Itisclearthat exists duetoinadequatecommunicationsistrueforthe ency ofourcommunicationssystems.Theinsecuritywhich precarious. Thishasmostlytodowiththelackoftranspar - were wrong.[…]SecurityintheareawestofKigulubeis for HF [hight frequency]. All the frequencies and cell-calls we weregivenalistoffrequenciesandcell-callnumbers When MaryseandIarrivedweresentintothefield Extract: like you are exchanging and then get them. She to givepeoplealittleinformationmakeitseem Sometimes shewouldtellmeherstrategy.Youhave James Fraser, MSF Holland Shabunda explo team, April 1997(in English). Kigalube -CatchunguShabunda,’beginningof James Fraser,‘Exploratory 26 March to 3 Avril1997(in English). Mission Report– - elderly, continued toward Kisangani. forest. Theotherrefugees,mostlywomen,childrenand of ex-FAR and community leaders split off into the tres from Kisangani, some of the refugees in the group During thesecondhalfofMarch,ataround80kilome - killed; they are going toknow what youare talking about. where youare.Theyknowhowmanypeoplethey’djust effective. Ifyousay“200strawberry”,everyoneknows do. Itriedtotellthemthings,butourcodeswerenotvery been unaware,Ijustthoughtitwasaverystupidthingto now. Icouldnottellthemanything.guesstheyhave weren’t. Itoldthecoordinationteamcouldnottellthem things. Themilitarywaslistening-Ican’timaginethey refugees, wheretheywerecomingfrom,allthosekindof refugees. Soyoucouldprobablytelltheconcentrationof Kivu we were supposed to send in the information on the coming from,howmany,whichtown.Whereverwewerein know. Weweretellingeveryonewheretherefugees everywhere, theinfomedicalcoordinatorneededto were cominginatwhattimeovertheradio.Thenitwaslike still providingintakeinformationofhowmanyrefugees pretty clearideathatthiswashappening,andtheywere happening -allthesepeoplewerebeingkilledwehada over theradio. They keptdemanding that wedoit!Thiswas their work. the eliminationofrefugees,weareonlyfacilitating context where the militaries’ prime objective seems to be where heavy concentrations of refugees may be. In this gees mayusethroughtheforestare[situated],orregions anyone listeningcanfigureoutwherepathswhichrefu- numbers andmovementsovertheradio.Thismeansthat Another problemisthefactthatMSFgivingrefugee staff and refugeeswill continue tobemonitored. use should be adhered to. If not locations of expats, local suggest thatcodesshouldbechangedregularlyandtheir there isnosecurityintheuseofcodesthatregion.I of locationswithinthesametransmission.Itisclearthat switching backandforthbetweenthemrealnames staff andexpatsalike.Codesoflocationsarerevealedby team) weredemandingthatwepasstheinformation and gettingallthisinfothey(MSFcoordination I wasreallypissedoff.Onetimeweweregoinghere James Fraser, MSF Holland Shabunda explo team, 26 March to 3Avril1997(in English). 105 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

UBUNDU KISANGANI: THE RAILWAY LINES OF DEATH ’Refugees Wander Blindly Through Zaire,’ Libération (France), 27 March 1997 (in French).

Extract: Excerpts: A Split in the Road The long line of people headed back onto the road again. On 27 March, a train was finally authorised to travel The road splits at the 82 kilometre marker. The right fork the 150 kilometres between Kisangani and Ubundu. leads to Kisangani, today under rebel control. On the left, MSF Holland’s Marcel Van Soest was on the train. He it leads into the forest, still under Zairian army authority. found around 100,000 refugees near exhaustion after Without a word, the crowd divides, knowing it would not having walked hundreds of kilometres, surviving on come back together. “For the first time in all these years, leaves and roots. V11 everyone thought about his own fate without listening to what the others said,” said Antonin, a farmer. “I didn’t commit genocide. I chose to go to the city, where I might have a chance to be repatriated.” According to UNHCR, which conducted an overflight of the area on Monday, On the day that I was supposed to fly to Goma, I several tens of thousands of people made that same was dropping Marie-Christine (Ferir MSF Belgium choice. The first have already arrived in Lula. Seeing them, emergency team) at the train to see if that day it a villager said, with surprise, “But I thought you were all will leave. But then she forgot something and she said, “I dead already.” have to get it and probably we won’t leave anyway”. So she went back to the house. Exactly then the train was leaving According to many witnesses, the group of ex-FAR soldiers and MSF had to be in, so I jumped. I was off, I really had and the exiled leaders took the road to the left. One young to be in Goma and Bukavu ... but in the end that was very man stayed at the split for a long time, calling his father, good because then we were there with the first group. That whom he saw disappear into the bush. “He came back was an unbelievable trip that was amazing. and spit in my face. Then he said, ‘Look carefully, you’re There were a lot of journalists, mainly the French journalists watching the departure of the last living specimens of the like a journalist from Libération, a journalist from Reuters, Hutu race.’ “ a television crew from France 2, and there was a video camera from WFP, a journalist free-lancer; he was there on assignment for WFP. WFP was on the train, with local staff and a lot of food and there was one expat from UNHCR, and there was me, and that was it. At 84 kilometres, there was a choice. Some said, There was nobody else, no NGOs, nothing, local Red Cross, “We’re going on, we don’t want to be captured, we local WFP, one expat of MSF and then journalists. So it was don’t want to go on and end up in Congo Brazzaville.” a bit of a strange trip. The train went very slowly. It was Everyone was so panicked, there was such confusion, all the very hot. It was the first time the train was used after I control structures the genocideurs set up simply fell apart. It don’t know how many years. So there were all the trees. didn’t work any more. People couldn’t take any more. There They were all grown. It was just one green town. were too many deaths, even on their side. There was prob- At the end, suddenly Kabila had said, “Yes, this train can ably an over-representation of radicals and genocideurs who go now, with WFP we went down as far as possible. Biaro left for Congo Brazzaville. But the ones who went to was the first place and then we went down to Kasese as Kisangani held the white flag. They knew that by going to well and there was the last one, the end point that we Kisangani, they were entering RPF-controlled territory went. We didn’t go all the way to Ubundu, because Ubundu because the city had been taken. As you got closer to that was already reported to be empty. But from Ubundu up to miserable place and approached the 42- marker, you’d see Kisangani, we found the first transit camp which was always people in a horrifying state. In the beginning, it was first one after where we found the all the dead bodies and where things first there. It was a catastrophe. We set up feeding all the fighting had taken place. That’s probably why Kabila centres and tried to save as many people as possible. said all the time“no” the previous days, because there were still a lot of fighting against the refugees, because it was Dr. Éric Goemaere, MSF Belgium General Director still the Interahamwe who were together... And the rest (in French). was just a skeleton march, it was incredible, a lot of dead bodies. Everything was wrong. And they were all along the railroad, just some were walking and the strongest arrived to Biaro. The third that went south, was the most vulnerable, the old, the women, etc... All very sick. We stopped at several places and it was clear that UNHCR knew that Kabila was not allowing them to enter Kisangani town. So they had 106 to do their own plan, what to do with the refugees, because Roberto Garreton, the UN’s Special Reporter for human The sameday, theMSFHollandteam in Gomamet from moving ahead. Rwandans tookcontrolquicklyandprohibitedthecolumn 11, byacampofCongolese-Rwandansoldiers.Butthe back fromKisangani,thecolumnwasstoppedatkilometre and theabandonedchildren.Atfront,whenwecame Gradually, thecometlostelderlyfirstandthensick need to use bullets. The weakest died at the end of the line. leave again,packup,getontheroadagain.Theydidn’t aged tofallasleepforabit,theybeganfiring.Youhad harassment wasawful.Everynight,justwhenpeopleman- because theywereillandcouldn’tkeepup.Thestrategyof was ahugenumberofchildrenabandonedintheforest the end,weakest,died,abandoningtheirchildren.There with -theRPFpursuingthem.Gradually,onesat head andatail–that’sthebestimagewecouldcomeup people was as packed in there. It was like a comet, with a tracks intheforest,thickwithbamboo,andcolumnof track wherepeoplehadstopped.Thetrailranalongthe named after the distance (in kilometres) along the train how the situation was.” there wasaconfirmationfromsomebodyinUNHCRabout was. They were preparing everything. So that was good and so thatevening,IreportedtoMarie-Christinehowseriousit Nothing! Thatwashorrible.UNHCRhadasatellitephone, days before.Iwasaloneandhadnothingtotreatthem. shot woundsbecausetherewasstillalotoffightingsome They lookedhorrible,allthefeetwithbigwounds.Alotof to return for sure,they did not want to go further into Zaire. just “Bringmeback.”Thatwasveryclear.Theydidnotwant my life.Theywerecompletelyexhausted.Nohope,nothing, back toRwandaandthat’sit.”.Ihaveneverseenthatin and theywerejustdesperate,“Pleasecouldyoubringme out ofthejungle,awayfromfightingandhunting completely finished. They didn’tmind, they wanted to get They wantedtogobackRwanda,becausetheywere go anywhereelse.Wetrytoprovideyouwithassistance.” we arenegotiatingforyourdeparturebacktoRwanda,don’t people. Sohewasmentioningtopeople,“Pleasestayhere, were now,firstnegotiatewhatneedstobedoneforthe UNHCR wasfightingforthemtostayatleastwherethey Kabila wanted to push them back completely to Ubundu. about 90kilometres long. That’swhythecamps were track betweenKisanganiandaminingarea.Itwas The refugeeswerespreadoutalongalittlerailroad Marcel Van Soest,MSFHolland Field Coordinator, Dr. Éric Goemaere, MSF Belgium General Director Goma, January to March 1997 (inEnglish). (in French). mass gravesgatheringduringthemissioninMasisi. cres. Theteamdidnotpassontheinformation in supportofacommissioninquiryintothemassa- rights ineasternZaire.Hewasgatheringinformation and clinics. was strengthened and staff set up two field hospitals kilometre 41andObiloat 82.TheMSFteam ered: Kasese1and 2 atkilometre29,Biaro was organisedatthesites wheresurvivorshadgath- When thetrainreturnedtoKisanganion28March,aid time. with them. So we were quite guarded on what we told at the cres, etc. Lisette was not very comfortable about being open could weconfirmallegationsofdifferentsitesandmassa- ing usifanyoneontheteamhadwitnessedmassgravesand (MSF HMedicalCoordinatorinGoma)andI.Theykeptask- we gotbackfromMasisiandsometwiththem,Lisette can bebest submitted tosuch a Commissionof Inquiry. Commission ofInquiry.ThismeansthatMSF’sinformation for theCommissiontoadoptaresolutionauthorising that hehadsufficientinformationtobuildhisargument information. Garretonfromhissidehoweverpointedout Masisi, sinceitfeltunsureofhowGarretonwouldusethis did notdisclosetheinformationonmassgravesin in Geneva)toestablishacommissionofinquiry.MSF Rights (whichiscurrentlyholdingitsannualsession aim tosubmitaproposaltheCommissiononHuman ing allegationsofmassacresineasternZairewiththe Goma. Hismissionwastocollectevidenceofcontinu- the humanrightssituationinZaire,RobertoGarreton On Friday27March,MSFmettheUNSpecialReporteron UN Special Reporter onhuman rights situation in Zaire: Extract: on Missionin Goma from 18 Marchto2April 1997, work forMSF.TheyarrivedinGomaafewdaysafter with hisassistantwhoweknewbecauseheusedto Garreton—the SpecialReporterforKivu—arrived Leslie Lefkow, MSF Holland HumanRights Officer, English). and MSFGomaCoordinator,2April1997(in Shenkenberg toZaireprogrammemanager,HAD Masisi Events,Confidential’,fromEd ‘Proposal forPlanofActionWitnessed then MSF Holland HADofficer (in English).

107 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

“The places where Rwandan refugees have set up south of Kisangani are real death sites,” said D. Marc Gastellu, of ‘Newsflash n°48,’ MSF Amsterdam, 2 April 1997 Médecins Sans Frontières. “It’s a disaster. It’s urgent that (in English). the situation be stabilized if we’re to save those who can still be saved.” Extract: RE-INFORCEMENT ZAIRE TEAMS: In the last five days, the MSF team has set up clinics and 16 expats sent by MSF-B arrived in Kampala. They are on intensive feeding centres on an emergency basis for the their way to reinforce the Kisangani team. Next to this a tens of thousands of people who have come to the gather- charter carrying 30 tonnes of relief goods, 4 expats and ing sites. Resupply stations with biscuits and water have a press officer, is on its way to Kampala. The charter will also been organised. continue to Goma. The load as well as the expats are also meant for Kisangani. At the Kasese 1 site, where 30,000 people have gathered, About 100,000 (UNHCR figure) Rwandan refugees are still medical staff conducted nearly 1,400 patient visits during camping along the railroad Kisangani-Ubundu. The health the first two days. The primary illnesses are malaria, diar- situation of the group located at Biaro (approx. 30,000/ rhoea and malnutrition. Seven hundred severely malnour- UNHCR) is worse. Infected bullet wounds, diarrhoea, mal- ished children were also identified at Kasese 1 yesterday. nutrition, malaria, exhaustion and dehydration are the main health problems. Biaro does not have clean drinking water. MSF started up dispensaries for this group last Monday. We are trying to step up medical support for this group as well On 28 March, MSF Holland notified the other sec- as for groups further south, but humanitarian agencies do tions that it was initiating a ’lobbying’ effort to gain not have adequate access to all refugees along the rail- unlimited access to the refugees in eastern Zaire and road yet. Earlier, MSF had already set up medical facilities authorization to treat the sick and wounded before for groups closer to Kisangani. All together MSF now runs their repatriation to Rwanda. Initially, this was to be a 3 OPDs, 1 IPD, 1 therapeutic and 3 supplementary feeding ’silent’ campaign, intended to convince decision mak- centres and several dispensaries along the railroad. ers, particularly those in the AFDL. If that failed, MSF Because of lack of input by other organisations, in some Holland would consider speaking out publicly. locations MSF also carried out biscuits and water distribution. Several medical structures had to be moved over the past two days, together with about 25,000 refugees (UNHCR figure) that were closest to Kisangani, in Lula. ‘Zaire Communication Update,’ PR Amsterdam, The military forced this group to move further south, 28 March 1997 (in English). because they considered it to be too close to a military camp. Extract: Over 15,000 (UNHCR) Rwandan refugees have gathered in MSF Activities Karuba, a village West of Goma at the edge of the Masisi. Advocacy campaign More still come in. The refugees walked to this village fol- - As we mentioned yesterday in an e-mail, MSF started lowing an ADFL offensive last week. The refugees are poor an advocacy campaign. The campaign consists of SILENT but in much better health than the ones near Kisangani. diplomacy in this stage. We might decide to go public Their goal is to return to Rwanda. UNHCR is looking into halfway next week. the possibility of trucking these refugees to Gisenyi, - The goal of the campaign is to get unlimited access Rwanda. to the refugees in eastern Zaire and to get permission to treat the sick, weak and wounded before they will be repatriated to Rwanda. A policy paper has been written in the last few days, agreed upon by the international MFS ‘Zaire’, Press Release: MSF France, 4 April 1997 desks, yesterday afternoon, and corrected this morning. (in French). - The policy paper will be sent to you by cc:mail tonight at about 18:00h. Take it home for the weekend, read it care- Extract: fully and call MSF A’dam in case of confusion or questions. A Médecins Sans Frontières cargo plane arrived in THE POLICY PAPER IS AN INTERNAL DOCUMENT for the Kisangani, eastern Zaire, today with 30 tons of medi- moment. cal and emergency food supplies intended to improve - A high level MSF delegation (operational and general treatment of Rwandan refugees and displaced Zairians. directors) is trying to meet with the leaders of the military Doctors, nurses and logisticians are also coming to rein- and political parties involved over in east Zaire (Kabila, force the team already on site. A total of 21 MSF volun- Shahnoun, etc). The policy paper plus accompanying letter teers are in Kisangani. A new cargo plane transporting will be handed over to the leaders involved. By diplomacy medical supplies and biscuits is scheduled to leave in the MSF tries to get access to the refugees and permission 108 next few days for the same destination. to treat the refugees before they will be repatriated. The dentiality.’ The Head ofMission agreed. information ’silently’underconditionsof’strictconfi- monitor theissuefromAmsterdam,whiledistributing that conductedtheevaluationmissionandcontinueto and theHADdecidedtorecallfromZaireteam On 29March,theMSFHollandprogrammemanager on Ubundutrain) - Manyjournalists(mostlyFrench)areinKisangani(also dead/wounded if reported byMSF) - Donotgivemortalityrates(onlymentionnumberof refugees still in the eastern area. Bukavu region.UNHCRguessesthereareabout300,000 is nocumulativenumbersofrefugeesavailablefromthe - Becarefulwhenmentioningnumbersofrefugees.There - Press policy: re-active [...] PR Guidelines means work for you all. the firstonestobeinformedonthisdecision,becauseit to mister Kabila before going public. You surely will be However alleffortswillbeusedtogettheMSFmessage - MSFmaygopublicifthesilentdiplomacydoesnotwork. policy. diplomacy isalsomeanttobefullytransparentinour 2. re: PS supportforthe entire Zaire team: selves by havingourwitnesses out ofthe picture. ing theimmediatetension between theAFDLandour- c. MSFenablestheGomaoperation tocontinuebyreduc- investigation. b. MSFwitnessesadequately soastoencourageaproper saw. opportunity todosomethingsubstantialwithwhatthey we canbydebriefingawayfromZaireandgivethemthe a. MSFsupportstheMasisiexploteamasthoroughly [...] Rationale forthis plan: we saw. reporter Garretontotellhimthegeneraloutlineofwhat c. EdgoestoGenevathisMondaymeetHumanRights closure to AI thandirectly to Geneva. support ofHADhere.Edfeelsmorecomfortablewithdis - b. apresentationbemadetoAmnestybytheteamwith brought together here inA’dam for correct debriefing. a. theMasisiexploteambewithdrawnfromZaireand us. Wepropose the following: witness andtoreducethepressure from AFDLtosilence pletely forthesakeofindividuals,opportunityto feel stronglythatweshouldhandlethematterquitecom- We havebeentalkingoverthematterindepthhereand 1. reMasisi team: Extract: March 1997(in English). ager toMSFHollandCoordinatorinGoma,29 Letter from MSFHollandZaireprogrammeman- south) before they receive assistance.” (those nearKisangani) backtoUbundu(150 kilometres the AFP,“The‘rebel’Alliance wantstopushtherefugees Filippo Grandi,UNHCRmanager foreasternZaire,told UNHCR said on SundayinGoma (east). repatriation ofaround100,000 RwandanHuturefugees, for Refugees(UNHCR)andtheZairianrebellionregarding An on-goingdisagreementdividestheUNHighCommission Extract: to Goma. I wouldsay,whatdoyousaywesendaPSsupportteam and theoverallstressforteaminlast3months in lightoftheintenseexperienceMasisiteam months. Rwanda repatriationplanthatwouldtaketwotothree make thoseinLulaturnback.UNHCRdevelopeda gees totransitviaKisangani and calledonUNHCRto On 30 March, the AFDL still refused to allow the refu- tiality. out theinformationonlyonbasisofstrictconfiden- however beclearfromtheoutsetthatMSFwishestogive investigate reportsofatrocitiesineasternZaire.Itshould it shouldalsocontributetoanyinternationalefforts in thiscasenotonlytorevealtheinformation‘silently’, The aimofthefollow-upobtainedinformationis Objective of advocacy plan ofaction is herewith submitted. to ‘steer’thisdiscussion,somepointsofattentionanda input to the discussion of the next steps to take. In order to Amsterdaminordercontinuethisprocessandgive the Masisi explo team has been (temporarily) called back done outside Zaire for obvious security reasons. Therefore, witnessed by MSF. Any follow-up, however, should be there shouldbeanappropriatefollow-upoftheevents desk andHoMdecidedinconsultationwithHAD,that events intheareaofMasision20and24March.The of whatstepsMSFshouldtakeinviewthewitnessed Over theEasterweekend,optionshavebeendiscussed Extract: AFP (France),Goma,30March1997(inFrench). ’UNHCR and Rebels Differ on Rwandan Refugees,’ 2 April 1997 (inEnglish). Team, Psycho-socialNetwork,HAD,HOMGoma, Schenkenberg, HAD to Goma Desk, Masisi Explo Masisi Events,’CONFIDENTIALfromEd ’Proposal forPlanofActionWitnessed 109 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

“I responded that we had a different proposal.” He said, A charter plane is scheduled to leave on Tuesday after- ”We would rather aid them on site because they cannot noon with 30 tonnes of aid supplies. walk, given the state of their health.” The refugees, currently spread out along the railroad tracks [...] The rebels asked that the 25,000 refugees in Lula, 7 between Kisangani and Ubundu, are in a tragic situation. kilometres from Kisangani, be moved back and still refused “As we head further south, their situation worsens,” the to allow them to transit through the Upper Zaire capital, MSF team on site reported. “People are just sitting there, under rebel control since 15 March, before being repatri- completely worn out and demoralized. They’re completely ated to Rwanda. exhausted from malaria, diarrhoea and a lack of drinking water and food. Some of the refugees farther back are “We agreed to send the refugees back to kilometre 14 dying.” because they were very close to a (rebel) military station, but we will not participate in any forced movement,” the Most of these refugees come from the Tingi Tingi and UNHCR official confirmed. Amisi camps. Having fled fighting, they headed north across the forest, hoping to find aid in Kisangani. The UNHCR plan called for repatriating the weakest refugees by plane from Kisangani. The others would get to The issue now is to provide the necessary aid as quickly as Rwanda by truck or on foot. “With five planes, we can possible. The MSF team in Kisangani is organising medical send between 1,000 – 1,500 vulnerable people,” he noted. care in cooperation with the Zairian non-governmental “We will transport [the others] by truck across Kisangani, organisation, Omnis. Health centres and a feeding center without stopping there, and then on to kilometre 60 on have been set up at several spots along the way between the Lubutu road,” he said. “The road is impassable there. kilometre 7 and kilometre 25 from Kisangani. It would take six months to fix it. Finally, so that aid operations can be carried out properly, “The refugees will then have to walk 40 kilometres and the it is critical that: trucks will pick them up again and take them to Walikale. - Access must be guaranteed to all refugees who need But just north of Hombo, the road becomes impassable aid in the region and aid must be delivered directly to again. They’ll have to walk another 80 kilometres before Kisangani; we take them by truck to Bukavu. - Refugees must receive necessary treatment and recover their strength before UNHCR repatriates them, voluntarily, “Given that journey, we can repatriate 1,000 people per to Rwanda. day. So the operation should last, at best, between two and three months. But the Alliance hasn’t approved the Indeed, according to Marie-Christine Férir, who directs plan yet.” operations from Kisangani, “at least 25 percent of refugees are still too weak to travel.”

’Zaire Emergency: Rwandan Refugees in Eastern On 31 March, MSF Belgium asked for access to all Zaire are Exhausted and Starving: Médecins refugees requiring aid in the region and for the oppor- Sans Frontières Strengthens Teams in Kisangani,’ tunity to treat them before their repatriation – on a Press Release, MSF France, 1 April 1997 (in strictly voluntary basis – to Rwanda. MSF France spoke French). less directly about the future of the repatriations. The volunteers who came back from the field described the Extract: horrible situation of the populations spread out along Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is strengthening its team the railroad tracks. in Kisangani, where 15 volunteers arrived last night, bringing the number of team members on site to 21. For three days, the MSF team has been providing medical aid to around 45,000 refugees in camps located between ’Exhausted and Underfed: Rwandan Refugees 7 and 25 kilometres from Kisangani. The team is working Face a Tragic Situation. MSF Sends in a clinic, four health stations and four feeding centres. Reinforcements to Kisangani.’ Press Release, In the coming days, the organisation will try to provide MSF Belgium, 31 March 1997 (in French). assistance to two camps located further south.

Extract: The health status of the refugees scattered along the Brussels, 31 March 1997. Médecins Sans Frontières has Kisangani-Ubundu railroad line is very serious. Marcel Van decided to strengthen its Kisangani team, currently com- Soest, an MSF epidemiologist who has returned from an posed of six individuals, to assist around 100,000 refugees evaluation mission in the area, reports, “It was awful. The south of Kisangani. Tonight, 15 volunteers will leave for further south we went, the worse the refugees’ health was. 110 Kampala, Uganda and then head to the city of Kisangani. They were sitting down, exhausted. They’re completely ‘silent’ channels. distribute the information publicly but through more occurred overthecourseofmission.MSFwouldnot report wouldbewrittenonalltheeventsthathad the information that MSF had gathered in Masisi. A Affairs Department,proposedanactionplanforusing coordinator forZaire,togetherwiththeHumanitarian On 2April,MSFHolland’sprogrammemanagerand to treat them before thinking aboutrepatriating them. of therefugeesaretooweaktotravel.Itisthusessential According tothecoordinatorofMSFteam,one-quarter port unobstructed humanitarian supplies from Kisangani. between KisanganiandUbundu to beabletrans- it is critical that volunteers gain access to the refugees Given the extent of assistance that must be provided, completely.” lack ofdrinkingwaterhavecompletelywornthemout weakened bymalaria,diarrhoea,malnutritionandthe investigate reports ofatrocitiesineastern Zaire.AIhas 24 March,torequest aCommissionofInquiry thatshould AI hassentaMemorandumto theUNSecurityCouncilon mission ofinquiry.Ontheadvice ofMohammedSahnoun, agenda isaimedatthecreation ofanindependentcom- central Africaon26March. Forthemoment,AI Jose-Antonio Bastosdebriefed Amnesty’sresearcherfor their contacts.FormerProjectCoordinatorforBukavu MSF andAmnestyInternationalhaverecentlyintensified - Amnesty International outlined below. choose, the most relevant ones - for the time being - are party for MSF; although there may be other channels to Yet, thereareseveraloptionsastowhoisthebestthird channels andtogivetheinformationa‘thirdparty.’ information. lthasbeendecidedtopursuemore‘silent’ For obviousreasonsMSFcannotgopublicwiththe III End-use of theinformation This exercise is totake place onMonday 7 April. the informationinawaysothatisofusetoan‘end-user.’ (Karen Kenny)iswillingtodothis.Shewouldalsoreport involved. AformerexperiencedUNhumanrightsmonitor A reconstruction should be done with the whole team II Howto get fullinformation Extract: (in English). HAD, andMSFGomaCoordinator,2April1997 Shenkenberg toZaireprogrammemanager, Masisi Events,’Confidential,fromEd ‘Proposal forPlanofActionWitnessed and proposed a series of advocacyactivities. AFDL requirementsregardingaccesstotherefugees and theHAD.Thegroupsuggestedwaystorespond and on 3and 4 April, debriefed programme manager The MasisiexploratoryteamreturnedtoAmsterdam organisations to do their work.” him to halt the “slaughter” of refugees and “allow aid gees’ repatriation.TheUNSecretaryGeneralcalledon Laurent-Désiré KabilatofacilitatetheRwandanrefu- On 3April,theUSDepartmentofStatecalledon sion should take placeoutside Zaire. approached. Any contacts with members of the commis- has theinformationreadyfor‘end-use’,beforeitis soon as it becomes available. It is preferred that MSF It canberecommendedtopursuethelatestchannelas - Advice tion, eventually. assumed thatacommissionwillapproachMSFforinforma- success... Whatever route leads to the creation, it can be aims, variouscompositionsandwithdegreesof Yugoslavia, RwandaandBurundi.Howeverwithvarious commissions were established by the UN for the former mission toinvestigatehumanrightsabuses.Previous A CommissionofInquiryisanadhoc,composedcom- - Commission of inquiry port the work ofthecommission. to useMSF’sinformation,possiblywiththeviewsup- indicated thatinthe(near)futureitmightbeinterested Both inthefield andintheofficeithas beendebated Operational Implications is vital in order tohave a properadvocacy campaign. what advocacyinitiativesare undertaken.Thefield’srole Amsterdam officeshouldbe transparent tothefieldas tarian accessonthelongrun. Itwasstressedthatthe advocacy, ifcarriedoutproperly,canincreasehumani - MSF’s capacitytooperate.However,itwasalsostatedthat term, high-profile media events that may be harmful to advocacy effortsalwaystendtobeportrayedasshort- activities. Ontheadvocacyside,itwasmentionedthat tial operational implications and suggested advocacy emerged, thatarepresentedherebothintermsofpoten - From themeetings,anumberofpointsforfollow-up Extract: English). Context Unit,HOMGoma,4April1997(in programme manager,MasisiExploTeam,HAD, from MasisiExplodebriefingmeetingtoGoma ‘Operations andAdvocacy Follow Up,’Message 111 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

as to what should be MSF’s reaction to the requests of investigation and monitoring, it can be expected that cer- the Alliance in terms of permitting access to the Masisi tain areas may open up. MSF should closely follow all the region. These requests are: developments in this field, also in view of the follow-up of - Trip report of Masisi explo [exploration mission] of 24 the Masisi events. March for the future. - Letter to the alliance asking for permission to obtain access to a place that MSF wants to visit, two-days in advance. THE SHABUNDA REPORT - A (suggested) facilitator of the Alliance to accompany MSF teams. The meeting participants suggested that MSF should: - Explain the MSF mission to ADFL, including the basic premises upon which MSF works, i.e. right of free access, The Masisi report took several weeks to write because independent assessment of needs, independent assess- the Goma team had to supply additional information, ment of security situation. but. The final document was never published. - Try to avoid that the level of access that MSF has obtained so far will be even further reduced. E.g. MSF has been able to travel to Masisi town without a two days in advance notice to the Alliance. MSF might transmit such a ‘Reaction to MSF Brussels Comments on the notice if it can be expected that MSF receives permission Reconstruction Report Bukavu-Shabunda,’ to get access to places that so far have been out of reach. Memo from MSF Holland, 22 April 1997 (in - Not to comply with the request to accept a facilitator on English). missions into the area - Reorganise meetings with the humanitarian organisa- Extract: tions active in the Masisi region, i.e. ICRC, Asrames and The report which was requested for ’several weeks’ is Cemubac in order to try to present a common response or therefore mistaken with the Reconstruction Report on at least similar responses to the Alliance’s requests (ques- Masisi which is not yet finished, because more additional tion: do the other agencies have the same problems?). info from the field was needed to complete the recon- - Discuss explicit conditions under which MSF is willing struction. Therefore no other organisations or persons to remain if access does not improve (e.g. time frame, have gotten any information on Masisi. geographic area and restrictions).

Suggested advocacy activities […] 1. Relevant political actors International political actors may be interested to use humanitarian access as a mean to level their (hidden) We did a shortened briefing with everybody and then support for the AFDL in order to have a more gradual much more extensive one with Karen and Wilna. change of power in Zaire. Increasingly, countries such as Karen Kenny is an external human rights person who the US, call upon Kabila to allow humanitarian access in was brought in—she also did the debriefing for the order to repatriate the refugees to their home countries. Shabunda mission. So the Masisi debriefing was sort of a MSF should link its present advocacy campaign calling trial where they did this for the first time—a debriefing with for access to these demands. Governments to lobby: US, a human rights person. I had written a trip report right after France (?), UK, Netherlands, Uganda (?), South Africa (?). I had returned and I had sent it to Amsterdam. Then we sort Political bodies: UNSG Special Envoy, Sahnoun. of did a reconstruction of the trip. Then we produced and In addition to lobbying the US, the US Committee for adapted a report based on that so that the information was Refugees (USCR will undertake a one month field visit as accurate as possible. The trip report was the first raw in the near future to raise the profile of the fate of the document describing the trip and the reconstruction report Zairian (displaced) population among decision-makers in was meant to be something that could be used. the US. MSF should facilitate the USCR mission and try to It was distributed in a very limited way later. After the link its advocacy points with the USCR’s recommendations. reconstruction and the full debriefing, I went back and The USCR consultant who will carry out the field mission rewrote the trip report into an external report. is a former MSF information officer... Basically, there was a decision taken at one level or both or multi level not to do a major advocacy effort on the Masisi 2. Relevant human rights actors trip itself. And then Shabunda came up and then Masisi got In the proposed follow-up of the witnessed events in the overtaken by Shabunda. Masisi area, the most relevant human rights actors have The way I look back at the reports and the advocacy is like a been indicated: UN Special Reporter for Zaire, Commission chain. Maybe that’s just my perspective. Masisi was the first of Inquiry (to be established). If there is increased pres- indicator of what was happening—or Bukavu was the first 112 sure on the Alliance to allow independant human rights indicator and Masisi was the first confirmation that some- populations led toaconsensuson future actions. in thecurrentsituation,andneedsofnon-refugee operations, thepossibilitiesforMSFtopresschanges being used as a humanitarian smokescreen for military of team members’ individual opinions on whether MSF was of theZairianpopulationwasnoted.Alengthydiscussion to currentevents,butrememberthelong-termneeds The broaderinterestofMSF-Hollandnotsimplytorespond suspend itsrefugeeoperationsuntilthesituationchanges. ing therefugeeandlocalpopulationsatriskshould the Shabundamissionthat,inhisopinion,MSFisplac mass graves. The point was clearly made by a member of Evidence wasfoundofsystematichumanitarianabusesand tion whosupportedeithertherefugeesorMSFoperations. The refugees were then killed, as were any local popula used byADFLmilitarytolurerefugeesoutoftheforest. exploratory mission.ItwasreportedthatMSFbeing discussion ofspecificeventsfromtherecentShabunda on its course of action. The Bukavu meeting included a MSF-Holland heldaseriesofteammeetingstohelpdecide the ADFLtake-overofeasternthirdcountry, Noting the grave humanitarian situation in Zairefollowing fidentially. felt thattheinformationshouldbetransmittedcon- public, whiletherestofteamsandheadquarters The ExploratoryTeamwantedtomaketheinformation eastern Zaire with arepresentative from headquarters. they hadgatheredwiththeMSFHollandteamsin to Bukavu,theteamdiscussedusinginformation When the Shabunda Exploratory Team members returned the whole scheme. and thewaythathumanitarianagencieswerebeingusedin into thescaleandcomplexityofwhatwashappening thing largerisgoingon.Shabundawaslikeaneye-opener kicked out.”The thirdcampwaspeoplefrom Zairewhohad because weare helpingthissizablenumberand wemightget Extract: on Missionin Goma from 18 Marchto2April 1997, come throughandmaybewe shouldn’tspeakup There wasanothercampsaying,“10,000 refugees We said,“ohwehavetospeak outthisiswrong.” Leslie Lefkow, MSF Holland HumanRights Officer, file – Confidential, 6 April1997(inEnglish). Position –Bukavu-team-meeting,’Notetothe ‘Humanitarian Information–MSF’sRoleand then MSFHolland HAD officer (in English). - -

and not actually discussed here. was aconsciousdecisionthattakenbyfewpeople access—not alot.Soitwasnotanunconsciousthing—it continue our operations even if wehave very limited afterwards. It was extremely damaging for thefield. the fieldwouldhavesaid,no way.Thattrustwasbroken If wehadsaidthatwere goingtogopublicwiththis, public withit—otherwise,they wouldn’thaveeventoldus. the information on theconditionthat we would notgo be advisedthatthefieldwasveryconcernedsoweonlygot field asked the desk or the OD at the time—and we would the motivation.Thedecisiontokeepitconfidential—the that thenameMSFwouldnotbeattachedtothis.Thatis we wantedtogivetheinformationthemforfollowupso very confidentialway.SowehadouractionsintheUNand and ourpeopleontheground,wehadtohandlethisina case withsuchsensitiveinformation,ouroperationrunning, tion intheinternationalarena.Wethoughtthatsucha you haveseen,seeingwhatcandowiththisinforma - witnessing, weinterpretasbeingthere,documentingwhat these violationsarenotgoingunnoticed.Sointhiscase, témoignage partofourmission,wehaveanobligationthat organise thediscussionandideastocomeupwithadeci these discussions.Hetriedtoputitintoaframeworkand Glaser, fromtheContextUnitinAmsterdamcametoorganise these threecamps.Wewereabout20,enoughpeople.Max So theydidn’twanttoleave.therewasthisdynamicof want togiveuptheirprogrammeandtheysawitasseparate. and putalotofenergyintheirprojectstheydidnot been workingfor some time,notrelatedtoemergency project were the recommendationsMaxtookbackwith him. ment level.Andagainsamedilemma,andoutcome.Those Goma andhadthissamediscussionatthecountrymanage to dotheirjob.Sothatwhatwasdecided.Thenwewent embassies andtalktogovernmentsputpressureonUNHCR to go public with it.” Wewantedtouse the infoandgoto was, “Yeswewanttousetheinformation.Butdon’t sion withwhatwewantedtodo.Themainpointattheend the Shabundareportpubliclybecausewepreferto isation, therewasalsoanideathatwecouldnotuse I think that apart from the weakness in the organ- project, accordingtoourownstatements,in serious humanrightsviolationsoccurringinour The motivationisverystraightforward:ifthereare Pim deGraaf, Director of Operations,MSF Holland James Fraser, MSF Holland Shabunda explo team, Hanna Nolan, MSF Holland Humanitarian Affairs Department (HAD) officer (in English). 26 March to 3 Avril1997(in English). - - 113 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

On 6 April, the MSF Medical Coordinator in Kisangani volunteers is in Kisangani. Anne-Marie Huby is in Goma announced to the press that the refugees’ state of today and will be in Kisangani tomorrow to handle press health would prevent them from being repatriated relations. for several weeks. On 7 April, Laurent-Désiré Kabila agreed to the repatriation of 100,000 refugees south of Kisangani.

Because of the region’s isolation, obstacles to access imposed by the rebels and the news media’s exclusive ‘MSF Warns Against Repatriating The Weakest focus on the rebels’ progress, the international press Refugees Too Quickly,’ AFP (France), 6 April did not give much coverage to the issue of refugees in 1997 (in French). the Kisangani area.

Extract: Interviewed by phone in Nairobi, Pierre Rijkmans, MSF Medical Coordinator in Kisangani (eastern Zaire), said that at least 20,000 of a total 80,000 refugees, dispersed I was hoping very much that with all the journalists between Kisangani and Ubundu, 150 kilometres south of and media, it will be huge news. So when we Kisangani, “cannot be sent back to Rwanda right away” returned it took ages, they were not big players, so (some estimates place that total at 80,000-100,000). people were not really interested. And it took them quite a while to go back to Nairobi and for people to see pictures “These people will need between three weeks and a month and things. Finally, it was two weeks later; it took a long to return to a somewhat normal state of health and to time before it headed the news… And then it was the start- be able to return to Rwanda,” he added, noting that he ing up phase of operations with MSF and everybody was hoped refugee ’selection’ for repatriation would be con- there trying to cut the trees, to set up feeding centres, ducted on the basis of ’medical criteria.’ health centres, distributing sheets and then I think that already CNN was there etc… But, that was only -for sure- a “The medical criterion is the only valid one,” he said, week later. It was not big open news. It was only CNN who expressing grave concern that the refugees not be finally came. The story was over. It was amazing. selected on the basis of commune or prefecture without consideration of their health status. Marcel Van Soest, MSF Holland Field Coordinator, Goma, January to March 1997 (in English). On Sunday, following Laurent-Désiré Kabila’s agreement on Saturday, UNHCR began developing a logistical procedure to enable refugees in Kisangani-Ubundu to be repatriated by plane. On 8 April, the AFDL agreed to allow the Kisangani air- According to the MSF Medical Coordinator, most of the port to be used for refugee repatriation. In the Kasese refugees’ medical problems result from serious malnutri- and Biaro camps, the daily death toll began to decline. tion and wounds. Malaria is also a concern and the rainy season that has just begun may also lead to various respiratory illnesses. ‘HCR Says Kisangani Refugees’ Medical Condition Is Improving,’ AFP (France), Nairobi, 9 April 1997 (in French). ‘Information Bulletin 290,’ MSF France, 7 April 1997 (in French). Extract: On Wednesday, UNHCR reported that the medical situation Extract: is improving in the Rwandan Hutu refugee camps south Zaire: of Kisangani (eastern Zaire), where some 60 people died Kabila has agreed to the repatriation of around 100,000 Tuesday compared to 180 on Sunday. Rwandan refugees from south of Kisangani. UNHCR expects ... Several reasons explain the improvement, the agency to spread the returns out over two to three months, for a noted. UNHCR specifically mentioned that the humanitar- rate of about 1,500-2,000 people per day. The first desti- ian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has been nation (Goma or Kigali) remains to be determined with the able to send teams to the different sites. In addition, a Rwandan authorities. The list of persons to be repatriated food distribution system has gradually been put in place, will be drafted after discussions with medical organisa- allowing the World Food Programme (WFP) to increase tions, including MSF. We believe that at least 20,000 of both the quality and quantity of food rations. them cannot tolerate immediate repatriation. They require 114 emergency care, particularly nutrition. A team of 21 MSF Many of the refugees in Kasese and Biaro (between 30-40 V12 workers tospendafewhourseachdayinthecamps. during the night at Obilo. AFDL forces only allowed aid sites remainedblockedinKisangani.100peopledied On 9April,thetraincarryingprovisionstorefugees for repatriation, which could begininaroundoneweek. the AlliancealsoagreedtouseofKisanganiairport bilise therefugeesbeforetheirrepatriation.OnSaturday, the Alliance,whichcontrolsKisangani,totreatandsta- The humanitarian organisations obtained permission from fering frommalnutrition, diarrhoea, malaria, and injuries. at Kilometre82,wereinverypoorphysicalcondition,suf- kilometres fromKisangani),aswellthosefurthersouth Tingi several weeksago,theyhavereceived nofood. explains MSF Belgium’s Executive Director.“Sincefleeing [...] ”Theserefugeesarein a stateoftotalexhaustion,” shuddering. five monthsofsuffering,you cannotlistentohimwithout outskirts ofKisanganiastheir repatriationbeginsafter recounts the suffering of Rwandan refugees crowding the a lot in his humanitarian aid career, but when he soberly Eric Goemaere,MSFBelgium’sExecutiveDirector,hasseen Extract: trip to Kisangani. recounted the refugees’ struggle based on his recent MSF Belgium’sExecutiveDirector,EricGoemaere, The sameday,duringapressconferenceinBrussels, toll was atleast100. the ill if they can’t even eat?” The next morning’s death will costdozensoflivestoday.Whatgoodisittotreat the Biarohospital,Katia,adoctor,fumes“Thesedelays the ferry linking Kisangani and the road to the camps. At not leftandahightidepreventsfoodtrucksfromtaking again. Thetrainonthesingletrackfollowingroadhas The UNfooddistributionchainhasbeeninterrupted Extract: V13 French). Biscuit,” Existent’ Refugees:“ISawAdultsCrawlFora Véronique Kiesel,‘TheSufferingof80,000‘Non- (in French). (MSF Belgium internal publication) May 1997 ‘You Don’tMoveaSlaughterhouse,’Contact Le Soir(Belgium),9April1997(in issue of human rights violations in eastern Zaire. network toadoptacautiouspressurestrategyonthe The MSF-USACommunicationsDirectoradvisedtheMSF first one group and thentheother.” only remaininthisabsurdethnicmindsetthatcondemns justice, butifwecondemntheotherscollectively,will is individual,notcollective.Theguiltymustbebroughtto are certainly genocideurs among them, but responsibility ing, theyallwanttoreturnRwanda,justsurvive.There noted. Rwanda whileothersweredriventoflee,”DrGoemaere How dowesavethem?“Somewereafraidtoreturn interest of apolitical theory.” a matteroffate.Theywereknowinglyneglectedinthe until now are in a terrible state. Their suffering was not perfectly healthyatthatpoint!Theoneswho’vesurvived responsible forthedeathoftensthousandswhowere and thattheserefugeesdidn’texist.Thosepeopleare had beenresolved,thatitwasn’tnecessarytorespond that everyone had gone back, saying that the problem was requiredto bring them aid. But some responded the MSF official recalled. “We said that an intervention emphasizing thatnotallhadgoneback–farfromit,” refugees returnedtoRwanda,MSFsoundedthealarm, the campsin eastern Zaire were emptied and many [...] How did we get to this point? “In November, when for him, he woulddie. under 10 were left alone there, without an adult to care organization [allowed to consistently operate]. If a child Few managedtogetabiscuitbecausetherewasnomore alive foranotherday.Youcouldseedeathintheireyes. site inhopeofobtainingthebiscuitthatwouldkeepthem ens ofexhaustedadultscrawltotryreachadistribution are distributed,thestrongestfightoverthem.Isawdoz- wound reachingtothebone.Whenhigh-proteinbiscuits len withedemaandthesmallestscratchturnsintoadeep won’t loottheirfields.Theyeatleaves,feetareswol- The Zairiansareveryhostileandchasethemawaysothey of saying with strategy. medical evidence and what we have to find another way we havetodistinguishbetween whatwecansaywith Executive director)andothers haverepeatedlystressed, we shouldgoalltheway.”As AnneMarie(Huby,MSFUK I amveryconcernedaboutthe comment“ifwespeakout Extract: “But now, after this horrible, nightmarish wander- English). Communication departments, 9 April1997 (in Samantha Boltontoprogrammemanagersand ‘Urgent Comments onZairePR,’p.2,3,4,5 115 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

Comments on human rights abuses/mass graves 1) MSF has no visual first-hand evidence of people being killed and dumped in the graves. ‘Cholera Appears in Kisangani Camps,’ AFP 2) Seeing ’mass graves’ is proof of nothing . We are not (France) Nairobi, 10 April 1997 (in French). forensic scientists and the mass graves could be from starvation. Extract: 3) MSF field workers or MSF as an organisation reporting A humanitarian agency source reports that three con- on what “refugees tell us” is not evidence of any- firmed cholera cases appeared in recent days and around thing. Rwandans come from the land of 1,000 hills 80 are suspected in the Rwandan refugee camps south of and rumours. Refugees are known for exaggeration and Kisangani (eastern Zaire). MSF is not Amnesty. We are not there to pass on what [...] On Tuesday, the number of deaths was 64, which led refugees say - other organisations are there for this. UNHCR to believe that the refugees’ medical condition was 4) The only proof MSF can give with any credibility is improving. MEDICAL especially in view of our numbers crisis and But Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), which is on the credibility deficit post-Kivu crisis, Sept-Dec 96. frontline treating cholera cases and the refugees’ other 5) Medical evidence from MSF is only credible if it includes illnesses, was less optimistic, noting that its teams were recorded systematic medical evidence or abuse or vio- returning ’discouraged’ every night in the face of the lation (e.g. bruises and burns from torture/bearings). breadth of the task. What patients tell us in a medical tent is not proof without the doctors’ opinion/medical records. 6) On ‘serious violations/mass graves’ we are better off ’tipping off’ a couple of senior journalists to go and Thomas Sotinel, ‘Near Kisangani, Rwandan do the research themselves on condition that MSF is Refugees in the Depths of Hell,’ Le Monde absolutely not mentioned as a source - let them do the (France), 12 April 1997 (in French). hard work - the aim is to get the news out, not for us to be linked at this point. Extract: 7) Compared to the rebels, we are PR amateurs and People are dying by the minute in the refugee hospitals the only way we can safeguard our teams is to do a that Médecins Sans Frontières has set up at the Kasese diplomatic campaign with selected press pressure as and Biaro camps, not far from Kisangani. On 9 April, 108 described above... people died, the day before the death toll was 64, on 8) Proposed strategy Monday it was 96 and on Sunday, 180. They are dying of I) get proper debrief/advice from A.M. Huby and field malaria, dysentery, and probably of cholera. coordos [coordinators] BEFORE going public in any “According to our criteria, one-third of the population form. should be hospitalized,” said Anne-Marie Huby of MSF. II) Target high-level trustworthy journos to do the work Washington Post (Steve Buckley in Nairobi)and NY Times (Koert Linquist) brief should be verbal. MSF should not be sourced on paper. III) Contact NGOs who can do forensic work; Physicians for Human Rights + inform Amnesty and Human Rights MSF Holland developed a “plan for protecting the Watch to do the work. populations and obtaining access for humanitarian IV) Inform donors/work out strategy with relevant MSF workers in Kivu” and for its implementation within liaison officers. the MSF movement. The plan called for direct contact V) Write up report of what teams saw. with actors in the region (including the AFDL) and con- VI) Getting good solid report together ASAP is very impor- fidential contacts with western governments, donors, tant, but meanwhile others capable of investigation the UN Security Council, UN agencies and other aid should be tipped off. organisations. The information was to be transmitted VII) ACT NOW: Carol, Jerome and James are in contact and on a strictly confidential basis to human rights organ- can get to work on this ASAP. isations and ’targeted high-quality’ newspapers.

On 10 April, the first cases of cholera were detected ‘Confidential Advocacy Plan for Protection of among refugees in the Kisangani camps. the Population and Humanitarian Access in Kivu, Eastern Zaire,’ MSF Holland around 10 April 1997 (in English).

Extract: Co-ordination: 116 MSF Amsterdam has the central co-ordination role so as ments and UN agencies. New York-Organise meetingswithUSGovernment depart- Coordination with other INGOs. Briefing of New Yorkand London offices Circulation of positionpapers and reports Contact with EU presidency Amsterdam - Overall coordination Who doeswhat: teams for presentation to above. -Formal reconstructionreportscompiledwithMSFfield International etc... -Confidential contactswithHRorganisations,Amnesty Newspaper (UK), ...others. World Service,NewYorkTimes,WashingtonPost,Guardian -Confidential contactswithselect,qualitypress.BBC cies (UNHCR, UNICEF, DHA etc). -Contacts withUnitedNationsSecurityCouncilandagen - -Contacts with INGOs(Oxfam, SCF) and ICRC. ODA, CIDA,etc. -Contacts withmajordonorrepresentatives:ECHO,OFDA, Canada etc. EU viaDutch presidency. UK USA State Dept Kampala, and Gomapolitical leadership: ings andpushfordiplomaticactionfromthemtoKigali, eyewitness accountofbothoperationalaccessthekill- -Confidential contactswithwesterngovtstotellour explo to Shabunda wasanADFL approved trip). abuses observedonthewesternaxisoutofBukavu:(MSF -Direct contactwithADFLleadershipconcerningHR Activities: Rwanda. adequately witnessing against the killings in Kivu and -To retain operational access for MSF medical work while regionally and internationally. -To maintainhumanitarianissuesonthepoliticalagenda, issues. UNHCR protection activities re-vitalised. repatriation andcontrolofreprisalkillingsarespecific and theresidentpopulation.Humanetreatmentduring leaders toensureadequateprotectionofbothrefugees -To havewesterngovtsinfluencetheregionalpolitical Rwanda. Uganda to control human rights abuses in Kivu and -To influenceADFLleadership,govtsofRwandaand Specific Objectives: both disease and killingsinKivu. operational accesssoastoreducetheirmortalitydue To ensureProtectionofpeopleatriskandtoimprove Main Objective: closely at eachstage. offices willbeaimedat.Fieldteamsconsulted Maximum involvementofallMSFsectionsanddelegate sitivities in theregion. to ensure consistent action and to allow for political sen- report. The first version was then presented as a revised, full exploratory mission hehad conducted toShabunda. Fraser didadebriefingandwroteonreportthe On hisreturntoAmsterdam,fromApril11-14James people, I think,were really in chargeof how itwas to go. be applied.Theycameupwiththereport,butoperations I am not sure they had so much input into how it would ence necessaryintermsofadvocacy.Icouldbewrong,but people whoweremakingdecisionsdidnothavetheexperi- was justsointense, a lotofpeople were scared. Perhaps the and theyweretheonescomingupwithplan.Andit intensity in the headquarters. It was the emergency desk of diplomacy everything would be okay. I remember the the field were naïve, thinking that if they did some form sions takenatthatlevel.Maybesomeofthepeoplein It wasreallybasedonpeopleinthefieldanddiscus- They were not given the report. report wasshowntosomejournalistsandthentakenback. gate whatishappeningthemselves.Onethingwasthatthe them whatishappeningandthenhavegoinvesti- [with] Âinthepressandwhotheytrustexplainto The ideawastogopeople who theyhaverelationships kicked out. CNN, oranymedia,therewasabigchancetheywouldget their programmesinthefield.Theywereafraidiftheydid doing itnow.InMSFHolland,theydidnotwanttoclose they canbecalledonitlater.Orpressuredinto then theydon’tactonit.Thereisanincreasedchancethat like theBritishknow,CanadiansDutch who youaregivingtheinformationto.Ifeveryone knows the information,theyknowthatyouand is onewaytoputpressure.Butalsointermsofgivingthem Donors Contacts withMediaandanyvisitingrepresentativesof Goma- Contacts with ADFL MSF-Canada team Toronto-Arranges reconstruction of Shabunda report with ments. London -OrganisemeetingswithUKgovernmentdepart Congress orSenatetheycanraisequestionsandthat that: if you talktothe right people in the(US) I cantellyoutheideabehindsilentdiplomacy.Itis James Fraser, MSF Holland Shabunda explo team, 26 Marchto 3 April1997(inEnglish).

117 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

it was possible to get confirmation for these visual and oral reports. Information which was too vague or could ‘Reconstruction report: Bukavu-Shabunda not be confirmed has been left out of the report. Most (South Kivu, Zaire),’ Confidential, MSF Holland, information in the report is based on at least two different 16 April 1997 (in English). sources. However, because of the seriousness of the allegations received during the trip (systematic mass killings) Extract: and the urgency of action to stop any further abuses, also Conclusions: less ‘strong’ (i.e. confirmed) information was put into the On the basis of the findings of the exploratory mission, as report when the allegation was very serious and similar to described above, our organisation believes that there are information that could be confirmed. strong reasons to conclude that: During the whole of the process of the writing of the 1. Large-scale killings of refugees have been taking place report the expats involved, as weIl as several other peo- in the Bukavu-Shabunda region during the recent past. ple, gave their feedback on drafts of the report to avoid These killings do not take place in the context of combat. mistakes and to carefully select the words in which this All refugees are considered to be enemies and therefore sensitive report would be written. This report does not targeted, including women and children. As a result, refu- discuss the decision making process between the desks. gees in the area are not safe. 2. Such killings continue to occur. 3. Refugees in this context do not receive the protection granted to them under the provisions of international law. 4. The local population is being intimidated and threat- We worked very hard, we came out and, worked ened not to help the refugees but rather help the military three days straight to get it finished. There was in their attempts to track down refugees and kill them. discussion about how to do the report. They didn’t Methods used by the military include beatings and killings want to just do it like a story, because they said a lot of it of local population. wasn’t just fact, a lot of it was hearsay. Then they redid it 5. The military is using the presence of international and constructed the report in subdivisions: refugee pres- organisations (governmental as well as non-governmen- ence, etc. Some of it they dropped out. I think it was just tal) as bait in order to attract refugees out of the forest a reorganisation of the points. and onto the road, thus facilitating their elimination. They separated between fact and then substantiated hear- Similarly, the repatriation process, as currently envisaged, say. None of these points have evidence. They are like fits the strategy of the military, as it too encourages refu- deduction or hearsay. I mean I didn’t dig up a grave. Based gees to appear from the forest. on other clues, this is what we came up with. In the short 6. Responsibility for violations of international humani- report they did remove some information. They were going tarian and human rights law lies with the ADFL in areas to use it as a press release. They were going to show it to under their control. Many sources indicate the orders to some press people and then take it back. It had to do with eliminate refugees emanate from Rwanda. not recognizing it, being MSF that gave the information.

James Fraser, MSF Holland Shabunda explo team, 26 March to 3 April 1997 (in English). ‘Reaction to MSF Brussels Comments on the Reconstruction Report Bukavu-Shabunda,’ Memo from MSF Holland, 22 April 1997 (in English). On 14 April, the MSF Coordinator in Kisangani told the Extract: press that 30-40 new cholera cases were being record- The report was written on the basis of an operational and ed daily and that the disease could spread because of human rights debriefing of the two expats involved. The the refugees’ health status. first debriefing was done by the desk, the latter by an external human rights lawyer with working experience in While repatriation was being presented to the press conducting a human rights debriefing and the subsequent as the best solution and the refugees’ precarious state writing of a report on the basis of this. Moreover, dur- of health was receiving little coverage, the MSF UK ing both the operational and human rights debriefing a Director, acting as MSF’s temporary spokesperson in member of the humanitarian affairs department and the Kisangani, raised questions regarding the message that psycho-social team were present. MSF should transmit to the media.

The purpose of the report was to reflect what the MSF expats had seen and heard and to provide a testimony of this with as much accuracy as possible. Already during the exploratory mission information on what was seen 118 and heard was carefully written down and also whether The teamaswell saidwehavetoreleaseit. Ithought,this ting withtheteams inGomaforsomedaysand oneevening. didn’t wantitreleasedforsecurity reasons.Ihadbeensit- tion of the Shabunda report. teams. Accordingtoher,theyagreedpublicdistribu - gency cellwenttoGomaandBukavutalkwiththe On 14 April, Wilna Van Artzen of MSF Holland’s emer- tonight if need toreachme. That’s allfornow.IwillbeatMSFBinnbo[Nairobi] high-energy milk eachday. of high energy biscuits (15 per child per average) and children intherapeuticfeedingcentres,from3to5meals From early next week, MSF will also increase the rations of version of home care. hospital, we are having to bring the aid to them - a basic Ryckmans adds:ifthepeoplearetooweaktoreachour “blindés” fromnextweek(noideaofquantitiesusedyet). high-energy biscuits to the weak and malnourished in the (oral rehydrationsalts)solutionandstartdistributing MSF’s outreachteamswillstepupthedistributionofORS is that too manypeoplestill are beyond our reach. disease oracombinationofallthese,butwhatiscertain sheeting huts]Theyprobablydieofhunger,dehydration, vulnerable peoplearestilldyinginthe“blindés.”[plastic in arefugeecamp.Itmeansthatthevastmajorityof the people who die do so in hospital, a small proportion [...] EpidemiologistPierreRyckmanssays:onlyathirdof so wehad better getouract together. turn up, anything a press person will say will have impact, operation? With the large number of journos expected to the humanitarianandhumanrightsshortcomingsof we want feel-good stories about our work, or coverage of (which, bydefinition,increasesmediademandsonus).Do exactly we want to achieve by sending a spokesperson we aregoingtohavethinkveryhardaboutwhat agencies is increasingly frowned upon by the media here, repatriation goeson)giventhatin-fightingamongaid refugees, and the relief aspect is likely to suffer while problem (thelastthingonUNHCR’smindistoprotect distasteful affair,ashowcase‘solution’totherefugee The wholerepatriationoperationislikelytobeapretty Extract: publishing it.Therewerepeople intheofficewho Shabunda—what wethought andIwasinfavorof I discussedwiththeteamin Goma theoutcomeof ’ 12 April 1997 (inEnglish). Kisangani toallPRdirectorsandpressofficers, Executive Director,’ MSF spoke-person in Message from Anne-MarieHuby,MSFUK had to do this.It was verygenuine feeling. happy andIwasproud—thewholeteamthoughtthatwe is whatweneeded.TheyhadalltalkedwithJames.Iwas cally toldthatMSFshouldnotbecitedasasource. but itwasnotdistributedtothemandtheywerespecifi on aconfidentialbasisaboutthecontentofreport bait tolurerefugees.Severaljournalistswereinformed lack ofprotection,andtheuseaidorganisationsas concerns regarding lack of access to populations, the member nationsinNewYork.HetoldthemaboutMSF’s Security CouncilandwithambassadorsfromvariousUN Coordinator inGoma,metwithrepresentativesoftheUN From 16 to 18April,MarcelVanSoest, the MSFHolland 5. 4. 3. 2. in thecoming week (NewYork Office to arrange). Ambassador Hodeck,Statedept.BHR,USAIDwillbemet van SoestwhohastravelledtoUSAyesterday.USRegional 1. madeinWashingtonwithUSgovtagenciesforMarcel b. Extract: 2. 1. c. Spec. Obj. 3UNHCRprotection activities re-vitalised involvement intheInterventionForceideaoflastyear. sion inthelobbyplanduetoCanadiangovt’s MSF-Canada hasbeencontactedwithaviewtoinclu- contact will continue this week. Foreign Ministry (BUZA). They are now informed and Dutch PresidencyofEUcontactedIastFriday11-04via today). from MSF(MSF-UKandAdamwillbecontactingODA informed bySCFandOXFAMalreadywantstohear UK govtofficialcontactedlastweek.ODAhasbeen York office). (Further contact,MondaytoAdamandperhapstheNew our evidence on the west axis ex-Bukavu and Masisi. US govtofficialscontactedontheweekendconcerning Specific. Objective 2: Western Govt contacts. protection issue. meet withUNHCR commissionerMs.Ogata soon onthe MSF understandsthattheUK govtdonorODAisto week by MSF-Adam). (contact willbemadeatahigher levelinGenevathis sion ofactivitiesontheBukavu westernaxiswasgiven response to the issue except when news of MSF suspen- in Geneva.RefertoWilna’snotes.Disappointing UNHCR GreatLakesdeskcontactedlastTuesday08-04 Wilna VanArtzen, MSF Holland Emergency Desk 1997 (inEnglish). Internal document–MSFHolland,14April April 1997 (in English).Actionssofar: Strictly Kivu, EasternZaire,’MSFHollandaround10 the PopulationandHumanitarianAccessin ‘Confidential AdvocacyPlanforProtectionof Officer (in English). - 119 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

d. Spec. Obj 4. Humanitarian issues maintained on the political agenda. 1. Press contacts, so far have been BBC World Service, New ‘Zaire and Advocacy,’ Visit of Marcel Van Soest York Times and Collette Braekman. Particular journalists in New York, 16 April 1997, Message from have been contacted on a strictly confidential basis Catherine Harper to Zaire programme managers, with the suggestion to go to East Kivu and to investi- directors of operations, directors of communi- gate for themselves. cations, 16 April 1997 (in English).

Extract: 1. Following MSF Holland’s confidential advocacy plan and ‘For Protection of the Population and request, we made some contacts for Marcel and myself Humanitarian Access in Zaire,’ Note from MSF in New York. USA to the Canadian Embassy, 14 April 1997 (in English). [...] 4. We first distributed on Monday night, MSF’s position paper to all 15 MS [members] of the Security Extract: Council and made most appointments yesterday. Since November 1996, MSF has had only erratic and brief humanitarian access to the populations in danger in 5. We met today with Ambassadors of Chile, Canada, USA, Zaire, i.e. Rwandan and Burundian refugees and displaced the Deputy Permanent Rep. of Portugal (President of Zairians and affected Zairian residents. While access is SC), and France. We also met with Sahnoun’s represen- being allowed on the railway line South of Kisangani, it is tative/office in New York, together with DHA, DPKO. being systematically denied to other areas such as Masisi The meetings took place non-stop (with short break for and West of Bukavu. lunch... poor Marcel!!!) from 10:00 to 19:45 (I hope at [...]With so many people at immediate risk of disease, MSF Marcel got his plane to Washington). urgently recommends that: 1. That the Zairian authorities and leaders of the Alliance 6. In my introduction of each meeting, I first raised MSF’s for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire immediately permit concerns that could be resumed in five main points: access to the populations in danger in Zaire, wherever - Lack of access to population (displaced, refugees, local they are located, so that medical teams can make accu- pop.) in Zaire; rate needs assessments and provide urgently needed - Lack of protection of these populations, both in Zaire assistance. but also for the returnees in Rwanda (no HR observers in 2. That the refugees who choose to return to their home communes); countries are free to do so when their health status has - Use of humanitarian aid as “bait” by ADFL; been stabilised. - Need for pressure from MS on Kabila, Kigali, and others 3. :That if repatriation is contemplated, it is imperative in the region to stop the killings and to allow access to that medical assessments and stabilisation of health are population; implemented prior to the repatriation of refugees. 4. That refugees who are ill or sick, can only return if their - and last, but not least, to make sure that the Commission health and nutritional status does not decline during of Inquiry regarding HR abuses (Garreton’s report) be the repatriation process. If it is determined necessary, established and sent to the field as soon as possible. patients should be medically referred to a location that is easy to access for humanitarian and medical aid. Any 7. Marcel then explained the situation and gave very medical determination should be respected in confor- detailed information of our teams’ observations in the mity with internationally recognised medical ethics. last 3 months, especially in the last weeks - with visits 5. That if refugees choose for repatriation, it should be to Masisi, Shabunda, etc. ensured that they can do so in a humane manner, in safety and dignity. It should be compatible with the 8. In each of our meetings, our interlocutors have good health and nutritional status of the individual. Families questions and comments and they all admitted to should remain intact. get new information that they did not have (the US 6. That Burundi is not a safe country for return. in particular, insisted about it). Some of them have 7. That proper medical treatment of returnees in transit heard ’rumours’ or echoes, but nothing as specific and should be allowed without any restriction. detailed. 8. That international monitoring of Rwandan returnees should be ensured. [...] The US Amb. [Ambassador] seemed a bit disturbed (if 9. That the international community should be commit- not shocked) by Marcel’s info, and said that our visit and ted to protect and assist the displaced Zairians and témoignage confirmed what they have heard before on HR affected residents. Therefore, an international human abuses and said that the US recognised that those were rights monitoring presence should be deployed in Zaire. taking place. He mentioned that he just returned from Angola and spoke to Dos Santos about Zaire; the President 120 said that Angola will do anything it could to help... He were sent by different countries tothe regional actors. numbers andfigures!!)!!.Weagreedthatdifferentsignals international community(somestillhaveproblemswith culty ofthesituationbecauselackunityamong for suchameetingagain.DHAmadereferencetodiffi- field aswellinNYorcapitals)andsuggestedtopush impact duringourFebruarydebriefingtotheSC(in row inCapeTown.Mr.MahmountalsospokeaboutMSF’s this evening).SahnounissupposedtomeetKabilatomor- US to inform SAHNOUN immediately(sending him a report tiations. Mr.MahmounttookalotofnotesandPROMISED some MSthatwemettodayonSahnoun’sroleandnego- the messagetoKabilaandmentionedfrustrationof We insistedontheneedforMr.Sahnounhimselftopass contacts andadvocacy.PleaseTAKENOTEOFthispoint... such aninquiry.THISISVERYIMPORTANT INFO. foryour to givemoneyforthecreationandimplementationof MONEY issue and advised us strongly to insist on donors Commission ofInquiry,hesaidthatthiswasmainlya criticism ofUNHCRisthesameonethatICRC’s.On national forcetotheregion.MrMahmountsaidthatour by MS in January when they decided not to send a multi- that theproblemsofrefugeeshaveofficiallybeenresolved possibility totakepicturesofmassgraves.Healsosaid Mahmount, DPKO(aFrenchcolonel)askedusifwehadthe [...] InthemeetingwithSahnoun’srep.,Mr.Yussef ings tomorrow and Friday in Washington. matters. WealsomentionedMarcelandAntoine’smeet- agreed thatKabilaandKigalishould be pressedonthese in easternZaire andthereforeinalltheregion, lshared l amalsovery concerned aboutthesecurity ofourteams no quote should mentionedMSF as asource. tion word, l stressed on the confidentiality on our adv that Humanitarian AccessinZaire.’ Everytime,asanintroduc- ing thePositionPaper‘Protection ofthePopulationand The differentpersonswemetreceivedpriortothemeet - Committee, but nofurther meeting hasbeen arranged. Representative Committee of Foreign Affairs,African Sub- with thestaffersofsomeCongressmen,House Zaire crisis.Thirdly,preliminarycontactsbeentaken developing specialadvocacycampaignsontheEastern also incontactwithtwomajorAmericanorganizations Department ofState.Ontheotherhand,wehavebeen with somereliablepersonsattheWhiteHouseand Governments, lsetupsomemeetingsforMarcelvanSoest Washington appointmentswithwesternandUS Following therequestbyPhilDohertytoorganize 1/ Preliminaries Extract: April 17 & 18,1997(inEnglish). Programme DevelopmentOfficer,MSFUSA, Access inEasternZaire,’AntoineGérard, Protection ofthePopulationandHumanitarian ‘ Meeting Report, Advocacy Campaign for Holland’s HAD. for thatmeeting,hereceivedabriefingfromMSF and thentotheCanadiangovernment.Inpreparation Shabunda reporttotheBritishForeignAffairsMinistry tion ofRwandanrefugees.JamesFraserpresentedthe On 16April,theAFDLformallyagreedtorepatria- been givento any ofthe persons wemet. the easternZaireconflict.Lastbutnotleast,noreporthas governments involvedandbeactiveintheresolutionof human rightsissuesonthepolitical agenda ofthemajor the areahasobjectivetomaintainhumanitarianand Zaire. Our ‘témoignage’basedon MSF team presence in the lackofprotectiongiventorefugeesineastern MSF isahumanitarianorganizationwhichworriedabout national staff in thearea.I also stressedonthe fact that a bigconcernforsecurityofourexpatriatesandalso always mentionedtothepersonswemet,thathave to launch this advocacy campaign in US. Therefore, l this issuewithPhilDohertylastMondaywhenherequired tinue to pursue thetruth. that JOURNALISTS andhumanrightsorganisations con- INVESTIGATIVE TEAMS BE ALLOWED TO DO THEIR WORK, THE WORKOFSPECIALISTS ANDWEENCOURAGETHAT CONFIRMING MASSGRAVES/KILLINGS NEEDSTOBE OR MASSGRAVES MSF HASNOVISUALFIRST-HANDWITNESSINGOFKILLINGS treated macheteandbulletwoundsinadultschildren -From Oct/Nov1996onwards,MSFdoctors/nursesinZaire it isbased on repeatedtestimonies -This isnotaformalorclassichumanrightsinvestigation, several other peoplealong the road -You cross-referencedasbestpossible,corroboratedby patterns -Exploratory missionindicatedpatterns;clearcongruent FACTS abuses immediately. continue pursuit of the topic of massacres/human rights humanitarian law;andthatweencouragespecialiststo that operatesunderinternationalhumanrightsand journalists MSFisamedicalhumanitarianorganisation cated fromseveralindependentsources;alwaysremind -Focus on what you saw with your own eyes; patterns indi- subject inline with MSF’scharter: rights organisation,butconsideringtheimportanceof teers inthefield,duetofactthatMSFisnotahuman -In light of the extreme delicacy of this issue for volun- Extract: Shabunda ‘James Fraser,logistician-administration– Briefing,’ April1997(in English). 121 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

MSF concerns: GIVEN THE REPORT. -That refugees in the war fled and died/suffered from REPATRIATION: there are rumours that MSF is opposing dehydration, malnutrition, gunshot and machete wounds, the repatriation because of the cholera outbreak. cholera, diarrhoea, exposure Position of the team is: We are not opposing the repatria- -Lack of access to give/receive medical assistance tion as long as it is done in a humane way and not for -Use of humanitarian aid used as bait; lack of respect for those who have cholera. Considering the conditions both neutrality, medical ethics with the health of the people, the severe rain and heat, -Lack of protection/rights (non-refoulement) for refugees and the terrain, it is preferable that people who are in a -Need for international community to provide (financial) reasonable condition will be repatriated. The actual situa- assistance for UNHCR to accomplish their mandate of tion is not good for the people... protection. It is very important that you steer totally clear from making definite statements based on second and thirdhand reports. I found the report to be pretty lightweight. I’m not - “Did the ADFL systematically massacre refugees?” saying that they were wrong, just that I would have “That is a very good question I encourage you to pursue. It had a hard time using it as the basis of an advocacy is a question to ask human rights specialists, but as medical effort. We were convinced that these events had taken humanitarians, we are very concerned about the patterns place, but we found the report skimpy. You can’t speak out indicating human rights violations which continue to be every time you have this kind of information just because present to us. the event is known to have occurred. If they had had other information (and they did), they should have presented it. - “Did you see mass graves?” They had photos taken by a Dutch journalist. They didn’t “I am not a forensic scientist, and only specialists can con- produce them because the journalist said, “I don’t want to firm the many reports we had of mass graves. But, those I make them public because then they won’t let me back into did meet were many scared villagers during my exploratory Zaire.” In Goma, I saw people from the mission who had mission from Bukavu to Shabunda, military personnel who lived through this. They were disgusted, shocked, and trau- were told to treat all refugees as the enemy and to eliminate matised so I think they were right to speak. That’s why I’m them, and I saw freshly dug graves. saying,”Speak out, yes, but with hard information.” I don’t think the information in this report was solid: “We saw - “Did Kabila order his army to kill all refugees?” newly turned earth, we saw a car leaving in the distance, we “As an administrator with MSF, that is not a question for saw them quickly put shovels in the car.” me to answer. What I do know is that our right to access to Maybe it’s the way it was written, maybe it’s way the data people in distress was repeatedly denied, I was personally was assembled—I don’t know. I think they were right, they intimidated from doing my work, refugees did not have the should have spoken out. But I found the form pretty weak. protection afforded to them by international humanitarian I don’t know how many times the report was rewritten. It law, MSF was and remains very concerned about the absence was very poorly thought out. of protection for refugees and displaced people, for security … It took forever to come out and then at the last minute, of people and aid workers. we didn’t agree on the form. I remember calling Anne- Marie Huby, the MSF UK Executive Director- she was in the corridor-and I said to her, “I don’t want this report to be distributed because it’s really poorly written. We can’t give this out.” The result was that since it was poorly done, or The Belgian section challenged the form and certain some people said it wasn’t good enough, there were several portions of the content of the Shabunda report and people who didn’t get the message. That’s the problem. At vetoed the report’s distribution to journalists. The some point, people in the sections had had it. They said, French section was surprised that the information in “We can’t get behind this message.” That’s what happened the Shabunda report had not already been made public. with Shabunda and the report that followed.

Dr.[…], MSF Belgium Operational Director (in French). ‘Zaire Communication Update 18,’ MSF Holland, 18 April 1997 (in English).

Extract: 3. Communications We went to London and I was about to go to the The media part of the lobby campaign for Shabunda has Foreign Office and we got a call from Brussels say- been postponed due to objections by MSF B (security ing, “No, don’t go! You cannot go!”. They were try- for the team in Kigali might be at stake). More news on ing to give us an order, arguing:”We are worried about our 122 Monday. So: NO JOURNALISTS WILL BE BRIEFED, NOR people in the field.” We were there at the door and we had What’s goingon? Wewanttoknowmoreabout this,etc.” take action.We calledtheDutchandasked them,“Why? I thinkwehelda meeting rightaway and thendecided to mation. We’restoppingandwe’re goingtodosomething.” tonight withoutdoingsomething. Thisisn’tjustanyinfor- so long to get this information? We can’t leave the office bombshell. It’sextremelyserious, it’sawful.Whydidittake Communications Director) and said to him, “This is a I wentrightdownstairstoseeJean-Hervé(Bradol, that basis of that information! I wasappalled. concrete, operational, or public decision had been made on This meantthatmorethanamonthaftertheevents,no make itswayuptoanoperationallevelandbeshared. it tookmorethanamonthforthiskindofinformationto that hadoccurredmorethanamonthago.Thatmeant the AFDL.”WhenIreceivedthisreport,itincludedevents out, we’rewarningallthesections,ceaseoperationswith tiny sentenceattheendandtheydidn’tevensay,“Watch There weretwothingsthatshockedme.Itwasonlyina killed…” used as“’sheep’toattracttherefugeeswhowerelater report thatledmetounderstandMSFandUNHCRwere fainted. TherewasasentenceattheendofShabunda going on. So wedid it anyway. much toreportthisgroupofpeople,aboutwhatwas And Iwasthere,andgoingthere.Therewere[sic]too pletely againstitbecausewasnotthewaydecided. ments andhewantedthemtobetakenout.Iwascom- the Shabunda report. Mario did not agree with some state- had torevisetheShabundareport.Belgianswereagainst to go[totheUShouseofRepresentation],becausewefirst Director ofOpérations,whoorderedthatIwasnotallowed do not take orders from Brussels. Holland Desk)madethedecisiontogoaheadbecausewe the appointmentinfiveminutes.SoPhil(Doherty,MSF comments orforreview.WhenIreadit,almost saw theShabundareport.Ididn’tknowifitwasfor This information came infromMSFHollandandI ment officer]gotaphonecallfromtheMSFBelgium ing, Antoine[Gérard,MSFUSAProgrammedevelop- On the18th,inmorning,justwhenIwasenter- James Fraser, MSF Holland Shabunda explo team, Marcel Van Soest,MSFHolland Field Coordinator, Goma, January to March 1997 (inEnglish). 26 March to 3 Avril1997(in English). MSF New york office and we didn’t take advantage of it. defend ourselvesbut,onceagain,tothepopulations than amonthago. Not onlydidwehave the information to we wererighteventhoughattackedonthismore proof inthisreportthatrefugeescertainlyexistedand contributing togettingpeoplekilled.Furthermore,wehave Not onlyishumanitarianaidnolongereffective,butit’s was obvious. I think we werelate. they hadinformationthatdidn’twanttogiveout.That unfortunately, thereportdraggedon.Attime,wefelt Françoise atthattime.Ithinkthetimingwaspoorand, it ourselves.”Irememberthediscussionshadwith and wesaid,“Comepresentitifyouthinkcan’tdo written areport,weputpressureonthemtogetthecontent written, butassoonwelearnedthatMSFHollandhad tions, criticising them foraiding only the refugees. Zairian villagersblamedthe humanitarianorganisa- Kisangani, claimingthat the choleramightspread. triation oftherefugees from thecampssouthof On 18 April, the AFDL delayed indefinitely the repa- the existence of the crime was denied. their actions.Theyknewimpunitywassuchthateven was sovaguethatitdidn’tpromptthekillerstomoderate level ofrumour-anddangerousatthatbecauseit individual convictions,theinformationremainedat to bevalid;thisisourofficialposition.”Andthendespite that informationorsay,“Weasaninstitutionbelievethis fundamental issue.So,nooneagreedpubliclytosource opposite, MSFHollandorICRC–tookapublicpositionon involved –notUNHCR,whichwassayingpracticallythe backing up its convictions. None of the organisations manager then Communication Director (in French). not sayingthatweknewallaboutitwhenwas lished here in the US, but on a delayed basis. I’m I thinktheShabundareportshouldhavebeenpub- that itbelievestobetrueandprovidesevidence rumour iswhenanorganisationcommitstosaying What elevatesthiskindofissueabovethelevel Antoine Gérard, MSF USAHead of Programmes Dr. Jean-Hervé Bradol, MSF Franceprogramme Françoise Saulnier, MSFSenior Legal Advisor Department (in French). (in French).

123 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

[...] MSF’s position on repatriation: From a strictly medical point of view, we should be strict ‘Repatriation of Refugees in Kisangani Area Put and say to wait a few weeks before sending back refugees Off Indefinitely,’ AFP (France), Kisangani, 18 to Rwanda. From a protection point of view, the presence April 1997 (in French). of refugees definitively makes problems for local populations and creates security problems. Therefore, we recom- Extract: mend to speed up repatriation for the valid families and to Local UNHCR official Kilian Kleinschmidt announced that ensure protection to allow proper assistance to the camps. repatriation of Rwandan Hutu refugees living in makeshift Assistance to refugees should be coupled with assistance camps south of Kisangani, eastern Zaire, has been put off to the local population. indefinitely. For assistance to the local population, ICRC is in charge of it as it is integrated with IDPs; however, it seems that “We must confirm whether there is cholera in the Biaro this is not very satisfactory as the refugees referred by camp (41 kilometres south of Kisangani),” he told AFP, MSF to Kisangani health structures showed us that the refusing to provide a date when repatriation would begin. patients were not properly treated. So still needs in local “The tests have to be sent to Goma (500 kilometres east).” structures!

The 80 unaccompanied children who were supposed to have been repatriated initially by plane on Friday are living in the Biaro camp. On Thursday night, local rebel authorities refused to authorise the operation to begin. On 21 April, aid operations in the refugee camps south of Kisangani were suspended after a train carrying They fear that the cholera epidemic rife among the provisions and a WFP warehouse were looted and fol- refugees in the neighbonring Kasese camp could spread. lowing confrontations among villagers, refugees, and Between 80,000-100,000 Rwandan Hutu refugees in poor AFDL soldiers. physical condition are living south of Kisangani. The area has been under rebel control since 15 March.

‘Operations in Kisangani Camps Suspended After Attack on Train and Warehouse,’ AFP ‘Task Force Eastern Zaire,’ Update from MSF (France), Nairobi, 21 April 1997 (in French). Belgium,18 April 1997 (in English). Extract: Extract: A train carrying provisions and a World Food Programme Security incidents last night in Kisangani. Some refugees (WFP) warehouse were attacked early Monday morning might have killed 7 Zairian villagers. To be confirmed. south of Kisangani (eastern Zaire), provoking a new This morning, there is an organised demonstration with suspension of humanitarian operations in the Rwandan placards against NGOS. Zairians say they do not want refugee camps. any refugees neither expatriates/organisations providing [...] The train, carrying 120 tonnes of provisions intended assistance to refugees. for the Rwandan refugees, was attacked around 7 kilome- The problem is paradoxical. Zairians are fed up with refu- tres south of Kisangani after receiving authorisation to gees (they receive all the assistance, they loot their fields, travel to refugee camps further south from rebel Alliance they spread cholera) but at the same time, Congo-Zaire soldiers who have controlled Kisangani since March 15. could use this situation to ask help for local structures. [...] Humanitarian aid sources say the looters are probably MSF brings assistance to local structures but it is of course local Zairians. far from [less than] the assistance brought to refugees. Our team does not have any access to the camps today. Idem for the other NGOs. They can cross the river but are stopped at the other side by the Zairian population. ‘Zairians Villagers Attack Hutu Refugee Camps,’ Presence of ADFL militaries but they do not do anything. Reuters (UK), Lula, 22 April (in English).

[...] Rumours say the stocks (MSF ?; WFP ?) would have Extract: been looted but no idea if some of them or alI of them. We Zairian villagers armed with machetes attacked Rwandan are trying to send a local logistician to check today. This refugee camps in eastern Zaire on Tuesday to avenge the day is lost from an operational point of view. The stocks in killing of six Zairians, witnesses said. the camps would be enough for one day. Problematic supply of drinkable water if no expatriate [remains present] They said residents of Kasese village 25 km (15 miles) in the camp. Local staff (refugees) very weak, especially south of Kisangani city left at dawn for two nearby camps in Biaro. for 55,000 Rwandan Hutu refugees to take revenge and 124 shooting followed. “This morning at 6 a.m. the villagers of aid organisations as afailure of responsibility. The rebelradiostation in Goma presented the absence Sese Seko. country sinceOctoberinawartotopplePresidentMobutu rebels, whohaveseizedone-haIfofAfrica’sthirdlargest aid vehiclesonMondayattheurgingofTutsi-dominated militants amongtherefugees.Zairianssaidtheylooted by Alliance troops fearful of the presence of armed Hutu certed attempttodestabilisearepatriationprogramme The testimonyisthelatestinaseriesofsignscon- also beingtreated at thehospital. the thigh.Atwo-yearoldgirl,shotinstomach,was treated atKabondaCatholichospital,afterbeingshotin They werenotrefugees,”saidMayazaApaijoma,20,being were tallandthinlheardthemspeakingKinyarwanda. ers were uniformed. “The soldiers wore uniforms. They ethnic TutsiAlliancetroopsandwitnessessaidtheattack- Reuters shewasshotbymenwhoborethehallmarksof looted thesameday.Butonesurvivorofattacktold lagers, whostoppedaidworkersreachingthecampand Monday in an attack blamed on Hutu extremists by vil- Six ZairianswerekilledandtwowoundedatKaseseon to pass Kasese becauseoffighting. forest tohide,”headded.Travellerssaiditwasimpossible went onforanhourandahalf.Somevillagersranintothe schoolteacher. “Soonafterwardsweheardshootingwhich flee. Theytookmachetes,”saidSamyJanga,aKasese decided to go and take revenge and make the refugees asked. they were left to their own devices?” the broadcaster saw trainsandtrucksloaded with provisionsrollby,while humanitarian aidworkersand Kisanganiresidents,who “Wasn’t thiswhatledtotheconfrontationsbetween Peuple station warned. including robberyandorganisedcrime,”theVoixdu refugees] to turn to any means [to feed themselves], “Food shortagescouldpushthesestarvingpeople[the city, claiming security concerns. from enteringRwandanHuturefugeecampssouthofthe authorities inKisanganiwerekeepinginternationalgroups The radioreportsdidnotmentionthatrebelmilitary ity.” Kisangani, in eastern Zaire, “was a failure of responsibil- that aidorganisations’suspensionofoperationsnear Rebel radiobroadcastingfromGoma(east)saidTuesday Extract: (France), Goma, 21April 1997 (inFrench). Kisangani AbdicatingResponsibility,’AFP ‘Rebel RadioSaysHumanitarianGroupsin

refugees to Rwanda. els toimmediatelyauthoriseanairliftrepatriatethe UN HighCommissionerforRefugeescalledonthereb- repatriation airlift.TheUNSecretaryGeneralandthe request accesstotherefugeesandlaunchingofa On 22April,severalaidorganisationsmobilisedto security operation inthe area.” ian organisationscouldnotenter thecamps“becauseofa According toUNHCR,therebelssaidthathumanitar - avoid widespread deaths among the Rwandanrefugees. the Zairianrebelstoimmediatelyauthoriseanairlift High CommissionerforRefugeesSadakoOgatacalledon [...] OnMonday,UNSecretaryGeneralKofiAnnanand refugees last received food suppliesoneweek ago. activities weresuspendedafterthelootingincidents.The not takeplacebecausethehumanitarianorganisations’ food distributiononMonday,butthecould kilometres southofKisangani,weretohavereceiveda noted thataround32,000refugeesintheBiarocamp,41 [...] MichèleQuintaglie,WFPspokespersoninNairobi, murders. set offthelooting.Residentsaccusedrefugees of the the refugees.ThemurderofsixZairiansissaidtohave dents looted large quantities of provisions intended for were suspended after several episodes inwhich local resi- Humanitarian operationsinthecampssouthofKisangani bank, which they must cross toreach the refugeecamps. isations hadstillnotobtainedaccesstoKisangani’sleft that onTuesday,UNagenciesandhumanitarianorgan- [...] GOMA(Zaire)–UNHCR’sregionalcoordinatorsaid need may be repatriatedfirst by plane.” Filippo Grandi,toldAFP.“Theyagreethatthosemostin government,” UNHCR’sregionalcoordinatorinGoma, “On Monday, UNHCR was in contact with the Rwandan operations immediately if security isguaranteed. spreading anddeclaredthatitcouldbeginrepatriation UNHCR confirmedthatthereisnoriskoftheepidemic era epidemic rife amongtherefugees. opposition fromlocalauthoritiesconcernedaboutachol- delayed indefinitelybecauseofsecurityincidentsand Tuesday forKisanganitodiscusstherepatriationprocess, Zairian rebelAlliance,andUNHCRisscheduledtoleave A missioncomposedofrepresentativesRwanda,the of eastern Zaire. plan” forRwandanHuturefugeesintheKisanganiregion Kigali thatRwanda“stillagreeswiththerepatriation (UNHCR) announcedthatithadreceivedassurancesfrom On Tuesday,theUNHighCommissionforRefugees Extract: AFP (France),Goma,22April1997(inFrench). ‘Rwanda StillAgreestoRefugeeRepatriation,’ 125 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

In May, the UN decided to send a commission of inqui- government in the alleged mass killings is stated in such ry to eastern Zaire to investigate ’alleged massacres.’ a way that it is not said by MSF directly but by others to MSF during its mission (“it was pointed out to MSF...”). Moreover, MSF on two occasions directly met with the Rwandan commander Jackson, who supports the allega- ’UN Investigates Alleged Massacres in Eastern tion of Rwandan involvement. This allegation is not new Zaire,’ AFP (France), 22 April 1997 (in French). and stated before by Human Rights Watch (HRW) in its report ‘Zaire: Attacked By All Sides’ (March 1997, Vol. Extract: 9, nr. 1) and by the UN Special Reporter for Zaire Mr Spokesperson Thérèse Gastaut said that Mohamed Sahnoun, Robert Garreton in its reports to the UN Commission on special UN and OAU envoy in the Great Lakes region, had Human Rights (E/CN.4/1997/6, 28 January 1997 and E/ obtained agreement from the Alliance, led by Laurent- CN.4/1997/6/Add.2, 2 April 1997). Désiré Kabila, to allow the commission into eastern Zaire to examine mass graves. Putting the findings on paper instead of only verbally com- The Human Rights Commission, which completed its municating the confidential issues raised in the report, annual six-week meeting on Friday in Geneva, had decided was done to facilitate the discussion on the alleged mass to launch an international inquiry after a preliminary mis- killings and to provide information as detailed as pos- sion conducted by the special reporter on Zaire, Chilean sible to relevant persons who might contribute to the Roberto Garreton. facilitation of a quick and effective investigation into the Early in the month, Garreton said that he was sure that reported human rights violations. Of course there is always rebels had committed massacres after fighting ended in the risk of confidential reports ‘leaking’ to people who the region and had seen what he called ‘common graves‘ were not initially targeted, which might create security and had gathered witness statements. risks. However, this risk is present with both written and He expressed his hope that a commission of inquiry made verbal information. up of UN special reporters on human rights and experts would be formed to determine how many people may have However, the advantage of a written report (however been killed near former Rwandan refugee camps along the confidential) in such a case is that it gives MSF a better Zairian and Rwandan borders. ground for defending possible accusations made by oth- The commission includes Garreton, special reporters on ers. If countered successfully, it even contributes to the extra-judicial, summary and arbitrary executions, the credibility of the report and reinforces the seriousness Senegalese Bacre N’Diaye and a member of the working of the alleged human rights violation(s), which in its group on arbitrary detention. They will be assisted by turn enhances the probability of these allegations to be three experts from the UN Human Rights Centre and three investigated. Moreover, as you know, verbal information forensic medical experts. tends to become distorted once it changes from person to The first meeting is scheduled for 1 and 2 May in Geneva. person and in the worst case starts leading ‘a life on its The spokesperson announced that the commission will own’. Since such stories tend to be exaggerated this may then go to Kigali, Rwanda, and, if security conditions even lead to greater and less controllable security risks. allow, to Goma on 4 May. The UN experts are expected to remain on site for one Regarding ‘counterintelligence agency?’ week and the forensic experts will stay for a month. Regarding the ‘military information’ we would like to stress that MSF did not actively gather any such information. Most information which can be considered as ‘military’ was told to MSF during the trip or witnessed directly by the expats. Any such information serves no other pur- Responding to criticism from MSF Belgium regarding pose than to provide the report with a context in which the Shabunda report, MSF Holland sent a message to the alleged killings took place. Moreover, it confirms the all sections explaining how it was written and what its fact that AFDL is in control over the area described and objectives were. as such, under international humanitarian law, bears legal responsibility for the human rights abuses that took place, for avoiding further abuses and to bring those responsible to justice. Whether the human rights abuses are perpetrated by the AFDL themselves or not. Reaction to MSF Brussels Comments on the Reconstruction Report Bukavu-Shabunda,’ Regarding ‘indirect witnessing/sources’ Memo from MSF Holland , 22 April 1997 (in The people who talked to both MSF and UNHCR during English). the explo mission were too scared to state their names, fearing reprisals upon discovery. And even if we would Extract: have names of witnesses we would not have put them in Regarding ‘security’ to protect their identity. This explains the phrasing of the 126 The report’s allegation of the involvement of the Rwandan report and the more general indication in the beginning gering expatriates. bring to bear resolve the situation without endan- In Brussels,thedeskdiscussedwhatpressureitmight The Kisangani team did not have access to the camps. encountered during the explomission. seemed tobeconfirmedbylocations,eventsandpeople witnessed theseabuses.Moreover,theindirectaccounts refugees andthelocalpopulationwhoclaimedtohave cannot remainsilentontheseriousallegationsmadeby in thiscasewasnotavailable.Stillweallagreethat gest formofwitnessing/advocacyonecouldwishfor,but for suchpresence).Indeeddirectwitnessingisthestron- when thereisnointernationalpresence(hencetheneed abuses suchasmasskillings,sincetheyoccurmostly In principalitisveryraretodirectwitnesshumanrights Regarding ‘direct witnessing’ witnessing please seebelow. of MSFandthisreport.Forremarksondirect/first-hand in ourviewprovidessufficientbasisforthecredibility MSF and UNHCR in the area by means of this explo mission and arestilltakingplace.Moreover,theactualpresenceof reasons toconcludethathumanrightsabusestookplace or heardbytheteamduringexplomissiongivestrong abuses in combination with thethings directly seen and/ We feel that theallegations made regarding human rights protect the identity of witnesses. Human RightsWatchusesuchphrasingintheirreportsto also theUNSpecialReporter,AmnestyInternational,and of the report on the sources of the information. However, an advocacyplan focusingonnon-access tothecamps, the last week, MSF H has begun a lobbying effort with Oxfam andUNICEF,toavoid isolatingMSF.Infact,over We can make contacts with other organisations here: [...] 12. What pressure to bringbearfrom here? from afar. is onlyapuppetwhosemovementsarebeingmanipulated likeliest…). In any event, people realise that the governor close totheAlliance?(thislastimpressionseems -WHO? IMPRESSIONS:Ex-FAR?Interahamwe?Civilians metre 25. -Looting: WFPtrain,MSFsuppliesandhouseatkilo - in thecamps and noaccessto camps. -We receivedasummaryfromFrancine:Highmortalityrate 8. Kisangani: Extract: French). to MSFBelgiummanagers,22April1997(in by DominiqueBoutriau,programmemanager, ‘22 AprilTaskForceMeeting,’Minutesprepared Holland leadership. assigned toaninter-sectionworkinggroupunderMSF agree nottociteMSF.Thewritingofthedocumentwas Shabunda reporttoselectedreporters, asking themto colleagues from other sections send a summary of the The ExecutiveDirectorofMSFFranceproposedthat [Lubumbashi]. or WilmamusttrytomeetwiththeAllianceinLubum data. Notsosimplebecausenoaccesstocamps.Vincent medical issues. The medical department will provide the UNHCR on Friday or Saturday with a document focusing on security. EricandBernardaresupposedtomeetwith sensitive matter-possibleconsequencesforexpatriate a mildaccusationoftheRwandangovernment.It’svery Union andEuropeanParliament.Thisdocumentincludes directed at the US and UK governments and the European 5) Deadline: Monday morning (April 28th) - Under the responsibility of TonBerg/Pim de Graaf desks or operations actors - Incollaboration with the PR departments and relevant coordinated by Theo Peter Caesar(Brussels)and FrançoiseSaulnier(Paris), - Workinggroupconsistingof TheoWijngaard(Amsterdam), 4) MSF) - Selectedjournalists (committed notto usethenameof - Political authorities 3) - Protection - Health situation - Access to populations Global analysis including: - Transit camps inRwanda - Bukavu -Shabunda axis - Masisi - South Kisangani (incl.Tingi -Tingi), 2) 1) ZAIRE: l herewithsendyouapropositionfortheLOBBYEAST Dear alI, Extract: Internal organisation onthis project: Target groups: the situationofrefugeesinEASTZAIRE,including: A concisereport(3to4pages)mustbedrawnupon the confidentiality of the information). to humanrightsorganisations(capableofdealingwith information for internal use and for limited distribution The existingdocumentsmustbeconsideredasback-up France LegalAdviser,22April1997(inEnglish). and HAD, MSF Belgium Research Centre, MSF Director toMSFHollandprogrammemanager East Zaire,’ ‘Fact-sheet forZaire,suggestExParis,Lobby E-mail from MSF France Executive 127 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

6) Distribution of draft report by e-mail to: General and controlling eastern Zaire,” the Secretary General added. Operational Directors in Brussels, Amsterdam, and Paris 7) Approval by General or Operational Director, either by Speaking to the press after informing the Security Council e-mail or by conference call on Monday 12 am of recent developments in the Zairian crisis, Annan said, “You can kill people by shooting them or by starving them. Thanks for sending your comments or approval of this What is happening now is murder by famine.” proposition before 5 pm today. Annan emphasised that despite promises to UN humanitarian organisations, the Tutsi rebels controlling eastern Zaire continue to prevent delivery of aid intended for some 80,000 Rwandan refugees currently in the Kisangani ‘Zaire Communication Update 20,’ p1-2 - PR region (north-east). Amsterdam, 22 April 1997 (in English).

Extract: (INTERNAL) Discussions on advocacy are still going ‘Washington Demands Rebels Provide Access to on. An update on the MSF position is being drafted in Refugees in Eastern Zaire,’ AFP (France), Amsterdam. Consultation with desks and field will follow. Washington, 23 April 1997 (in French). It is intended to address the general problems in eastern Zaire: no access, manipulations of humanitarian organiza- Extract: tions, and human right violations. Not clear how far we On Wednesday, the State Department again called on can go with media. Can we list some facts, proving the Zairian rebels to authorise “free and immediate access” for human rights violations? To what extent can we use the humanitarian organisations to the thousands of Rwandan information from the report???? Please refrain from com- refugees blocked in eastern Zaire. ments on this issue till something’s been decided. State Department spokesperson Nicholas Burns referred to Washington’s “deep concern about the information on the [...] Please don’t give out the numbers of the field to all killings of refugees.” media. Select them carefully and insist they only make He warned the rebel alliance that if it sought a good rela- new appointments for interviews through PR department tionship with the US, it “should act out of humanitarian (you, or A’dam). concern”. Burns emphasised that the Rwandan government, which had previously refused to allow the refugees to enter, “is no longer a problem”. Laurent Désiré Kabila’s rebels “have no more excuses” for blocking the operation to repatriate refugees to Rwanda, he added. “WHERE ARE THE KASESE REFUGIES?”

According to UNHCR, refugees from Kasese fleeing fighting were heading toward Biaro. The MSF team learned via a third party that one of its drivers report- On 23 April, the UN Secretary General declared that the edly saw 500 bodies at the site. However, the driver rebels “were killing people through starvation”. The US was blocked at the site and was delayed in returning State Department called on the AFDL to grant humani- to confirm the information. The information was not tarian organisations access to the refugees. V14 made public because of problems and delays in confirming the account and for fear of reprisals.

‘Kofi Annan Accuses Zairian Rebels of “Killing Through Starvation,”’ AFP (France), UN, New York, 23 April 1997 (in French). ‘HCR Reports that 55,000 Refugees Have Left the Kasese Camp Where Fighting Was Reported,’ Extract: AFP (France), Nairobi, 23 April 1997 (in On Wednesday, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan accused French). the Zairian rebels of “killing through starvation” and called on their leader to allow humanitarian organisations Extract: to reach the thousands of refugees abandoned in eastern On Wednesday night, the UN High Commission for Refugees Zaire. received ”strong indications” that around 55,000 Rwandan “I am shocked and appalled by the inhumanity shown refugees in the Kasese camp (south of Kisangani) had left 128 toward these refugees-most of whom are innocents-by those the camp, where fighting was reported to have occurred. located 150kilometres south of Kisangani. kilometres fromKasese,inthedirectionofUbundu,acity gees wholeftKasesewereheadedtowardsBiaro,some15 According to information UNHCR has received, the refu- tions of 55,000 and32,000)arelocated. Kasese andBiarorefugeecamps(withrespectivepopula- Zaire river to Kisangani to reach the south, where the vented thehumanitarianorganisationsfromcrossing Since Mondaymorning,securityreasonshavealsopre- refugees.” Stromberg said. “We havethusbeenunabletolocatethe flights in the region. “They raised security reasons,” Kisangani, hadnotauthorisedUNHCRtoconductover On Wednesday,therebelAlliance,whichcontrols do nothave access tothe area southofKisangani.” information tobetrue,wecannotconfirmitbecause AFP byphonefromNairobithat,“Althoughwebelievethis Paul Stromberg,UNHCRspokespersoninKisangani,told Kilometre 25, comingfrom the direction of the camps. villagers intheir homesattheentranceto thevillageat some 12menincivilianclothing, wearing boots,killed 6 According tolocalsources,events beganonSundaywhen his truck. last Sunday).Thedriverisstill atKilometre25waitingfor NGOs andhadrefusedtotransport populations’belongings would behostile(haulierseenasoverly-cooperativewith ommended thatthehaulierleavebecausepopulation looting what the refugees had left behind. The driver rec- he sawat least 500. The population was burying them and driver didnotseerefugeesatKilometre29,onlybodies— truck but the latter refused because of insecurity. The camps atKilometre29.HeaskedtheColoneltoget The driver finallyarrived around noon, having come from gunfire in the distanceallmorning. morning. Hardlyanymilitarypersonnel.Haulerheard The haulier reached kilometre 25 at 8:00 onTuesday commandeered the mentogo the camp. Kilometre 25,onlywomenandchildren.Thearmyhad for Kilometre25.Alongtheroad,from Kilometre 20to The haulierresumedtravelonTuesdaymorningheading noted heavy military presence. at Kilometre15.Driverspentthenight25; truck atKilometre29(Kasese).Thehaulierspentthenight foot forKilometre25.ThedriverwasgoingtogettheMSF Monday morning:driverleftonbicycleandahaulier Information from Vincent this morning(Wednesday): EXTERNAL DISTRIBUTIONDECISIONTHISAFTERNOON. KISANGANI. TOTALEMBARGOONDISTRIBUTIONFORNOW. THIS INFORMATIONWASPROVIDEDBYVINCENTIN CONFIDENTIAL!!!! Extract: French). desk toothersections,23April1997(in Summary ‘Telephone ConversationwithVincent,’ by DominiqueBoutriau,MSFBelgium a village at Kilometre 25. in Lula):campsattackedbyZairiansfollowingincident workers andreporters.Reutersinformation(Zairianbased refugees caughtinbetween.Non-accessforhumanitarian AP information:fightingbetweenEx-FAR/rebelsand sent back to Kilometre 95. this morning:therefugeeswerereportedtohavebeen er, thehaulierdidnothearaplane!!!UNHCRinformation UNHCR over flight yesterday: did not see refugees; howev- should one benecessary later. gees, preparingamorestronglywordedstatement about the obstacles to preventing access to the refu- France, andHollandsectionsdecidedtospeakout tors andoperationsdirectorsfromMSFBelgium, During a23Aprilteleconference,theexecutivedirec- aged tosend someone toinform our teams. him toburybodiesandhelpthetroops,butheman- abducted inthezoneofKisangani. It seemstheyforced Three daysagoanMSFdriverwasrequisitionedand Extract: MSF. information fromtheShabunda reportwithoutciting The US daily newspaper, external communication. principle, laternoagreementonapressreleaseand strategy fortheHollandsection”).Despiteagreementin enough to alert the teams (“It’s a complete change in killings areconfirmed.Pimvetoedforafewhours,long - evenasofnowand;somethingstrongerlaterifthe the factthatit’simpossibletogainaccessKisangani Proposal toproceedintwophases:speakoutpubliclyon tions, executivedirectors,desks–dependingonsection). 23 April:teleconference(includingdirectorsofopera- Extract: MSF Spain, 25 April1997(inSpanish). MSF InternationalGeneralSecretary(inFrench). during summer1997byJean-MarieKindermans, ‘History ofCommunicationsonZaire,’ written ‘Information onZaire,’InformationBulletin, The New York Times, published 129 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

- 1 Zairian reporter for Reuters spoke to villagers who described what they reportedly saw or heard. Howard French, ‘Zaire Rebels Blocking Aid, UN - The MSF driver has not yet returned. Says,’ The New York Times (USA), 23 April 1997 - The parish priest [is] in the village. (in English). Therefore, MSF as an organisation cannot issue statements Extract: on the massacre or the empty camps until these rumours “What we have seen are examples of a clean-up campaign are confirmed directly or by other reliable sources. against the lnterahamwe and against the refugees in general,” said a senior official of one non-governmental Yesterday, reporters tried to reach the camps by cross- international relief agency that has been active in central ing the river in a canoe. They were turned back at k7 by Zaire during the war. “Sometimes the rebels go in and openly aggressive villagers. The expatriates reportedly shoot a lot of people based on the report that there were heard firing. But for how long? 1H hour? 4-5 hours? Interahamwe among them. And sometimes they shoot up a lot of people with no pretext whatsoever.” In any event, the state of the Biaro refugees’ prevented them from heading out and only 40 percent of the Kasese [...] According to the relief official, local people in several I and II refugees were strong enough to walk. areas of eastern Zaire say that armed units of Mr Kabila’s alliance have followed a strategy of lurking near relief [...] Regarding advocacy: operations in isolated areas, picking off and killing strag- - Peter is finishing a report on the region with Paris and gling groups of Hutu refugees before they can reach help. A’dam. A confidential report by the relief group said that in one - MSF does not have information with which to accuse village, Kingulube, a mass burial site was found by locals Rwanda directly. near a rebel military post. At another spot nearby, locals - Regarding security, we should condemn the Alliance’s said that about 200 refugees were executed in one day on deliberate strategy of non-access to the camps. Vincent February. 15. is supposed to meet Colonel Massissipi on this issue this At yet another site, the report said: “Refugees stated that morning. boys and young men were separated from families and -In any event, the Alliance is supposed to have gotten groups of refugees by the military in order to carry lugg advice to do everything possible to make the humanitar- age for the soldiers. These persons were allegedly taken ian groups ‘feel comfortable in the region’ and promote a into the forest and have not been seen again.” good image of the Alliance. Vincent was also going to talk Although the rebels have repeatedly denied attacking with the Alliance about stopping anti-NGO propaganda in refugees, and have dismissed reports like these as propa- the local media (see the role that radio stations played in gand, relief groups active in eastern Zaire say that they the Great Lakes in ‘94). have been repeatedly denied access to areas where rebel military operations are under way or have recently taken [...] Last minute: ... MSF will issue a press release tomor- place. row in conjunction with the other sections. - MSF B is organizing a press conference for tomorrow noon after the three-part group returns from visiting the camps. Observation: The camps are empty 1. Where are these people, most of whom were unable to On 24 April, aid organisations still did not have access walk? to the camps, but there were increasing numbers of 2. If MSF does not have access to them, they are receiving reports that they were now empty, while the rumours no assistance whatsoever. of massacres became more detailed. This press conference will also provide an opportunity to talk about the following documents: - Overall report on the Kisangani situation, including medical data - The Shabunda report Minutes of Zaire Task Force meeting, 24 and 25 - The report on repatriations to Rwanda April 1997 (in French).

Extract: -Kisangani: No access yesterday. This afternoon, a three- part commission: Alliance + UNHCR + reporters left for the Amnesty International announced that 80,000 refu- camps. No feedback yet. They left fairly late and probably gees in a state of overall exhaustion were wandering in will not reach the camps before night. So not much to the jungle, victims of AFDL violence. The organisation hope for. reported that it had several accounts of violence. - Rumour of massacre in the press. Weak information 130 because not first-hand statements: elimination strategy was obvious to all. representatives fromtheICRC,UNHCR,andOxfam.The Union’s CommissionerforHhumanitarianActionand Holland’s DirectorofOperationsmetwiththeEuropean In Brussels,MSFBelgium’sExecutiveDirectorand the outbreak of thecholera epidemic inthe camps. ing thattherebelswerequicktoblamerefugeesfor to endtheattacksagainsthumanitarianaidconvoys,add- Amnesty emphasisedthatKabila’stroopsdidnotintervene conflict began intheregionSeptember 1996. Hutu refugees,bothRwandanandZairian,sincearmed reports of‘arbitraryexecutions’and‘disappearances’ The humanitarianorganisationhasreceivednumerous sible for genocide?” anAmnesty spokesperson asked. world sendsthemaclearmessagethattheyarerespon- hands ofLaurent-DésiréKabila’sAFDLsoldiersbeforethe refugees mustdieorsufferhumanrightsviolationsatthe exhaustion” as a result of famine and illness. “How many south ofKisangani,UpperZairewereinastate“overall that some80,000refugeesgatheredinseverallocations The London-basedhumanitarianorganisationannounced Extract: and theDutch are unwilling to acknowledge this. At aid workers.At theEuropeanpoliticallevel, theBritish The people with a presence are grassroots humanitarian Second: the puppetmasters. On thatfront,Kabilawasapuppet nolongercontrolledby of regional interests, from Eritrea to Zimbabwe to Angola. - Theseeventsareplayingoutagainstanexpandedsphere - Non-access is clearly a Kabila/Kagame strategy. cally, into Kagame’s. - ThisstrategyplaysintoKabila’shandand,morespecifi - - The strategy ofeliminating refugees is obvious. First observation everyone has thesame view re: Martin Griffith (DHA). Present: Bonino/McNamaraUNHCR/Ayello/ICRC/OXFAM/ Eric Goemaere debriefing at UNHCR thisafternoon: Extract: French). Eastern Zaire,’ AFP (France), 24 April 1997(in ‘Amnesty CondemnsAbusesAgainstRefugeesin April 1997(in French). Minutes ofZaireTaskForcemeeting,24and25 the Belgian and Dutch sections. to the final report, in cooperation with colleagues from report had been lifted. She provided several revisions tors thattheprohibitionondistributingShabunda directors andoperationscommunicationsdirec- advisor announcedviae-mailtoallsections’executive leagues inothersections.Intheafternoon,MSF’slegal the message from the 23 April teleconference to col- The Amsterdamcommunicationsdepartmentrelayed - Renew pressure onKabila via [United]States. sanctions if commitments not met resentatives with monitoring of Kabila’scommitments and - AEuropeanpoliticalpresenceincludinghigh-levelrep B/ Inaddition, MSF wants: - Establish a humanrights inquiry commission. - Repatriation of refugees - Obtain protection guarantees - Remain operational anddemand access A/ Minimum policy (HCR and ICRC): Recommendation: region. because hedoesn’thavethenecessarycontrolover of non-access to the camps, either out of bad faith or to pressure.However,hedeniesthatthereisaproblem a worthyalternativetoMobutu.Hemaythusbesensitive sage thatKabilamustalsoavoidtarnishinghisimageas it comestoRwanda.AjelloandtheUSaresendingames- There’s stillacertain’post-genocideguiltsyndrome’when Kabila observehumanrights,butdidnotincludeKagame. morning Washingtonissuedastatementdemandingthat agree eitherandoffersonlypolitesmiles.However,this Dutch currentlyholdthepresidency.TheUSdoesnot that level,EuropeanministershaveavetorightANDthe For your information: the teams in Zaire are preparing of the afternoon. promised by theE-Desk that we’ll hear more by the end broader statementonthehuman rightviolations.Itwas We arenowconcentrating again onamuchtougher, Therefore the pressrelease is cancelled. much stronger, than we could afford at this moment. out ontheKisanganiissue,theirstatementswerealso Not onlyhaveseveralotherorganisationsalreadyspoken concluded thatthepressreleaseisnotrelevantanymore. After consultationwithAnoukandtheE-Desk,we Extract: English). Communication Departments,24April1997(in Ruud Huurman,MSFHollandPressOfficerto ‘No PressReleaseKisangani,’Messagefrom 131 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

for possible repercussions, once we speak out on the hr and form later. In any event, everything can be changed [human rights] situation. The team in Kisangani is already in this first draft and I’ve checked my pride at the door. reducing and also Goma is preparing. Of course this is just However, I would prefer it if we first tried to get the sta- INTERNAL info. tistics before rewriting and tearing the text apart. So if you can avoid it, don’t let everyone else around you read it yet. All best, Françoise E-mail from Françoise Saulnier, MSF France, to all executive directors and operations and communications directors, and response from Ton Berg, MSF Holland, 24 April 1997 – 15:39 and 16:27 (in French and English). E-mail from Françoise Saulnier, MSF France Legal Advisor to Ed Schenkenberg (HAD MSF Extract: Holland), 24 April 1997, 17:06 (in English). Shabunda: Message for operations directors, communications directors and executive directors. Extract: To Ed Schenkenberg ( MSF Holland), The security veto imposed by the MSF B director of opera- To keep you posted on progress, I am sending you my tions has been lifted on the new ‘cleaned-up’ version of current research. Holes are to be filled by the end of the the Shabunda report. This report may be distributed to day. As soon as it is done I will let you know so you and reporters using MSF’s name. everyone else can begin to change or remove language. I hope we both feel confident and trust that whatever it Best wishes and smooth sailing to all, will be there will be an outcome to such a work in such a Françoise Saulnier desperate situation. Sincerely - Françoise Dear Françoise and Bernard , I am very sorry but this is not the way you can deal with a report from the HAD department of MSFH. We are responsible for this report, the contents and the distribution. I think this has to be respected. When there is an ’Kivu Document Appended,’ e-mail from Peter agreement on using a part of our report this up to MSFH to Casaer (MSF Belgium) to Françoise Saulnier agree on the version to be used. I don’t think it is up to (MSF France) 24 April 1997, 21:20 (in French). MSFF to decide on the text of a ‘new’ summary. Of course we are happy that the veto is lifted and that we can con- Extract: tinue with the agreed plan of action but I strongly stress Hello Françoise, the need to make this a combined agreement between the Everything that was added/changed is underlined and in sections. It is not up to MSFF to take the decision and bold... There are several passages we’d like to change or formalise it the way it is done now. My fax of earlier this remove; we’ve already noted them (I went through it with afternoon is not respected. Dominique Boutriau) in bold and also underlined. So as stated before we are willing to take into account With love and goodnight, your remarks on our summary. But an agreement was made Peter. on who is in charge of what part of the new fact sheet. Regards, Ton Berg.

The HAD, which had written the draft report, said that it could not be released because of the MSF Belgium veto. The veto was lifted during a telecon- E-mail from Françoise Saulnier, MSF France ference among operations directors, who had authority in Legal Advisor to Peter Casaer (MSF Belgium) 24 the matter because it involved a veto related to field team April 1997, 17:06 (in French). security. I participated in the teleconference. So that the veto could be lifted, I suggested removing from the report Extract: any names that could endanger people and overly specific To Peter Casaer (MSF Belgium), information. I made those changes later, working with my Please find attached a draft of the drafts. I italicized the colleagues at MSF Belgium and MSF Holland. The HAD then places where you can try to fill in yourself with the data challenged our authority to modify a report that they you have, or don’t have. In short, to move things along believed was theirs alone. To me, the report should have a bit faster, I’m giving you the text. Start by filling in been made public as quickly as possible and the publishing 132 the holes regarding the data. We’ll talk about content go-ahead should have come not from the research centre decide. They were the ones onsite, with their teams, man From themomenttheytookcharge,itwasupto them to report andwhentodoit - --onceagain,I trusted them. report wasgood.Asfortheopportunitytopublish responsibility. The Dutch reports were good. The Shabunda like that,too.Youhavetoacceptacertaindelegationof MSF Hollandandtheymanagethings.Youhavetooperate given toGaretton. [RobertGarreton,responsible forthe tory andreach decisionmakers.Ihaveto say thatitwas statements -atleastthereport mighthaveaplaceinhis MSF hatesdoingbecausewe lovespontaneous,heartfelt written reportthatyoucan distribute -thekindofthing basis, itwon’tdoanygood. Butifyouproduceawell- want to make a stink in the press with it on a one-time that’s theonlywayitwillmakeanyimpression.Ifyou think thatithastobesaidinawell-foundedreportbecause … Ithastobesaid,butinaprofessionalwayandIeven to dowhetherornotthere was aShabunda report. lasted two years. Therewouldn’thavebeen anythingmore But youshouldn’thaveillusionsaboutitsimpact.Thiscrisis don’t agreeonthedate.Ithinkithastobesaid,weagree. important. There’snoneedtomakeascenebecauseyou whether yousaythemadayorweeklater,that’snot I’m notsayingthatthesethingsshouldn’tbesaid,but able. was war,wewereusedinRwandabyeverymeansimagin the informationused?Ithadnoimpact!happened,it everyone alreadyknew.Whatimpactdidithave?Howwas it? None! What was the goal of this report? We said what were onlythreedaysoutonthisreport.Sowhatusewas aging things.Theyweregrownupenoughtohandleit.We with allourfearsforthe population. that happenedalongsomeroad.Thisinformationjibed people knewaboutthem…Thiswasn’tsomenewabuse lure refugees-hadbeengoingonforseveralmonthsand tions itdescribed-theuseofaidorganisationsasbaitto fall ofKisanganiandtheBiaromassacres,whileopera report would appear, by accident, severaldaysbeforethe in theforest.…IfounditshockingthatShabunda gees hadreturnedtoRwandaandthattheywereindanger months tomakepeopleunderstandthatnotalltherefu heart of thefightthat all sectionshadbeenleading for two one stoppedtocallattentionthefactthatitwasat this informationwasknownwithintheMSFnetwork,no hit meinthestomach.Forme,worstwasthatalthough prompting anyonetostopwhatthey’redoing–thatjust that cancirculatethroughe-mailsfortwomonthswithout fragile natureofMSF’swarningsystem.Informationlike The wholeexperienceleftmewithasenseoftheextremely that hadwritten it butfromtheoperationsdirectors… you haveyourownteamsonsite.Youdelegateto the desk,youknowsituation,butit’snotasif I alwaysknewwhatwashappeningonsite.You’re Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, MSF LegalAdvisor (in French). - - - - -

involved anymore, but wewere linked to the report. area. TheGeneralDirectorandmyselfwerenotdirectly They weretheonesaskedtomakeareportonanyparticular Affairs departmentwaslinkedtotheoperationaldirectors. department waspartofawholecluster,theHumanitarian operations werealwaysinvolved.Andevenlaterwhenthe Milliano] time,thatwerewritingreports.Inpracticalterms, one totwopersonsunderhim,thiswasduringJacques’[de of anyother…ItusedtobetheGeneralDirectorwhohad background andwhowereverydemanding.Icannotthink Humanitarian Affairsdepartment,whohadahumanrights process waslengthy.Ithadtodowiththepeoplein decided ifitwasappropriateforpublishing.Sothewhole report hadtobereadbyeverybodyhereandit checked and double checked. And they don’t effect. The be veryprecise.Theywouldliketowriteprecisearticles, not to cite MSF. ers, whosenameshehadon alistandwhohadtoagree be distributedtoatargeted groupof‘reliable’report- leagues thatthenewShabunda reportsummarycould The MSFHollandPressOfficer announcedtohiscol- ment to controlcommunications. to consideritapublicdocument.It’sjusttoobigmove - - evenifyougiveitoutsidethesectionsometimes,have not wellunderstoodwithinMSFthatifyougiveadocument sions in the end were distributed to public sources. It’s still ing wouldbetakenout.ButIdon’tevenknowwhichver- Eastern Congo]. in chargeofinvestigatingonallegationsmassacres United NationsHighCommissiontoHumanRightsmission on Missionin Goma from 18 Marchto2April 1997, and Operational Director 1996- 1997 (inEnglish). The problem was theinternalfight.Theywanted to reports andwereverycautiousingivingthereports. The DepartmentofHumanitarian Affairs wrotethese instance, alotofthereferencestomilitaryposition- 4-page versionforpublicdistribution,where Shabunda, asIremember,therewasaveryshort Leslie Lefkow, MSF Holland HumanRights Officer, Dr. Dominique Boutriau, MSF Belgium programme Lex Winkler, MSF Holland Executive Director then MSF Holland HADofficer (in English). manager (in French).

133 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

Message from Ruud Hurman, MSF Holland Press The targeted journalists were mainly Anglo-Saxon Officer to Communication Departments, 24 either from newspapers or TV networks. Some inter- April 1997 (in English). national newspapers, for example, French or Spanish or any other language were not included. If you Extract: think about lobbying, properly, then you should be orient- Hi there. ing your media output to the lobby you want to make and probably you go to the UN. So, if you are not on the NYT It’s been bit of a frustrating day, with too many changes or Herald Tribune or CNN or whatever, then you lose the and confusion. From my side sorry, but hey, don’t kill the point. In fact, this targeting was something much more messenger. Serious now. The report on Shabunda as it related to a commitment in the way that the network prob- was distributed by MSF-F (Françoise) today is now cleared ably was not so confident that this report could be well for distribution to ONLY THE SELECTED LIST OF MEDIA and used by other journalists. It’s not a good point to restrict under STRICT confidentiality, meaning: the information to just a few papers. I remember that this was not said in a meeting but in a cc mail that I rejected -They will never mention MSF as a source completely. I said that as soon as I have the report I will -They will not refer to ‘an aid agency’ or similar phrasing be waiting for the green light for sure. There can be as a source another criteria, which we use so much here in Spain. We -They will never refer to the MSF report as a source think that on some issues—not all the newspapers will -They will not quote from the report treat the news as we want. So we make a choice - which -They will not share the report with others of these newspapers has a correspondent in the place that -They will not mention MSF facilitating them we are talking about or who has a specialist in this area. So we can discriminate a bit but not on an international The media are: area because it’s very difficult unless you are just focusing UK: Daily telegraph, Guardian, and Economist; approached on a lobbying strategy and not on a public opinion orienta- by Anne Marie tion. USA: Washington Post, NY Times; by Barbara/Samantha Canada: Globe and Mail; by Tim Pitt Rolland Rafa Vilasanjuan, MSF Spain Communications Director Holland: NRC by Ruud (in English).

Additions only to be made after consulting Amsterdam. Report each step to Amsterdam PR. Please understand that there’s a serious reason behind all these rules; the security of the Bukavu team is involved. MSF Spain’s Communications Director believed that MSF Belgium is drafting another press release on Kisangani, he had received a go-ahead and explained MSF’s posi- focusing on the medical condition of the people, when we tion on the elimination of refugees in eastern Zaire last saw them, and the question will be: where are these to a reporter from the Spanish daily El Pais. However, people? he did not give the reporter the document. His Swiss counterpart did the same with the AFP correspondent Procedure: in Geneva. Draft in Amsterdam tomorrow early. By 10:00 CET everyone will be informed if the draft was accepted and if so, it will On 25 April El Pais published information from the be distributed to all of you. Shabunda report, citing MSF. According to the chronology developed in summer 1997 by the Secretary General of the international office, the report was also posted on the Dutch section’s website.

Fax from Ruud Huurman, MSF Holland Press Officer to Communication Departments, 24 April 1997 (in English). ‘Médecins Sans Frontières Accuses Zairian Extract: Rebels of Massacres,’ El Pais (Spain), 25 April MSF has distributed a modified summary of the Shabunda 1997 (in Spanish). report. This was not well-coordinated and some confusion arose. Extract: Please note: this MSFF sent version is now available ONLY Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has accused the forces for the selected group of journalists on the already formu- of Laurent Kabila of violations of human rights and sys- lated conditions. No further distribution to other journos tematic killings of Rwandan refugees and the populations 134 till further notice. in the conquered zones in eastern Zaire. MSF sent an line ofcommunication wouldbeandthen hepublished report, wedidnot givehimthereport.Butwe saidwhatour and we started to talk by telephone. We commented on the journalists whowasthereatthe time.Hehadjustreturned ist, just one journalist, which was one of the few Spanish soon as it is public, we go for that”. We briefed one journal- saying thatthisispublic.So at thismomentIsaid:“Okas refugee will be tortured and killedby the military.” the zone,theywarnpopulationthatwhoever“helpsa the troops‘cleanuproads’.Then,afterconquering them on the roads. They force the village chiefs to help tions asbaittoluretherefugeesoutofwoodsandkill Zairian rebel’suseofinternationalhumanitarianorganisa- killing womenandchildrentoo.”…MSFcondemmsthe men, whetheryoungorold,butrecentlytheyhavestarted According to the MSF report “at first they only killed the the refugees out oftheforest in orderto “kill them.” … the local population so that they would help them bring witnessed Kabilasoldiers“intimidatingandthreatening” and repatriationcentrefortherefugees:thereteam assessment team to southern Kivu to set up an assistance reflect the situationwe describe inthereport. human rightsintheADFLcontrolledzone),butitdoes which isnotexactlywhatthereportsaid(violationsof are accusedofmassacrebyMédecinsSansFrontières’ The headline of As apreventive measure, the teamhas been evacuated. al staff),whichmayhaverepercussionsontherefugees. for possiblereprisalsagainstMSF(expatriatesandnation- tion tobeheldinKisanganitoday.Weshouldprepared machetes tocutwood.Thereisananti-NGOdemonstra- few daysofarmingtherefugeesaswehavedistributed MSF hasbeenaccusedbytheAllianceoverlast have witnessed. can giveanyinformationthatisinthereportandwe expect therewillbecallstodayfromvariousmedia.We without mentioningMSF.Itwas,ofcourse,toolate.We we receivedarequestto distribute the information, but as theyhavearepresentativeinthezone.Thismorning dential report, but weagreedtheycoulduseitseeing the onlyoneinfield.Wetoldthemiswasaconfi- corrections ofMSFF.EgaveittoElPaisaswas the MSFHreport-withagreementofBand rest ofthesections,itwasdecidedyesterdaytodistribute After twodaysofconstantcontactwiththefieldand Extract: light but,justaboutagreenormistakeby tion betweensections,therewasalsonotagreen At acertainmoment,inallthecrossingofinforma- MSF Spain, 25 April1997(inSpanish). ’Information onZaire,’InformationBulletin, El Pais this morning read: ‘Zairian rebels the teams were informed and tooksecurity measures. and withoutconfidentialityprovisions.Inthefield, could bedistributedtoreporterswithoutrestrictions new versionofthe summary report, specifying that it MSF Hollandsent their counterparts at other sections a The Press Officer and the emergency desk officers at light to all thesections. without havingthedocument.Soinfactitgavegreen Jules and Phil. Best Regards, eled on. approved thetripandcontrolledroadthatwetrav - and theonereferencetoADFLisfactualinthatthey removes referencestoRwanda,UNHCR, military bases, departments. AttachedisMicrosoftWORDdocumentthat The AmsterdamversionofthesummaryisgoingtoPR in theParis papers also. the ShabundasummarylastnightsuchthatMSFisquoted b. MSF-ParisPRdepartmentcirculatedtheParisversionof a. Our rationale is inthelight of thefacts that: journalists should receive it shouldbeimposed. was theoriginofreport.Norestrictionastowhich summary usedshouldbefromMSF-Amsterdamsincethat lish theShabundareportsummarytodayandthat It isourconsideredopinionthatMSFshouldopenlypub- Phill Doherty (native English)… rights violationsyoucanrefertoourdesk:JulesPietersor withdrawn fromthefield.Asaspokespersononhuman guard already. Note that the teams are being reduced and publicity onthisissue.Theyhavetobeattheirsafe- We suggestyouwillnotinvolvethefieldteamsin Extract: El Paispaper quotes MSFthis morning andthat Rafa Vilasanjuan, MSF SpainCommunications Director gramme managers, 25April 1997 (inEnglish). tions CommunicationDepartmentsandpro- MSF Holland programme managers to MSF sec- Press Officer,JulesPietersandPhilDoherty, Messages fromRuudHuurman,MSFHolland (in English). 135 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

The MSF US team participated in the communications efforts and continued efforts to put pressure on US MSF Reports on Human Rights Violations in authorities. Zaire.” MSF Holland Newsflash, 25 April 1997 (in English).

Extract: ‘MSF REPORTS ON HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN ZAIRE.’ “Zaire human rights state department” Email exchange between Françoise Saulnier (MSF Yesterday, the summary of the Shabunda report on human Legal Advisor) and Antoine Gérard (MSF USA), rights violations along the road Bukavu-Shabunda drafted 24, 25 April 1997 (in French). by MSF-H has been released on a confidential basis to a select group of international media. MSF asked explicitly Extract: not to mention MSF as a source. This to express our worry Gregory Stanton, Human Rights Officer at the State about systematic human rights violations against refugees Department (global affairs-democracy, human rights and in the rebel held territory, without endangering the safety labor) called me today to get more details about our of our teams in eastern Zaire. This morning however the report and the content of Marcel Van Soest’s debriefing Spanish national newspaper El Pais brought [out] the given last week in Washington. He couldn’t attend our information under the heading: MSF accuses rebels of meeting but got a ‘cable’ from the State Department. human right violations. Confronted with this fact, MSF has He already had some details about the situation in east- decided to go public with the Shabunda report today. MSF ern Zaire, but wanted to have more accurate data on B and H will organise press conferences this afternoon in the mass killings on Shabunda - Bukavu Axis and south Brussels and Amsterdam. Structural human rights viola- of Kisangani. A State Department human rights officer tions and structural denial of access to the refugees will is traveling this week-end to Goma and wishes to be in be the main topics. touch with our team in Goma and Kisangani. Content of The teams in eastern Zaire (Kisangani, Bukavu, Goma) are our report can be given verbally to this special envoy as it instantly informed on the El Pais article and the upcom- has been done by Marcel while he was in US. ing press briefings. They will take all possible security This envoy will have talks with Kabila. Greg’s position was measures. Meanwhile the started decrease of the teams very clear, “a real ethnic cleansing is going on in this will be continued. The number of expats in Goma will be region of the world and Kabila should be brought to trial decreased to 11, in Bukavu to 4, and in Kisangani to 10. for mass killings.” He recognised that pressure should be 13 expats will stay on stand-by in Kampala, the others done on Kigali and assured that the State Department is will return home. worried about the human rights issue in eastern Zaire. Humanitarian workers in Kisangani still have no access to If we really want to influence the State Department the refugee camps along the railroad Kisangani-Ubundu. policy on eastern Zaire in question, we should consider Various aid organisations and international politicians that human rights is a very sensitive issue among the have expressed their worry on the lack of access. UNHCR American public and a good way to put pressure on the has confirmed that the camps near Kasese has been found State Department and the Congress. [Antoine] empty and that there is no trace of the 50,000 refugees that formerly lived there. Unconfirmed sources report Hi there Antoine, traces of bulldozer activity near the Kasese sites. Great to talk to you again. I’m delighted that the Americans are sensitive to human rights issues. Perhaps my only contribution today is the two reports we finally managed to deliver yesterday and today (a difficult for- ceps birth). Don’t hesitate to call if necessary. The two ‘Re Operational Precautions’ E-mail from Phil reports I’m sending are for external distribution to the Doherty, MSF Holland programme manager to press. That’s after multiple orders and counter-orders and MSF France programme manager, 25 April 1997 thanks to some people who didn’t follow all the procedures (in English). instituted, that would’ve meant we still wouldn’t have the MSF report on the disappearance of Rwandan refugees in Extract: eastern Zaire. I think there’s one very important point in Dear Colleagues, our communications. Even if the last camps disappeared in an apocalyptic scenario, refugees would still certainly be The Goma and Bukavu teams report that they are com- living among those hidden in the forest. We can’t throw fortable enough with their security in the case of direct in the towel. For them and for history, it’s not too late. publicity from MSF (note the article in El Pais morning). Françoise Dominique - what is the situation with your team in Bukavu, I understand that they are back at base from Dear Françoise, Kalemie and Katana? And how many expats currently in I don’t know where to turn or which god to pray to. One 136 Kisangani? of the lessons we’ve got to learn very quickly here at the advocacy and toolstodevelop on theZairian crisis. we wouldthenliketogomorein-depthintothekindsof here inNewYork.Startingfromageneralpresentation, set up a workshop on advocacy activities and how we work As youmayhavealreadyheardfromCatherine,wewantto ing from different sections. calm inthefaceofmultiplecontradictorymessagescom- NY office when dealing with advocacy is to stay cool and 3. Unhappily we all suffered in the last 7 days following itself. that thesummarywasmore dangerousthanthereport to the press, despite the protests from your PR colleagues route). Irepeatedthatthefull reportwouldnotbegiven and ErwinhereinAmsterdam (i.e.theusualcoordination the NYPRdepartment to followthedirectionfrom Ruud via thePRdepartmentinAmsterdamandthatIexpected of Shabundareportwasbeingdistributedtothepress made itclearthattheAmsterdamversionofsummary 2. Asforthepresscontacts,afterchorusquieted I because you are notaPRperson would give the full report to any member of the press the USAAmbassadortoUN.Ididnotexpectthatyou State DepartmentandthroughCatherinetoMrRichardson full reportwhichJulesandIurgentlyfaxedtoyouthe State dept).Myexpectations were that you wouldgivethe gestion tolobbyGregoryStanton(HRspecialistatthe 1. Mycommentstoyouwerespecificourearliersug- to goodcoordination... hence Imustreplytoeveryone–thisiscounterproductive amazed at the wide distribution that you have chosen, terday themessagesseemtohavegotmixed.Iamalso chorus from 2 of your colleagues in our phone call yes- I wasshockedatyourmessage.Perhapsamidthevoluble Dear Antoine, MSF as a sourceshouldbedone. [Antoine] It hasbeensaideverytimethatnopublicquotationof to MSF USA) -National PublicRadioForeignEditor(personallyknown -Press News Day -US-UN Permanent Mission Ambassador Richardson Stanton -US StateDepartmentHumanRightsOfficerGregory Friday, 17:00 (EST)thereport has beensent to: could besenttoreliablepersonsweknow.Upnow, Following ourlatestconversationwithPhil,thefullreport Extract: 1997 (11:52Amsterdamlocaltime)(inEnglish). Communications, MSF LegalAdviser, 26 April France, MSFHollandandUKDirectorof Gérard (MSFUSA),copytoMSFUSAstaff, MSF Holland programme manager and Antoine iour,’ E-mailexchangebetweenPhilDoherty, ‘Re: pleasestopthenoncoordinationbehav- - Dr. Eric Goemaere, MSF BelgiumExecutive Director - Dr. […], OperationsDirector, - DannyDecuyper,whoreturned fromKisanganiyesterday, MEETING WITH THEPRESS TODAY AT2P.M. gees. done torestoreandguaranteeaccessthe80,000refu - Médecins SansFrontièresdemandsthateverythingbe sacres. unable towalk.Manyrumoursarecirculatingaboutmas - they couldhavefledintoneighborningforests.Mostwere refugees’ catastrophichealthstatus,itisunlikelythat Médecins SansFrontièresbelievesthatinlightofthe were hospitalized. being treatedinthetherapeuticcentreand299patients was 60/dayoutof30,000refugees.500childrenwere The situationwasevenworseinBiaro.deathcount day andno more foodprovisions were available. centre. Therefugeeshadaccesstoonly3litresofwater/ malnourished children were being treated in a therapeutic than 437peoplewerehospitalizedand1,200severely 545 patients already being treated for cholera. No fewer As recentlyasSunday,50newcases/daywereaddedtothe trition and malaria. recording 60 deaths/day, due primarily to cholera, malnu- medical teamsintheKasesecampatthattimewerestill March, whenaccesswasclosedtouslastSunday.The along therailroadtrackssouthofKisanganisince25 Médecins SansFrontièreshasbeenworkinginthecamps Extract: rebel-held areas. tions toinvestigatethestatusofRwandanrefugeesin that hewasgoingtoinvitetheUNandaidorganisa- access ortheissueofkillings.Kabilaannounced the communicationemphasisedeitherquestionof interviews tothepress.Dependingonsection, ference inBrusselsandAmsterdam.MSFFrancegave MSF BelgiumandHollandeachheldapresscon- a press briefing hereanda press conference in Brussels. of publishingtheAmsterdamsummaryandholding return toAmsterdam.Whilethedamagecontrolexercise terday 25th,thatcoordinationofthelobbyplanwould Director Pimhere,cametoajointunderstanding,yes- 4. GeneralDirectorEricinBrusselsandOperational there is abilateraloutput of thesummary. had no message during this period and then suddenly the Brusselsvetooflobbyplan.Inmyopinion,MSF MSF Belgium, 25 April1997(inFrench). Refugees?”’ InvitationtoaPressConference, ‘MSF SoundstheAlarm:“WhereareKasese V15 137 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

Laurent-Désiré Kabila’s rebels of pursuing a strategy of ”physical elimination” of Rwandan refugees in eastern ‘MSF says Zaire Rebels use Relief to Hunt Zaire. Refugees,’ Reuters (UK), Paris, 25 April 1997 In a five-page document distributed in Geneva, the (in English). humanitarian organisation stated that the Alliance, which has seized more than half of Zaire in close to six months, Extract: is carrying out a ”policy of deliberate terror” with a goal International charity Doctors without Borders (MSF) on of ”physically eliminating” the refugees. Friday accused Zairian rebels of using relief organisations “They are using any and all means – military attacks, mas- to hunt down refugees hiding in the forest in eastern sacres, deprivation of aid,” MSF said. According to MSF, Zaire. MSF said denying humanitarian organisations access Alliance forces particularly take advantage of humanitar- to the refugees was only one aspect of what it called a ian organisations’ activities to identify evidence of the ‘terror policy’ waged against Hutu refugees by Laurent presence of groups of refugees and later attack them. Kabila’s Tutsi-dominated Alliance of Democratic Forces for Of 1.1 million refugees at the Rwandan frontier in the Liberation of Congo-Zaire. October, at the beginning of the rebel offensive, more “MSF senses that the humanitarian organisations’ relief than 700,000 have returned to Rwanda. Some 400,000 action is being used by the forces of the Alliance to track remain in Zaire and 100,000 were located in the last few down groups of refugees who later come under attack,” it weeks south of Kisangani. But on Thursday and Friday, said. MSF said a rebel commander in Bukavu told it the UN agencies observed that the two camps housing 85,000 refugees were hard to find but came out of the jungle to refugees were empty. the roads when they knew that humanitarian organisa- MSF and the other humanitarian groups condemn the reb- tions were in the area. els’ refusal to grant access to the refugees. “The refugees “We have been barred for several days from an area where are being made to disappear secretly,” the humanitarian we had found refugees and were preparing to help them. group’s document stated. “We are observing today the When we were allowed to return, they had all disap- last episode of a murderous exodus, the refugees’ death peared,” it said. “The consequences of this clandestine throes,” said MSF, which provided aid to refugees in camps activity is an invisible, but excessively high mortality,” south of Kisangani until access was cut off last week. it said. MSF said the death toll from starvation since last MSF has aided Rwandan refugees in their odyssey since November among the refugees could be regarded as delib- last year. The organisations are calling for access to the erate physical elimination.” “It can be clearly considered refugees they have lost track of. Some may be in the for- that what is happening now is the last episode of this ests south of Kisangani. In that environment, “death is murderous exodus: the refugees death throes,” it said. invisible but excessively high,” MSF noted. MSF also said that the rebels had banned Zairian villagers from helping the refugees. Some who had informed humanitarian organisations of the refugees whereabouts were later detained, beaten and even killed, it said. The rebels have come under increasing international pressure Humanitarian organisations were denied access to the over their treatment of up to 100,000 Rwandan Hutu refu- camps for five days. At that point, the MSF team in gees whose plight is turning into a diplomatic and public Kisangani, which had been reduced for security rea- relations disaster for Kabila. sons, denounced UNHCR’s impotence and prepared to The UN Security Council on Thursday harshly criticised the close the mission if it could not obtain access to the rebels for preventing aid from reaching the Hutu refugees camps. south of Kisangani and obstructing their return home to Rwanda. Aid agencies in Geneva accused the rebels of trying to achieve a ‘final solution’ by condemning them all to death. But rebel officials in Kisangani accused the Sitrep , Vincent Janssen, MSF Belgium media of biased reporting and blamed UN agencies for not Coordinator in Kisangani, to MSF Belgium, repatriating the refugees earlier. France and Holland programme managers, 25 Kabila told Reuters in Zaire’s second city Lubumbashi that April 1995 (in French). he would invite the United Nations and aid agencies to investigate the crisis over Rwandan refugees in rebel areas. Extract: It’s been five days since access to the camps has been cut off. Checking with the ferry, we learned that several agencies came to inquire but that no humanitarian vehicle ‘MSF Accuses Rebels of Carrying Out a Policy of has been able to pass. The response varies depending on Physical Elimination of Refugees in Zaire,’ AFP where, to whom, and when access is formally requested. (France), Geneva, 25 April 1997 (in French). However, in practical terms the outcome is the same: no road access, no right to conduct over flights… Extract: Air transport remains exclusively in the hands of UNHCR 138 On Friday, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) accused (unless you want to risk your life in the Bazair flying ing (extra UNHCR meeting) ….6/ Last-minute additionalinformationfrom thismorn- and issuea political condemnation. or wemakeamassiveretreat fromtheGreatLakesregion Either wetrytocarryoutadvocacy whilestayingonsite we would have accesstothe refugees again. face theunbearableprospect ofnotbeingherejustwhen to saveindividuals.Weknowthatifweleavenowwill repatriation -andwithoutevenaguaranteeofbeingable We realisethat staying makesusresponsible for non- style and speed. medias’ methods,thecontentseemsmoreimportantthan course, it’sstillimportantthatMSFspeakbutgiventhe hard toproducesomethingonaninternationallevel.Of in ourcurrentsituationtolearnthat,yetagain,it’sbeen of course.Ihavetoadmitthatit’sparticularlyunpleasant exposed afterthestatements. There’s still theadvocacy, when andhowmany???Knowingthattheyareperhaps nurses and logisticians on standby in Goma, but until It would seem wise to ask MSF H about availability of on solidreception facilities in Rwanda)… repatriation ofthosewhocan’tbetransported(counting If wehavetotaketimestabilisethemorpleadfora expect a groupingornot. Rwandan delegation).Wedon’tknowwhetherweshould etc. forapproximately50,000refugees(figureprovidedby tion salt,primaryhealthcare,screening,water,latrines, tion byroad):shelter,milkybar,treatment,oralrehydra- strip), Ubundu(becauseit’sadeparturepointforrepatria- a healthfacility),Kilometre95(becausethere’slanding phantom refugeesmightbe:Kilometre82(becausethere’s response scenariosregardingthelikelyspotswhere To avoidsinkingintodespair,weareplanningfuture Conclusion: operations are impossible. gees. refugees andnon-accesstoinformationabouttherefu- air transport.Socompletenon-access:non-accesstothe stration. ThetrainisblockedandMSFhasnoindependent refugees; nothing more cynical than after today’s demon- hostile and unpredictable) to someday gain access to the for authorisationandprotection(thepopulationremains With UNHCRpowerless,wehaveonlythetoasksoldiers so isthe feasibility of repatriation. this thirdfailure.Eachtimetheirnumberisreducedand number or tenor of the condemnations can make up for to havefaceupourownpowerlessness.Neitherthe complicit inthetragedynowunfolding.Weareashamed We arebeingencouragednottobelievethatUNHCRis particular, are impotent. that humanitarianagencies,ingeneral, and UNHCR,in den militaryagenda,wewereremindedtoday,onceagain, Barely afewdaysaftertheshockofdiscoveringhid- … Fourcomments. Very serious day. a placefor us. and tolandatKilometre95tomorrow.Theyhavereserved that theywillreceiveauthorisationtoconductoverflights [Bazair is the local flying company] ). They are confident from the Kasese andBiaro camps had disappeared. overfly theregion,discoveredthat85,000refugees AFDL authorisationtotravelthecampsitesandthen The UNhumanitarianagencies,whichfinallyreceived Vincent Greetings from thebiggest shit I’veever been in observation that we’vecome to theendof the line. For now,we’renottryingtocriticiseanyone,it’sjustan follow-up - Yourfeedback with aclearandfeasiblepositionfor - Including MSF intheassessment flight conclude: and weproposewaitingfortwopiecesofinformationto We’re nowdoingwhatwehavetodoclosethemission for operations or advocacy. people toplay.Inthisenvironment,weseenopossibility a gametogetbeincluded,you’llneedsendother included, we’reclosingupshop.Ifthishasnowbecome doesn‘t agreeanymore.We’lltellUNHCRthatifwe’renot ourselves onthetarmactoforcequestion.Theteam on toKigali.Dominiquewillsaythatweshouldplant on board,sayingtheflight is politicalandwillcontinue delegation rejectedtheagreementtogiveusaplace today (noauthorisation).SomeonefromtheRwandan ... Theaeroplane/noaeroplaneissuestartedupagain people between Kilometre 52and 82. walking south to Kilometre73andtwogroups ofsome20 west atKilometre52.Wesaw onlyagroupof20-30people scattered,” Strombergsaid. “Perhaps theytooktheroad accusations thattheykilled refugees. “Therefugeeshave On severaloccasions,therebels havedeniedUSandUN camps topushthemintotheharsh, inhospitablerainforest. including manyTutsi,haddriventherefugeesfrom cials privatelyconfirmedthatLaurent-DésiréKabila’srebels, after fighting broke out nearby. Many humanitarian aid offi Kasese campwascompletelyempty.Therefugeeshadfled On Thursday,UNteamshadalreadyobservedthatthe noon flight over thearea. 15 March,wereobservedtobe’empty’duringaUNafter - capital whichhasbeenunderZairianrebelcontrolsince camps, 25and41kilometressouthoftheUpperZaire UNHCR spokespersoninKisangani,theKaseseandBiaro Kisangani ineasternZaire.AccordingtoPaulStromberg, surrounding the camp where they had been housed, near approximately 85,000HutuRwandanrefugeesinthearea over flight,aidorganisationsfoundnotraceonFridayof According toahumanitarianagencysource,duringan Extract: April 1997(in French). 25 Kisangani Region,’ AFP(France), Kisangani, ‘No Trace of 85,000Rwandan Refugees inthe - 139 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

We saw no refugees and no movement at Kasese and then refugees. Kofi Annan, whose ‘firm and moral’ approach to nothing between Kasese and Biaro,” where 30,000 people the Zairian matter has won considerable respect among were set up. Until early in the week, the Kasese camp had non-governmental organisations, said that those respon- housed around 55,000 refugees. sible for atrocities should be prosecuted according to UNHCR in Geneva had recently reported the disappearance international conventions. of refugees who had been observed during Friday’s over Another important factor figures into the American flight. “The Biaro camp is empty, completely abandoned, approach: the fear of future revelations regarding the Stromberg said. “Between Kilometre 40 and 50, there are fate of refugees in regions taken by the rebels since remains of fires and traces showing that many people had autumn. “The investigations into the killings are a time fled through the area. The Kilometre 82 camp appears bomb,” said a US diplomat in a telephone interview in intact. The refugees did not move. There were around Washington. “We might be able to use that bomb to put 2,500. The plane then stopped down at Kilometre 95. The pressure on Kabila.” villagers said they had not seen refugees passing by. They said only that a group of 20-30 people had passed by two COMMISSION OF INQUIRY days earlier. They thought the group were ex-FAR. The diplomat explained that neither the US nor Paris “has had a frank conversation with Laurent-Désiré Kabila “We are very, very worried, particularly concerning the fate and Mobutu Sese Seko in which their choices have been of the 9,000 Kasese refugees who were too weak to walk… explained to them. This has never occurred because, Around 5,000 people were severely malnourished and frankly, no one wanted to commit that far. But I think the nearly 3,000 children were moderately malnourished. 167 time has come.” In addition to the decision to send Mr. refugees were hospitalized and 200 were being treated for Richardson to the region, it was announced that a com- cholera. Finally, there were 519 unaccompanied children, mission of inquiry into the allegations of rebel massacres including 100 malnourished. We found no one at Kasese.” is expected to arrive in the field next week.

The UN Secretary General condemned the policy of Speaking before the French section’s board of directors “slowly exterminating” the refugees, issued an appeal on the evening of 25 April, Dr Marleen Monteyne, who to governments influential in the region to allow aid to had just returned from a mission in Biaro, stated that be delivered to refugees and announced that an inquiry Rwandan soldiers using AFDL cover had chased and commission would arrive in the field. The World Food killed refugees on the railroad track. Following a dis- Programme spoke of the refugees’ “slow, cruel death”. cussion on inter-section obstructions that prevent MSF The US decided to send an emissary to eastern Zaire from speaking out publicly, the board voted to remove and to become involved in resolving the Zairian crisis. the veto right and replaced it with a 24-hour ’advance V16 security alert,’ allowing the teams to evacuate before making a public statement. It also voted in favor of a position statement opposing the refugee repatriation to Rwanda, where board members felt they were in danger. Afsané Bassir Pour, ‘The Tragedy of the Zairian Refugees Shakes Washington Out of Its Passivity,’ Le Monde (France), 27 April 1997 (in French). Minutes of the MSF France board Meeting, 25 April 1997 (in French). Extract: Under international pressure, the US is reported to have Extract: decided to become “resolutely” involved in the Zairian cri- MISSION UPDATE: GREAT LAKES REGION (Marlène) sis. Known for his gifts as a mediator, US UN ambassador Marlène Monteyne returned from Kisangani, where she William Richardson will travel to the region “very soon” worked for two weeks in the Biaro camp. The Kasese camp, to “facilitate,” if not speed a meeting between President located at kilometre 25, had a total population of 55,000 Mobutu and the leader of the rebellion, Laurent-Désiré refugees and at kilometre 41, the Biaro camp population Kabila, a reliable source reported Friday night, 25 April, in totaled 15,000. We left on 6 April. New York and Washington. I was at Biaro with six expatriates. The situation was [...] The spokesperson for the World Food Programme, a UN catastrophic. Most of the refugees could no longer stand. agency, condemned the rebels’ “cruelty.”’ “We’re witness- They were exhausted and one after another, fell ill. The ing a slow and cruel death,” said Christiane Berthiaume. camps were in the middle of thick forest, so logistical UN Secretary General Kofi Annan increased the pressure conditions were very difficult (it was even hard to set up further, accusing Laurent-Désiré Kabila’s forces on Friday a tent). We were overwhelmed by medical work and all the 140 of carrying out a policy of “slowly exterminating” the refugees were very sick. The eight tents overflowed with Serious andintolerable dysfunction within MSF to bring everything toa halt. everything isscrewed.Ablockage atoneplaceisenough In thiskindofsituation,ifyou starttakingvetoactions, report to a journalistfrom El Pais. were blundersalongtheway: theSpanishsectiongave We only got the green light last night. It’s lucky that there and Bukavu teams. * AmsterdamimposedasecurityvetoregardingtheGoma should have been adaptedsothemessage could get out. have beendistributedasis,butinsteadofblockingit,it in theShabundaregion.Thereportcertainlycouldnot * theBelgiansectionblockedreportonsituation under security pretexts; For aweek,we’vefacedconsecutiveseriesofvetoes together. It didn’twork that waythis time. through asituationtalkaboutitandMSFbringsall obviously lostit.Normally,thepeoplewhohavelived the resultofmanipulation.Withrespecttoadvocacy,we cal and do not emerge from the local population but are particularly involved.Thecurrentobstaclesarenotlogisti- population, Kabilabearsrealresponsibility,butKigaliis tacts isasfollows:theywanttogetridoftherefugee The analysisassembledbyBernard[Pecoul]fromallcon- The events between Hutu and rebelsisfalse. were noweaponssowhat’sbeensaidaboutfighting local populationtolootandfight.Inthecamps, there problems withthe rebels butthesoldiersstirred up the camps (onlyatLula,7kilometresaway).Weneverhad For twoweeks,therewasnomilitarypresencearoundthe What wastherelationshipwithauthorities?(François) Discussion ter who was there. unmanageable. It would have been dysfunctional no mat- mindset… However,thecontextwasveryunusualand this view.Moststayedonsitewitha’passiveadvocacy’ There were32expatriatesinallandnoteveryoneshared else; stopourworkandcondemnwhatwasgoingon. activity hadbecomeimpossible.Wetodosomething when we went back, we counted the bodies. Medical being abletogetthesite.AndonSaturday/Sunday, killed, twowounded).Westayedforfourdayswithout reserves, andtheMSFhousewerelooted(sixvillagers ous incidents began to escalate: the WFP food train, MSF Then therebelsblocked access tothecampsandseri- were too tired). staff becausetheRwandancouldn’tmanage(people There weretoomanypatients.WehadtorecruitZairian the majorityofthoseclosetodeath(resigneddeath). We alsothoughtweneededapalliativecarecentre for [...] For about a week, we thought we could do something. was unbearable. It wasan apocalyptic scene. exhaustion. Thebodiesweredecomposingandthestench could nolongerfeedthemselves.Peopleweredyingfrom tre forthosewhowereweak,alone,unaccompanied,and people whowereveryclosetodeath.MSFopenedacen- • • • even manage to condemntheir killings!” “We weretalkingaboutgenocideurshereandwecouldn’t access to them for four days. A coordinator even said that about notabandoningtherefugees,butwehaven’thad radically? Marlène felt very isolated. People were talking and reducetheteams.Wholedhimtochangehismindso condemnation. Thatnight,hesaidthatMSFwouldstay couldn’t worknormally,MSFwouldwithdrawandissuea Coordinator inKisangani)hadsaidthatiftheteams [...] OnMondaymorning,VincentJanssens(MSFBelgium • • • the spot so wedon’tmiss the boatyet again. sons. Let’sdeterminewho’sresponsibleanddealwithiton in theGreatLakesarea.Wehavetobeablelearnles- sync foralongtimeandrepetitionofthiskindevent There aretwooperationalpoliciesthathavebeenoutof report in the formhe had. Brussels (EricGoemaere)vetoedtheuseofShabunda tion. TherewasanofficialvetoonSundayandFriday, a seriousproblem.Operationsblockedthecommunica- He’s triedseveraltimestoalerttheboardofdirectors This positionledtothekillingofseveral thousand people. • • There are mindsets that oppose speaking out. That can’t MSF’s only policy isto keep things running. but it’s the intentionthatcounts. Today in some areas, say. We make mistakes and certainly we’ll make more, to rely on what the people comingbackfrom the field Jean-Hervé thinks there’s a policyproblem. We have influenced. phone calls. We knowthat a teaminthe field iseasily to speak and thatthisnew direction followed several Bernard says that Vincent had beenunderpressure not frontation and havetostart over from zero. price.’ Wemaybeheadedtowardsaninternationalcon- says we should’save the international movement at any For Serge[Stefanaggi],theproblemismindsetthat these policies and debatetheideas (Odile [Cochetel]). fundamentally differentattitudes.Weshouldlayout It seemsthatfundamentallydifferentpoliciesleadto paralyzed? a messageanddealwithtiming.Howcanthisteambe communication professionalswhoknowhowtodefine indeed hideotherdebates?Today,MSFhasateamof a perversion.Doesn’tthisintenttohide/elude/conceal operational pathology,it’salmostlikehavingtocontrol Philippe (Biberson)thinksthatinthefaceofthiskind trying to be constructive. the paleofwhatwearewillingtounderstand,evenwhile is partofMSF’scollectiveresponsibilityandbeyond you proposea’silentadvocacy’strategyinresponse?This are beingexterminatedbyeverymeanspossible,howcan mation is suppressed! If you are convinced that refugees Jean-Hervé says he can draft a guideline on how infor- regarding who’s accountable and conclusions. inquiry intowhathasjusthappened,withastatement international exchangeuntilweknowtheresultsof calls fortheboardofdirectorstovotetonightstopall hide thiskindofinformationandnottakeaposition.He For twoyears,apartofMSFhasbeendeterminedto events beputincontext.Thisisn’tarecentdysfunction. Jean-Hervé (Bradol)–veryangryaskedthatthese 141 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

be tolerated any longer. There has to be a break. We rather an ’advance security warning.’ We inform the can’t ignore this kind of thing. Silence has killed tens others that in 24 hours, we’re going to speak out. We of thousands of people (Frédéric [Laffont]) can’t give in to the terrorism that says speaking out is •Brigitte Vasset and Bernard Pecoul refuse to agree that no longer possible because there are teams in the field. the veto has caused deaths. (Françoise Saulnier). •We have to stop pitting advocacy against our presence Determining responsibility in the field. Today, when we don’t agree, we lack the •Are there individuals who hushed up this matter will to fight. We’ve got to get it back to be able to win. because of influence? If that’s the case, they must No one wants to argue anymore and we just chatter resign or be removed from MSF. We cannot allow such during the teleconferences. The person who thinks s/ people to hold positions of responsibility and there he’s right should take his/her arguments all the way. have to be sanctions. The system has been disrupted We are suffering from a certain fatigue and we’ve got to and we have to be able to make sure this kind of thing get our energy back (Bernard Pecoul). doesn’t happen again. This raises issues of accountabil- •It’s true that you’ve got to win over a discouraging ity and competence (Frédéric [Laffont]) number of people when you’re convinced of something. •Does hiding information constitute malpractice that You don’t even know who you need to talk to in when should be punished? This raises the question of profes- you’re dealing with this cumbersome machine (Martine sional responsibility. If there was bad faith or incom- [Lochin]). petence, you have to be able to impose sanctions •We don’t have a solution, but we’ve got to struggle (Françoise Saulnier). (Brigitte Vasset). •We have a professional responsibility and if we make •[...] Today, the forest is full of refugees and we don’t mistakes, we have to be held accountable. There are know who’s in charge, operationally, for Kivu. Let’s have incompetent people practicing medicine (Maurice an in-depth conversation about the region in terms of [Nègre]) operations and policy. We can’t respond to Kivu if we •A doctor’s professional responsibility is to not abandon don’t address Rwanda. Kigali is behind the extermina- his patients. That doesn’t mean anything in this con- tion policy and we have to talk about it among our- text (Odile [Cochetel]) selves. Let’s say loud and clear that the refugees can’t •Let’s be careful when we use the term ’malpractice.’ The go back to Rwanda (Françoise Saulnier). idea of responsibility exists, but it’s something else •Shouldn’t it be said that these people must be granted to stigmatize an individual. Who’s going to define the refuge, but somewhere else besides Rwanda? Everyone misconduct? Going down that road is difficult and com- is giving up, but what we need is to propose some- plicated. We are responsible--but as an organisation- thing else. We need an initiative that breaks out of our -for failing to condemn what was happening in Rwanda current isolation and negotiates a space where these (Jean-Luc [Nahel]). people will be taken in. Let’s pressure the Dutch, the •Professional responsibility is more important than com- British, and the Americans to find a solution. Let’s work mitting malpractice (Brigitte Vasset.) with Oxfam, MSF-US, etc. •Let’s try not to mix up objective and irrational argu- MSF has to move out of its traditional way of operating ments. If only one person out of 32 raises the issue of and move into a lobbying mode that will allow us to find speaking out, that means the others are afraid. I can’t a solution. If we lead an anti-Kigali campaign and get to understand the others’ fear. Today there’s a force at the point of pointing fingers, that’s different from what MSF putting pressure on people. That leads to a loss of we usually do (Bernard Pecoul). free will. That’s what’s scares me. How can people stay silent when we don’t have any financial interests at [...] The Board of Directors must take a position stake (Philippe Biberson)? This isn’t a matter of criticising the field, but of seeing The idea of undertaking an inquiry to determine respon- what’s not working at the operational and decision-making sibility doesn’t seem to me to be a solution. Who would levels. It’s important that the board take a radical position have the right to investigate whom? Let’s not make fools and that that can help people resist pressure (Christiane). of ourselves. On the other hand, let’s not hesitate to [...] The motion passed by the Board of Directors: express our shock and then challenge the process, not - The Board of Directors of the French section of Médecins people (Philippe Biberson). Sans Frontières expresses its outrage regarding the veto -The people who voted for the veto didn’t do so because that prevented us from speaking out on the physical elimi- they disagreed with the assessment, but out of concern nation of Rwandan refugees in eastern Zaire. for the teams on site (Bernard Pecoul). -It confirms the primary purpose of MSF action, which is focused on defending populations in danger. This purpose [...] Violate procedures if necessary and recover the will must guide MSF’s action, giving absolute priority to princi- to fight ples of international consistency and internal functioning. •Procedures have always been what’s blocked us, so to - On the latter point, the Board announces that security find a solution we have to ignore them permanently. vetoes of advocacy actions will no longer be accepted, but When several sections are involved and one says we only advance security warnings with a deadline to ensure 142 should speak out, let’s not accept a ’security veto,’ but team safety. pointed bythe desk supervising my team. 1997, Ifeltveryisolatedand wastremendouslydisap- of suchinjusticeandinhumanity. InKisanganiinApril I donotunderstandhowonecanremainsilentintheface sought tohelp. ice and, even, betrayal of the populations in danger we failure to speak out in this context is a sign of coward- political reasons,Ihaveadutytospeakout.believethe If, asadoctor,Icannotcontinuetotreatmypatientsfor less the effective continuation of theMSF teams’ work. That doesnotconstitutegenuinerefugeeprotection,much and countingthe bodies. with standingbypassively,watchingpeoplebeingkilled We mustaccepttheconsequencesandnotbesatisfied these refugees, we mustdaretospeakoutandcondemn. If MSFacceptsthechallenge of making a commitmentto false heroism and speaks to amanifest lack ofcourage. It hasnomeaning,expressesonlyamisplacedprideand For me,however,suchadvocacyringscompletelyhollow. don ourrefugees” and serve as silentwitnesses. speak out but tostay on siteinKisangani, “not to aban- night of the fourth day, MSF officials decided to not to drawing andissuingacondemnation.However,onthe The morningofthefourthday,weatMSFdiscussedwith- worsening tension and incidents. 15,000 refugees total on 19 April 1997). Four days of dying bythedozen(74bodiesinBiarooutofaround Kaseseand everywhereinthesurroundingforest–were knew that patients in our medical facilities in Biaro and to obtainaccesstherefugeecamps.Meanwhile,we We waitedforfourdaysduringnegotiationsinKisangani ingly serious incidents. We had tostopworking. delivery ofallhumanitarianaidthroughaseriesincreas Barely twoweeksago,Kabila’sAlliancerebelsblocked and perilous trek throughtorrential rains. in atrocious, undignified, inhuman conditions after a long Imagine thehorrificsightofthousandsrefugees,dying It wasatrueheroiceffortintheheartofdenseforest. Rwandan refugeesstillabletohelpus)workedlikedogs. In Biaro, we (expatriates, local Zairian staff and the few region ofthe world. too, intheevilpoliticalspiderwebthatenvelopsthis ble forest where they were trapped. They were trapped, death. Therewasnowayoutoftheharshandimpenetra- (85,000 people)ofRwandanrefugeesfacingimminent I went to work as an MSF doctor with a large population Extract: nal publication), 26 April1997(in French). to 23April1997;Messages(MSF France inter- mission inKisangani,UpperZaire,31March Mansour, doctorinBiaroduringtheemergency Cowardice,’ ‘Not to Work and Remain Silent—That’s Statement ofMarleenMonteyne-

press release. ily take in the refugees. News agencies picked up the the region(otherthanRwandaorZaire)totemporar- refugees toRwandaandcalledonanothercountryin was supportingthem.Itrejectedtherepatriationof in thedrivetoexterminaterefugeesandthatKigali release statingthattheAFDLforceswereparticipating On 26April,theFrenchsectiondistributedapress settling accounts abit. That was part of the wholegame. cles aboutmypresenceinGoma.Thatwaswhenpeoplewere In There wasthatsenseofshockaroundthe’numberscrisis.’ thought thattheFrenchsectionhadbeentoooutspoken. argument was being used as an obstacle because some withdraw theteams.”Atthatpoint,Ifeltsecurity their security can beguaranteed. country inthe regionotherthanZaireand Rwandawhere 3. These refugees should be sheltered temporarily in a elimination of theserefugees in Kivu. - Kigali authorities support AFDL forces that carry out the ing toRwanda with extremely serious health conditions; medical treatmenttorefugees who,however,arereturn- - Kigali authorities have imposed obstacles to providing Rwanda because: 2. UNHCRmustnolongerplantorepatriaterefugees to operations. them and their regrouping, and the resumption of aid halt theeliminationofrefugees,facilitatesearchfor 1. Laurent-DésiréKabila’smilitaryforcesmustimmediately We believe that three key actionsare required: security guarantees. that thesurvivorscanbefoundandprovidedaid Médecins SansFrontièrescallsforimmediateactionso wandering in the forest. tary forces.Today,thecampsareemptyandsurvivors ed ofaidandsubjecttodeathatthehandsAFDLmili- and Biaro(Kisangani) camps havebeen depriv For aweek,the85,000refugeesassembledinKasese Kivu is gathering speed. The policyoftotalliquidationRwandarefugeesinthe Extract: Contact, MSF Belgium’s internal publication, I read arti- Dr. Jacques de Milliano, MSF HollandGeneral Director it. Otherwise,wejustsaythere’snosecurityand tiation andwecan’tusesecurityasareasontoblock I said internally, “We have to make space for nego- and MSFInternational vice-président (in French). French). MSF FrancePressRelease,26April1997(in Extermination ofRwandanRefugeesinZaire,’ ‘Three ProposalstoEndthePolicyof 143 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

‘MSF Urges Halt to Massacres by Zaire Rebels,’ Paris took a theoretical position: “We can’t require Reuters (UK), Paris 27 April 1997 (in English). the refugees to return against their will to their torturers’ country. We need to be aware of what Extract: we’re doing.” I came back to that. I knew that these people International relief group Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) had waved the white flag and that the few survivors who Sunday accused rebels sweeping across eastern Zaire of had come out of the massacre were exhausted. They couldn’t stepping up massacres of Rwandan refugees and said take any more, they had only one idea left - to die in survivors should be granted asylum abroad.”The policy of Rwanda. They told me, word-for-word, “Doctor, even if it total liquidation of Rwandan refugees in Kivu is acceler- means dying, we’d rather die in Rwanda, in the land of our ating,” MSF said in a statement, blaming forces of rebel ancestors. We don’t want to die like dogs in the middle of leader Laurent Kabila of killings. Camps that once held this forest.” That’s what they wanted. You can’t go against 85,000 refugees were empty and survivors had fled, it their wishes. There were educated people among them. They said. dismissed the idea of going back to the torturers and to Kabila, seeking to topple veteran President Mobutu Sese prison. They’d walked 100 kilometres and had survived I Seko, has said the crisis has been blown out of proportion don’t know how many massacres. At that point, UNHCR and is being unfairly blamed on his troops. didn’t want to charter planes to take them back and Kagame In a three-point plan, MSF (Doctors without Borders) said said, “They’ll come back on foot.” It was obvious that on Kabila’s forces should immediately cease attacks on the foot, in their current state, they couldn’t make those 100 refugees. Secondly, it said the UN refugee agency UNHCR kilometres in the other direction. That suited Kagame just should give up plans to repatriate the refugees to Rwanda, fine. It gave him even more time to liquidate them and it saying Kigali’s government was hindering medical and saved on bullets. We had to fight and issue press releases to other aid and backed Kabila’s rebels. Thirdly, it said the get those planes and conduct an airlift. HCR was dragging refugees “should be provisionally welcomed in a country its feet and the Americans were right behind them. And then of the region where their security can be guaranteed, there was a serious conflict among us. Once again, I took other than Zaire and Rwanda.” the side of the refugees who told me they wanted to go The refugees, many of them Hutu, fled Rwanda after a back. I pleaded for their return. genocide of Tutsi and moderate Hutus [SIC] in 1994. Some of them are suspected of taking part in the genocide. Dr. Éric Goemaere, MSF Belgium General Director Kabila said criminals among the refugees has transported (in French). their lawlessness to Zaire where his Alliance is waging a war against their allies. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan described rebel treatment of the refugees as “slow extermination” and a UN food agency spokeswoman, making a comparison with Tens of thousands of refugees were spotted in Equator Hitler’s Germany, said, “the expression ‘Final Solution’ is Province and in eastern Zaire, near Mbandaka, in areas not exaggerated”. inaccessible to aid.

’75,000 Forgotten Rwandan Refugees,’ AFP I drew conclusions. I had the Board of Directors’ (France) Kinshasa, 26 April 1997 (in French) support so I spoke out about the policy they had defined. Marleen had said to the Board, “We are Extract: sure that Rwandan soldiers are the ones who are killing According to ICRC reports from missionaries in Equador people at Kasese-Biaro.” She considered herself a witness to province, around 35,000 refugees are scattered between those acts. Everyone in the room was in tears. The Board, the villages of Boende and Bolonda, clustered in several which was not operating totally illogically, was obviously groups. opposed to the refugees’ repatriation; repatriated to their Some 12,500 others are gathered in and around Ingenda, executioners’ home territory. That was another way to near Mbandaka, in eastern Zaire, very far from the Kivu describe the Rwandans as killers. In my opinion, that’s what camps. needed to be done. Since we couldn’t carry out operations They are thus spread all across Zaire, Africa’s third-largest worthy of the name, we should at least be honourable country (after Sudan and Algeria) and nearly five times enough to say why. larger than France. Mr Michel said that it will take several weeks for them to Dr. Jean-Hervé Bradol, MSF France programme receive aid even if the organisations manage to locate manager then Communication Director (in French). them and keep them in one place. “It is almost impossible to reach them because of geographic, physical and 144 security reasons,” he noted. explain the 26April three-point press release. MSF Francemanagerswhileitwaitedforthelatterto mitting informationontheGreatLakessituationto On 27April,MSFBelgiumdecideditwouldstoptrans- the UNHCR to repatriate them on18 April. the forest and thus to certain death after refusing to allow have alsoaccusedtherebels ofdrivingtherefugeesinto sands ofrefugeestodie.Many humanitarianorganisations personally apologize for accusing his men of leaving thou- week. HecalledonUNSecretary GeneralKofiAnnanto light ontherefugees’flightfromtheircampsearlyin agreeing toan“impartial”commissionofinquiryshed massacres, referringtoa“campaignoflies”andeven [...] TheheadoftheAlliance denied allallegationsof small problem.” the refugeeproblem.We’regoingtotakecareofit.It’s a (southeast), therebelleadersaid,“We’reheretoresolve reporter onSaturdaywhenhearrivedfromLubumbashi “It’s short,butwe’lltry.”Questionedbyalocalradio Filippo Grandirespondedtotheultimatum,tellingAFP, 30,000-60,000 refugees.”UNCHRregionalcoordinator they willhavebeenevacuated.(...)Therearebetween press conferenceinKisangani.”After60days,wehope “This is more than enough time,” he stated during a Rwandan HuturefugeesintheKisanganiregion(east). the Zairianrebellion,gaveUNHCR60daystorepatriate On Sunday,27April,Laurent-DésiréKabila,leaderof Extract: described as a“small problem”. the questionofrefugees’repatriation, which he Laurent-Désiré KabilagaveUNHCR60daystoresolve further explanations. MSF FaboutGreatLakesregionstartingnow...waitingfor tion with other sections/field teams), we will not inform breaking securityvetoandwithoutanypreviousconsulta- of thisweek-end(presscommuniquésentfromParis [...] MSFFcommunication:duetothedeliberateincident Brussels last Fridayis good inBelgium. Lobby: presscoverageoftheconferenceMSFBin Extract: April 1997(in French). Rwandan Refugees,’ ‘Kabila Gives HCR Two Months to Repatriate 1997 (inEnglish). MSF Belgiumprogramme manager, 27April ’Kisangani,’ Sitrep fromDominiqueBoutriau, Le Monde(France),29 V17 V18 imposed by AFDL soldiers. resumed itsassistanceinspiteofon-goingobstacles gees begantoemergefromtheforest.TheMSFteam cres. Severalthousandexhaustedandterrorizedrefu - bodies layontheground.Statementsreportedmassa - sites, wherethestenchofdeathhungheavilyand authorised totravelthedevastatedKaseseandBiaro reporters andtheEuropeanUnionrepresentativewere On 28April,anMSFteam,theUNHCRrepresentative, Forces for theLiberation of Congo(AFDL). lagers and troops from Kabila’s - Alliance of Democratic witnesses whodescribedattacksontheHutubybothvil- tions, accountsbyforeignjournalistsinKisanganiquoted refugees arebelievedtobescattered.Despitetherestric- to theheavilyforestedareasouthofKisanganiwere reported thatMrKabila’sforceshadimpededtheiraccess Nonetheless, eventoday,reliefgroupsandjournalists Annan. tecting the refugees and demanded an apology from Mr ed thattheUnitedNationshadnotdoneitsjobofpro- complain against theRwandanHuturefugeesinZaïre…MrKabila a campaignof“slowextermination”and“finalsolution” agencies. They have accused the rebel forces of waging Secretary General KofiAnnanandinternationalrelief seen asaresponsetocriticismsfromtheUnitednations Mr Kabila’s attempts to addressthe refugee crisis were It must be done.“ “I havegiventhem60daystogetthisproblemsortedout. with seniorUnitedNationsandEuropeanUnionofficials. a news conference in Kisangani, after a day of meetings Kabila saidoftherefugeecrisisandevacuationasheled and if it is not completed, we will do it by ourselves” Mr gees from centralZaire... “This has gone on for too long the international community 60 days to evacuate the refu- rebel leader,LaurentKabilasaidtodaythathewasgiving his movement’shandlingofRwandanrefugees,theZairian Responding toafirestormofinternationalcriticismover Extract: Between 5,000-0,000 starving,exhausted and terrorized makes the sceneeven more disturbing. death, althoughonlyafew bodiesarevisible,which Hutu refugeecampnownearly deserted.Youcansmell Death anddesolationhangover Biaro,aformerRwandan Extract: English). The NewYorkTimes(USA)28April1997(in ’Zairian RebelTakesDefiantStanceonRefugees,’ (in French). Over Biaro,’AFP(France),Biaro, 28April1997 Christophe Parayre ’DeathandDesolationHang V19 145 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

refugees came out of the forest to gather at the camp, The international community must demand it. A commis- some forty kilometres south of Kisangani in eastern Zaire, sion of inquiry must be sent immediately. We are going to AFP reported from the site. carry out a non-stop repatriation with all available means. These were the first groups whose exact location was The situation is unacceptable.” determined since more than 85,000 people disappeared “We are calling for access as far as Ubundu (150 kilome- into the deep equatorial forest, without humanitarian aid, tres further south),” added UNHCR regional coordinator more than one week ago. Filippo Grandi. “Kabila made us a promise (Sunday). We hope that this blockade (at the exit to the camp) will be A Desolate Scene lifted. The refugees are afraid. We have to reassure them.” All the huts the refugees built from branches are empty. He paused, silent, and looked around him. “This camp was Signs of a hurried departure are scattered on the ground: prepared for an organised repatriation. Now everything clothing, shoes, and bibles in Kinyarwanda. has to start all over again. It’s frustrating.” A wedding photo of a young couple, smiling and happy, lies on the ground, faded and wrinkled by the rain. It had probably been stored carefully for nearly three years, since the couple’s departure from Rwanda in 1994. ’Zaire Communication Update 23,’ MSF Amsterdam,28 April 1997 (in English). Death Some 20 bodies lie nearby the former hospital set up by Extract: the humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières. Two MSF expats went together with a UNHCR team to the It has been looted. The stench is unbearable. Kisangani-Ubundu axis. The Kasese site was empty. On the way to Biaro they met with small groups of people and The body of a young woman lies on the ground, facing then after the bridge, further into the Biaro camp they upward. Her mouth is open and hundreds of flies swarm met with some thousands of refugees. over her face. The body is beginning to decompose. She’s In the cholera centre, patients had apparently stayed over been dead for just a few days. There is a deep gash in her the last week, also elderly people who were sitting around skull, probably caused by a blow from a machete. A baby’s had not moved in the last week. 21 very weak and sick body lies nearby, as if still clinging to its mother, who is people were selected and taken by a truck that MSF had dead, too. sent on the road. They were transported to Kisangani. It’s There is a half-covered hole in the earth. Flies buzz noisily not sure if they will be still alive tomorrow. around the hastily-dug grave. How many bodies are inside? (NOT FOR RELEASE) In Biaro soldiers (Alliance) were dis- A dozen people lay inside the hospital’s white tents. tributing medicines. Theatre? Some are alive, others are in their death throes, huddled The people seemed to be afraid for their future. They did beneath plastic tarps, or already dead. not talk very openly. Soldiers were around. It is not sure Eyes eaten by flies, a child watches the ‘white people’ go if the team will go again tomorrow and possibilities of by. He is too weak to move. repatriation are yet completely unclear. Team in Kisangani Officials from UN agencies and humanitarian groups, Aldo was scaled down to 7 expats. So far no reports on intimi- Ajello, the European Union’s Special Envoy, and reporters dations or other insecurity for the team. Let’s hope it stop and then move on. At the camp exit, three rebel stays that way. soldiers - adolescents with Kalashnikovs strung across the shoulders - forbid the group from going further for ‘security’ reasons. The insistent odour of dead bodies floats nearby.A little earlier, a small group of journalists, Christophe Parayre ’Refugee Repatriation: The including AFP reporters, had gone to this checkpoint and Countdown Has Begun,’ AFP (France), Biaro, 29 heard the sound of a mechanical shovel, which the rebels April 1997 (in French). had requisitioned a week ago. Villagers had seen it pass by. What was a mechanical shovel doing here? The answer Extract: was obvious to the group of people gathered here: to bury The countdown began for UNHCR on Monday near the bodies and try to hide any traces of them. Kisangani, eastern Zaire with the locating of more than According to some refugees, others were killed near 5,000 refugees who had come out of the dense tropical Kilometre 52, just a bit further away. “I saw a Caterpillar forest after fleeing their camps last week. digging holes and people were throwing bodies in it,” a On Sunday, the rebel leader gave UNHCR 60 days in which survivor told the AFP, after moving away from the crowd. to repatriate the more than 85,000 Rwandan Hutu refu- Who committed these killings? The international com- gees who had’ disappeared’ a week ago near Kisangani, munity accuses Laurent-Désiré Kabila’s rebels, including under rebel control since 15 March. many Tutsi. He vehemently denies the charges. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said the ultimatum, Visibly moved, the European representative spoke up, say- which officially began on 1 May, was “unrealistic”. HCR ing, “We have proof of massive human rights violations,” regional coordinator Filippo Grandi also found it “short,” he told the AFP. ”We must try to find out who designed but said that he would “try”. 146 and carried out this operation. They must be punished. The task is huge. Before the end of June, authorities is calling on the rebels toabide by international law. Zaire massacresandtheOrganisation of AfricanUnity Human RightsWatchisaskingforaninquiryintothe will be fatal. ticularly inhospitablesetting,withouthumanitarianaid, months of walking in the jungle, more time in this par- ning short.Formanyrefugees,alreadyweakenedbylong treatment. Theoperationmustcontinue.Timeisrun- Frontières (MSF)transportedthesickesttoKisanganifor a teamfromthehumanitarianorganisationMédecinsSans on Tuesdaymorningtobringthemprovisions.OnMonday, dred tonnesofprovisionsissupposedtoleaveKisangani A World Food Programme train with more than one hun- authorities could helpthem. The officialsaidyes,butaskedthattheyassembleso want togobackRwanda.Areyougoingtakeus?” He turnedtowardaUNHCRofficial.“Weareafraid.We est. They’re afraid to come out.Weoften hear gunfire.” getting here.Buttherearestilllotsofpeopleinthefor- we couldgobacktoBiaro.Wewalkedfortwodaysbefore Zairian villagers told us that there was peace again and I lefteverythinginthecamp.havenothingleft.Then night andfledintotheforest,asfarawaypossible. filthy T-shirt,says,“Iheardgunfireinthemiddleof A manwithabundleonhishead,wearingtornand week by the rebels. to receivehumanitarianaidthathasbeenblockedfora are comingoutoftheforesttogatherincamp,hoping Today, itisnearlydeserted.However,groupsofrefugees been attacked by villagers and Tutsirebels. Biaro housed around 30,000 people. They had probably Before therefugees’precipitousdepartureearlylastweek, south of Kisangani. the AFP,aftervisitingBiaroacamplocated 40 kilometres all available means,” UNHCR regional coordinator told “We are going to conduct a non-stop repatriation using flee Laurent-Désiré Kabila’s advancing rebels. exhausted andterrorizedpeoplewhoformonthstriedto must locate,treat,andrepatriatethousandsofstarving, rule oflawberestored. Peacewillonlyagain bepossibleif [...] “It is essential for the future of the country that the eastern Zaire.” allow freeinquiriesintothe allegationsofmassacresin ity “toexertpressureonboth partiesintheconflictto mun Watch/Africa onMondayexhortedtheinternationalcom - The humanrightsdefenceorganisationHumanRights Extract: 28 April 1997 (inFrench). into theMassacresinZaire,’AFP(France),Paris ‘Human Rights Watch isAskingforan Inquiry Africa, quoted intherelease. Peter Takirambudde,DirectorofHumanRightsWatch/ guilty of other atrocities are brought to justice,” stressed those individualsresponsiblefortheethnicmassacresand camps or whenthey are deniedasylum. arrival, when their safety cannot be guaranteed in the their agreement and with no guarantee of safety on Council, that refugees could be repatriated without Refugees declared before theUnited Nations Security On 28April,theUnitedNationsHighCommissionerfor repatriation in completesafety. bring aidtotherefugeesandfacilitatetheirimmediate and theotherhumanitarianorganisations,inorderto He asked the rebels to cooperate with the UN’s agencies humanitarian assistance.” the conflict,especiallywomenandchildren,toreceive particular, “therightofcivilianpopulationssufferingfrom international lawintheareasundertheircontrol,” for theLiberationofCongo-Zaire(ADFL),to“abideby protagonists, notablytheAllianceofDemocraticForces ian aidimmediately,”headded.MrSalimexhortedthe them, areinacriticalsituationandneedhumanitar- “These refugees,particularlythemorevulnerableamong Secretary General. refugees, particularly women andchildren,” added the ceptable situationthreateningthelivesofthousands “I amalsotroubledbyinformationaboutatotally unac- killings of Rwandan refugees in eastern Zaire,” he stated. “I amparticularlyworriedbyrecentinformationabout controlled by therebels of Laurent-Désiré Kabila. refugees and displaced persons in eastern Zaire, a region erable concernoverthedeterioratingsituationof The SecretaryGeneraloftheOAUalsoexpressedconsid- a peaceful transition leading to electionsinthis country. nists intheconflictZaire,ordertopavewayfor negotiations beheldimmediatelybetweentheprotago- In areleasepublishedinAddis-Ababa,MrSalimaskedthat Extract: Thank youfor informing usaboutthemeeting tobeheld Extract: (France), Zaire, 28April 1997 (inFrench). International LawConcerningCivilians.’AFP ’The OAUCallsontheRebelstoAbideby 1997 (inFrench). MSF relationswiththeUnited Nations,6May Legal AdvisertoCatherineHarper, inchargeof Message fromFrançoiseBouchet-Saulnier, MSF ‘Re: MeetingwithMadameOgataofUNHCR,’ 147 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

on 8 May between Madame Ogata and Interaction. I had no specific comments before this meeting until you sent us the text of the speech Madame Ogata delivered before ’Zaire Communication Update n°23,’ MSF the UN Security Council on 28 April 1997. Holland, 28 April 1997 (in English). I read with great interest, Madame Ogata’s speech to the Security Council, that you sent us. This text contains an Extract: exceptionally serious point that I will try to get across NOTE THAT a press release is prepared and there will be a here in Paris. Among the lessons that her Office had teleconference tomorrow morning. Should be agreed upon learned from its experience in the Great Lakes region and and become available in the course of the day. [There] will in ex-Yugoslavia, Madame Ogata in particular makes the be a position towards the 60-days repatriation. following point: when protection in the country of asylum The Shabunda summary of findings at Bukavu-Shabunda, cannot be guaranteed due to armed conflict, insecurity in version April 25 is free for release to journalists. Note that the refugee camps themselves, or when asylum is denied, we say we feel we have enough (indirect) evidence, from repatriation may have to be carried out under conditions the reconstruction of the mission, to state that systematic which are neither strictly voluntary, nor strictly safe. killings are taking place and we fear we may even be used For a number of years now, the teams in the field have as bait. been warning us that UNHCR ‘was not doing its job’ to offer protection in certain countries or with regard to cer- UPDATE MEDIA: tain populations. In these situations, we usually intervene Holland: Last Friday all TV stations covered the Shabunda in Geneva so that those at the top can correct or influence story and all national dailies had a front page or major the position of UNHCR personnel present in the field. story on it. Since it has been quiet. Madame Ogata’s declaration constitutes a radical change Strong angles: MSF being used as bait and stops activities; in the situation. Until now we believed that the problems refugees being massacred by rebels; local Zairians intimi- we were encountering with UNHCR in the field were due dated and even killed if they help refugees. to a malfunctioning of UNHCR machine, and that it was Petra in Germany had a tough day with journalists who possible to notify UNHCR authorities in Geneva to solve wanted more on the 3 points of the press release. Petra the problem. answered following the PR lines of yesterday. A Belgium newspaper (Het Belang van Limburg) is publishing an Today, we can see that the High Commissioner herself has article on the Shabunda report tomorrow. officially sanctioned a new doctrine. The Australian, was to Kate’s surprise, front-paging with: This leads us to ask a number of precise practical ques- “Masses of Rwandan Hutus ran into the jungle after tions. Zairian villagers killed hundreds of their colleagues and rebels opened fire on others, survivors of the latest exodus 1/ If UNHCR intervention is no longer based on the prin- from refugee camps in Zaire.” This kind of prominence for ciples it is supposed to defend, how and on the basis of an international story of this kind, is not common.” what arguments will UNHCR protect the refugees? Some other newspapers too, but less prominent, journal- 2/ How will UNHCR manage to get certain states to adhere ists will definitely use the Shabunda report for back- to the principles of refugee protection, when it lets others ground, Kate believes. violate them? 3/ How could it negotiate with the governments if it accepts in advance that the principles are up for discussion? ’MSF Holland Newsflash,’ 28 April 1997 (in 4/ How is one to develop an operational partnership with English). a partner who no longer has any active principles? On what basis could we define the roles of UNHCR and our- Extract: selves in any given situation? “The teams in Zaire are doing very well”, says ET-desk 5/ Will UNHCR consider us an enemy if in these situations coordinator Wilna Van Artzen who just returned from a (Great Lakes) we continue to ask for respect for the prin- trip to Zaire. “Within the Bukavu team there is frustration ciples of safety, dignity, and voluntary action? felt for months, due to a lack of access to the refugees 6/ Will it be necessary to create a new office for the pro- and because it seems impossible to have a medical impact tection of refugees? on the refugees the team manages to reach.” The team These are just a few questions that Madame Ogata will constantly fears being used by the military to locate and obviously have to be asked when you meet. attrack refugees that then get cut off from humanitarian access or worse. The team for instance, is reluctant to provide aid to a group of 400-500 refugees in a worrying health condition, in Louisi, west of Bukavu, out of fear of being misused. MSF’s messages based on the Shabunda report and the Wilna Van Artzen reports a strange atmosphere in Goma, ‘three point’ press release, continue to be discussed in due to an enlarged presence of young military in town. 148 the international press. The authorities announced the introduction of a surveil- required by thenew authorities. feeling theweightofnewNGOsurveillancesystem cent toprovideaidgroupsofrefugees.Theyarealso worried aboutbeingusedasbaitbytheADFLarereti- In GomaandBukavu,theMSFHollandteamswhowere keep control on aidactivities and expatpresence. paper work;atightsystemthatisalsousedinRwandato will checkallprojectfunding,expatrésumésandother lance systemforaidorganisations,inwhichacommittee release of April 24this attractive in this regard. output of the last days. The Refugees International Press circulated ashortlistofMSF demandswithourpress made bySamantha[Bolton], lwonderifweshouldhave Upon reflection and in response to a point (among many) Extract: violence on thepart of therebels. in theregion,arereporting that MSF wasrightabout leave. Journalists,whoarealsofindingithardtowork of massacres.Failingthat,MSFwouldberequiredto MSF team.Theyaskedthatretractitsaccusations Ministry andtheADFLdelegatetoNGOsvisited region. InKisangani,arepresentativeoftheJustice Internationale, widelylistenedtointheGreatLakes Director GeneralofMSFFrancespokeonRadio low profile’ondeclarationsofapoliticalnature.The tion concerningrepatriationanddecidedto‘keepa generals ofthevarioussectionsagreedonMSF’sposi- country. Duringateleconference,theMSFdirector declarations concerningthelackofsecurityinhis On 29April,theRwandanpresidentcondemnedMSF’s lowing the strong advocacy message. no threatsagainsttheMSFfieldteamsinregionfol- some delay.TheFrenchmediadeniedit.Therehavebeen and quitewell.TheAnglophonemediapickeditupwith Zaire. MediainHollandpickedthemessageuprightaway team alongtheroadfromBukavutoShabundaineastern the humanrightsviolations;aswitnessedbyaMSFexplo Last Friday,MSFreleasedtheShabundareport.Areporton Extract: Adviser, 29 April1997(inEnglish). warded toFrançoiseSaulnier,MSFFranceLegal Doherty, MSFHollandprogramme manager for- ‘Re - What is MSF calling for?’ English). ’MSF HollandNewsflash,’28April1997(in V20 E-mail from Phil clear text and thePRnetwork be informed. Could Edbeincludedinadiscussiontoproducegood The wording perhaps, needs to becleanedup. 6. 5. 4. HumanRightsinvestigationtobestartedimmediately. 3. 2. 1. is calling for: Marcel’s lobbyingpointsinUSAlastweekwere[that]MSF Erwin (under the cover of Ruudslog-in) All the best fromthe Amsterdam office, a more extensive update tomorrow. me throughthePRmobile-;0654394727.We’llworkon Tomorrow isapublicholidayinHolland.Youcanreach - There will notbea press releasetoday. fied. - Theinformationaboveonthesecuritythreatisclassi - messages. - WeDONOTcommunicateactivelyanymorepolitical communications: Summarizing wherewestandthismomentonexternal on political issues andfocus on medicalthemes. Pécoul willparticipate,buthe’llbeextremelylowprofile sador andpossiblyADFLrepresentativepresent.Bernard radio discussionwithalsoUNHCR,MDM,Rwandanambas- more politicalstatements.MSFFhasbeeninvitedfora was decidedthatMSFwouldforthemomentrefrain from as expressedoverthepastfewdays,orleave.Thereforeit that MSF would either denounce its criticism on the rebels in KisanganiwasvisitedbyarmedADFL.Theydemanded towards repatriationandimpunity.ButthentheMSFteam General Directors.TheyagreedontheMSFposition This morningtherewasateleconferenceoftheMSF Hi there, Extract: return of refugees. Preparations tobemadeinRwandaforthehumane calling for aid tobedenied Rwanda andUganda). ADFL, govtsofRwandaandUganda.(RIgoesasfar Bi-Lateral pressuretobeusedbywesterngovtson forest to beambushed. are not used as bait for refugees to come out of the No abuseofthataccess.ToensureINGOoperations Adequate operational access to give humanitarian aid. Zairians) during repatriation. Protection ofthepopulation(refugeesaswell York, 29 April1997(inEnglish). Officer from the Amsterdam office toMSF New ted byBarbaraKancelbaum,MSFUSAPress Communications Officer MSF Holland transmit- ‘Zaire CommunicationUpdate,’Van’tLand, 149 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

and that they should have full protection immediately. Bernard Pécoul was also in an interview that was repeat- ‘Account of the phone call with Vincent edly broadcasted, since last Saturday on Radio France [Janssens, MSF Belgium Coordinator in International. This interview was very much in line with Kisangani] at 16:00 + task force [working last Saturday’s press release, condemning the rebels at group],’ by the MSF Belgium programme man- Kisangani for massacring refugees and Rwanda for sup- ager, 29 April 1997 (in French). porting the rebels. [...] Reportedly BBC received several threats in Zaire from Extract: the rebel-side. CNN reporter Catherine Bond was expelled Following the interview with Bernard Pécoul on RFI, from Zaire (says MSF London). Misters Congolo and Kanandi, ADFL representatives to the UN, visited MSF in Kisangani and asked that MSF retract its claims, failing which it would have to leave. But they did not specify which claims nor from where MSF would have to leave. The CNN journalist, who used to work for the BBC, was a very good journalist, had worked in Uganda, (NB: reaction by MSFB following MSFF press release of this and knew the region well. But at the beginning of WE: MSF Belgium director of operations wrote to MSFF. the rebel advance, she submitted a report that profoundly MSFF broke 2 ethical rules: shocked me. A village outside Kisangani had been shelled as 1/ Report without being present in the field the front-line was advancing. All the TV pictures showed 2/ Report without consulting the teams present in the that when the troops arrived, the villagers were waving field) white flags to show that they were on the side of the attackers, who were relatively disciplined and it’s true that few Filippo Grandi interviewed refugees who claimed that it civilians were killed. This time however, there were problems was the Alliance military who came into the camps and and large numbers of civilians were killed. When the journal- started shooting. But UNHCR told MSF that they would ist described the events, she said, “When the saviours nonetheless keep a low profile to try to reach the refu- arrived, the villagers welcomed them with songs and white gees. flags to show that they were all on their side and were So, in fact, if the Alliance really wanted to expel MSF, they happy to have some discipline at last. There had been a could do it right away. Therefore MSF can still negotiate mortar attack, but this was a mistake.” A good journalist with the Alliance. What to put on the table???? will never say: “This was a mistake”. He or she will say that people were killed and that those who did the firing said Arrival of the Senior Officer, Dominique Boutriau.... The that it was a mistake. On hearing her, I said to myself, declaration is from MSFF and not MSFB. What access will “They’re completely fascinated by the myth of the victorious MSF have? Unconditional, satisfactory, or at a trickle? By rebels who are out to save Zaire!” Later on in Kisangani, the end of the week, we will have more information to after the Tingi Tingi episode, the journalists began to realise help us decide whether to withdraw if access is not open that everything was not OK and that the refugees were in enough. the process of being massacred.

(NB: getting expelled tends to cast doubt on any advo- When the rebel troops reached Kisangani, things began to cacy...) The Zairian NGOs in place, Omnis and EUE, do not get worse. This CNN journalist and her BBC colleague had have the right profile for advocacy. What about Oxfam? problems with the SNIP, the intelligence services, because they began to be a little more critical about Kigali, about how the troops were behaving and so on. This CNN journalist was forced to leave Zaire and then come back in via Uganda. ’Zaire Communication Update n°24,’ MSF She was followed, harassed, and threatened by the secret Holland, 30 April 1997 (in English). police. The BBC journalist was beaten up.

Extract: Samantha Bolton, MSF USA Communication Director, On Tuesday morning the Rwandan president Kagame con- MSF Press Officer for the Great Lakes November- demned the MSF statement on insecurity in his country December 1996 (in French). on Network Africa. He added that his people would come to Zaire to collect the remaining Rwandans in case the international community would be too slow. Last night Bernard Pécoul participated in a radio debate, with also UNHCR, the Rwandan Embassy, and MdM partici- On 29 April, UNHCR reported killings of refugees and pating. ADFL turned down their invitation. In view of the the obstacles placed in the way of refugee repatriation security threats to our teams, Pécoul could not be outspo- by the rebels and asked for a commission of inquiry. ken. He therefore focused on the message that the refu- Several thousand refugees were reported at the border 150 gees were in very bad condition when they were last seen of Zaire and Angola. Kisangani. selves beginningtoevacuate refugeesfromBiaroto order tospeeduprepatriation, therebelswerethem- Kasese andBiarocamps,were relatedinthepress.In On 30April,themassacres,whichtookplacein stated. most ofwhomarewomen,childrenandtheelderly,”he of seriousconflictbetweenthepopulationandHutus, [...] “Thesituationistenseandwecanexpectabreak-out for Uige province, AndréPindi, on Tuesday. the headofUNITA(formerlyarmedAngolanrebellion) the borderbetweenZaireandnorthernAngola,reported Some 3,850RwandanHuturefugeesfleeingZaireareon Extract: disease, said MrsO’Toole. in thejungleoftheirwounds,hunger,exhaustionand dispersal fromthecamplastweek,ofpeopleslowlydying Refugees havegiven“horribleaccounts”oftheirforced ried machete marks. Biaro camp,40kmsouthofKisangani,somewhichcar- Monday’s discoveryofthebodies20refugeesin The agency also declared itself to be “horrified” by Mrs O’Toole. certain sources,theyhaveapparentlybeenkilled,”said 110 peoplehavenotbeenseensinceand“accordingto on theRwandanborder,byarmedsoldiersFriday.The 50 childrenand60adultsfromahospitalnearBukavu, UNHCR saidthatiswas“appalled”bythekidnappingof repatriate them. the humanitarianorganisationstwomonthsinwhichto in thewayofRwandanrefugeerepatriation,aftergiving UNHCR alsoaccusedtherebelAllianceofplacingobstacles inquiry be launched.” O’Toole, adding,“thesekillingsmuststopandanurgent UN HighCommissionerforRefugees(UNHCR),Pamela Zaire) andelsewhere,”declaredthespokespersonfor refugee massacres,bothintheKisanganiregion(eastern “We are receiving increasingly shocking reports about the […] Extract: Lisbon 29April 1997 (inFrench). Border, AccordingtoUNITA,’AFP(France) ’3,850 HutuRefugeesontheNorthernAngolan French). Zones,’ ‘The UN Denounces Further Killings in the Rebel AFP (France),Geneva, 29April1997(in the Hutu refugees bythe ”Zairian rebels”. liquidation” and”slowextermination”beinginflictedon tions, leadingtoavirulentdenunciation of the”policy Refugees inGenevathroughtheUN’sspecialistorganisa - York andtheheadquartersofHighCommissionerfor the United Nations Secretary General’s office in New phones were confiscated, andprecise information reached by thenameofBakumuMangongo.Nearlyallsatellite 52 kmfromKisangani.Locally,thisplaceisalsoknown buried inmassgraves,ataplacecalled”LaCollectivité,” According toseveralsources,“manybodies”hadalsobeen the two Kasese camps near the capital of Upper Zaire. just under20,000refugees,withabout60,000othersin ous week.”Biaro camp (41 km from Kisangani) houses sickness ormalnutrition,500ofthemdiedtheprevi- up. Even without violence, owing to their exhaustion, camp, onethirdoftherefugeesweretooweaktostand imagine whatthatmeant,” said onesource. “In theBiaro where theyhadnoaccess.“Wedidn’tfindithardto certain thatmassacreswereinprogressthecamps, It waslastWednesdaythattheNGOsinKisanganibecame weighing about fifteen tonneseach. in particularbyoperatingthetwomechanicaldiggers, Forest workerswerealsoforcedtohelpburythebodies, driver, whowasforcedtoperformthismacabretask. to transportthesebodies,“about500”accordingthe As ofthefollowingday,arequisitionedtruckwasused exhaustion, wereallegedly“finishedoffwithmachetes.” est”. Someofthem,unabletomoveowingdiseaseor ing oftherefugees,whopanickedandfledintofor- massacres apparentlystartedwith“indiscriminateshoot- confirmed westernersontheground.On22April, guarding thecampswerereplacedbyRwandantroops,” “Two dayspreviously,theZairiantroopswhichhadbeen rounded’ onMonday 21 April. wandering forsixmonthsthrougheasternZaire,were‘sur- where some85,000RwandanHutuhadfoundrefugeafter the campsalongroadbetweenKisanganiandUbundu, sistent accountsfromreligiousandhumanitariansources, refugees killedsoutheastofKisangani.Accordingtocon- to digpitsandburythebodiesof‘thousands’Hutu requisitioned byLaurent-DésiréKabila’sfighterswereused Last week,forfourdaysrunning,twomechanicaldiggers Extract: hundred Rwandan Huturefugeesbytrain toKisangani On Wednesday morning,theZairianrebelsbrought several Extract: (in French). Kisangani,’ Jean Hatzfeld,‘Zaire:Kabila’sMassGravesin 1997 (inFrench). Kisangani,’ ‘The RebelsBringSeveralHundred Refugeesto Libération (France), 30April1997 AFP (France), Kisangani 30 April 151 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

(east), where UNHCR trucks are taking them to the airport The recent ‘cacophony’ in Zaire-’témoignage’ [witnessing] for repatriation to Rwanda. damages the MSF efforts to best serve the populations On reaching the left bank of the town, the refugees are in danger. Therefore the RC supports the position of ferried in small groups to the other side of the Zaire river the general directors for continued témoignage activity. before being loaded into trucks, reports AFP. “This is the According to the RC, in the current situation, témoignage (rebel) Alliance’s response to the untruthful accusations should be given priority over direct assistance. of the UN. We are accused of not facilitating the repatria- For future decisions on denunciations, the general direction operations, just look,” said the rebel leader in charge tors of the Executive Committee shall possess exclusively of relations with the UN’s agencies, Emmanuel Kamanzi. the final decision. In the absence of a general director, “You can see that we are capable of running the repatria- the president shall replace him, for cases of major denun- tion operation. If the UN is incapable of doing it, we will ciation (since internal international cohesion or external ask for help from the local Zairian agencies. We’ll do it image may be at stake). If consensus cannot be reached, without the UN,” he declared to AFP. the existing rules of the International Council require that the matter be arbitrated within the RC. It must be noted that the detailed content of the message is not discussed in depth, but its principle. On top of that, the rule still applies that the general directors are responsible for the adaptation of the content of the MSF “PRECEDENCE OF ADVOCACY message, according to the evolution of the situation. OVER ASSISTANCE” In addition to this statement, it was acknowledged that the crisis in Zaire was very complex and has been going on for several years; therefore it was decided that when the IC meets on September 19, a workshop will be organised with a view to reviewing MSF’s experience of the Great Lakes crisis. The workshop will also be open to people On 1 May, the MSF International Council Restricted involved in operations, and will address the responsibility Committee supported the joint position of the general of MSF, misuse of humanitarian aid, limits of assistance directors and stressed that given the current situation when populations are massacred, opportunities and neces- in Zaire, advocacy takes precedence over assistance. sities for witnessing. It will try to make links between the Until the French section’s proposal to modify the right different stages in the crisis, in order to have a global of veto has been analysed, this right is only granted retrospective analysis. to the general directors, within the framework of the Finally, the RC discussed the statement made by the Executive Committee. French board on the right of veto for security reasons, some of the RC members being very concerned with its content and with its consequences: who has the authority to break an international agreed rule? ‘Minutes of the Meeting of the MSF International Therefore, the RC considers the French board statement as Council Restricted Committee,’ Paris 1 and 2 a recommendation to be seriously analysed. It asks to the May 1997 (in English). executive committee to present its proper analysis of this request and its propositions in the next IC meeting. In Extract: the meantime, the right of veto for security reasons still 2) Great Lakes crisis exists, but it can be used only by a general director within The crisis is exceptional and has been going on for several the executive committee. years. As it is so complex, it is actually very difficult to manage for MSF. As a consequence, it has been difficult for us to be coherent in our ‘witnessing’. This happens at the very moment when it is of prime importance to coordinated as much as possible and speak with one voice. I bumped into Jacques (de Milliano, President MSF It reveals the lack of leadership in the international Holland) and Doris (Schopper, President MSF movement to manage the whole process, integrating/ Switzerland) on their way out of the International combining security problems and speaking out, in order Council meeting. They asked how I was and I said, “I’m to decide when it is necessary to opt for denunciation. fine, I don’t have any work and can catch up on my shop- Who decides? Who is accountable? To whom? Who has the ping.” They started to laugh and said, “Why don’t you have right of veto? When can it be used? Besides that, several any work?” I replied, “MSF is an institution which tries to members of the IC complain that they do not get enough communicate as little as possible about the Great Lakes information to follow the situation. crisis, at a time when unbelievable things are happening there. So, as Director of Communications, half the time I After a discussion in which the need for witnessing is not have nothing to do.” They reassured me, “Don’t worry, we really questioned, the RC makes the following statement just voted a resolution which will really give you room to 152 unanimously: work in.” And, they had indeed voted a resolution, which the massacres. refugees andtheobstaclestoaid,butdoesnotstress MSF tellsthepressofcatastrophicsituation bounds of internal discipline. municate alongtheselines.Iamnotworkingoutsidethe Communications, I assumemyresponsibilities and willcom- International CouncilandtheBoard,asDirectorof clear position from MSF’s political/associative echelons, the which ismeaninglessinthissituation.”Ithereforehavea declared, “greenlight,priorityforadvocacyoverassistance, placed emphasisonadvocacy.TheInternationalCouncil international community would betooslow. to Zairecollecttheremaining Rwandansincasethe on NetworkAfrica.Headded thathispeoplewouldcome demned the MSF statement on insecurity in his country On TuesdaymorningtheRwandanpresidentKagamecon - the journalists for some understanding. we shouldwatchthedevelopmentsfromhere.Pleaseask for now.There’sprettymuchpressurealreadytoKabila,so towards the rebels. Let’s not reinforce those accusations be changedagain.Stillstoriesshowupwithaccusations urgent issuesdemandaction,thestrategymayofcourse edge. We’llfollowupclosely.Ifsecurityimprovesor Let’s acceptthatthesecurityofteamsison NOR FURTHER POLITICAL MESSAGES FOR THE MOMENT. IS NOTTOBEISSUEDEXTERNALLYTILLFURTHERNOTICE!!! ALTHOUGH THE POSITION IS IN PRESS RELEASE FORMAT, IT be communicatedactivelyforthemoment.NOTETHAT, The position was sent this morning. However, it cannot on thecurrentMSFpositionrepatriationandimpunity. Also yesterday,thegeneraldirectorscametoanagreement 2. Communications camp at km 11ontheroad to theairport… ing. MSFisimplementingmedicalsupportinthetransit centration of people at the Kisangani-airport axis is grow- UNHCR havetoday,repatriated700refugees,butthecon- completely taken the lead. This ofcourseisaworryingdevelopment.Therebelshave being repatriated. transport. AlsoalocalNGOistoselectwhocapableof Local NGO’sareinvolvedinthesearchforrefugeesand Rebels havestartedbringingrefugeesbytrainandtrucks. Extract: manager then Communication Director (in French). Holland, 1 May1997(inEnglish). ’Zaire CommunicationUpdaten°25,’MSF Dr. Jean-Hervé Bradol, MSF Franceprogramme The international organisationsshouldcare morefortheir access to water, health care, etc. repatriating refugeesuptoKisangani wouldallowproper train, whichwasalsocriticised. AccordingtotheAlliance, The Allianceevendecidedto helpinrepatriationwiththe Nevertheless, sincethen,the criticismhasnotstopped. (AFDL). Hesaid,“Lastweek the Alliancegavefullaccess. of negative information circulatingabout theAlliance Mr Moiseexpressedhehasregretsregardingtheamount there are demands UNHCR should dobetter. were 30-40refugees.Althoughrepatriationhasstarted, According to reports he had from other sources, there According to UNHCR there are 20,000 refugees in Biaro. authorities. camp, theairport,andhadameetingwithUNHCR of thePresidency:MrMoisehaspaidavisittotransit 1. Press conference of Counsellor Moise, General Secretary Expatriate security needs to bebeefedup. combined effectofwhich was nowbeginningtobefelt. Shabunda reportandlastweekend’sMSFFrelease,the tions. Thisfollowstheappearanceonwebof rebel TutsiwereexterminatingtheHuturefugeepopula- The localradiowasdescribing how MSFhadclaimedthat Extract: just fiercely criticised MSF during a pressconference. coordinator inKisangani,mettheADFLheads,whohad On 2May,theheadofMSFBelgiumdesk,actingas and haveto leave thecamp. unteers tryingtosetupmedicalstructuresareintimidated weakest. Fooddistributionisnotauthorisedandthevol- can nolongerworkfreelyandbringassistancetothe the situationremainsjustasdisastrous.Theorganisations At theonlysitewhererefugeeshavebeenregrouped, besieged bythe refugees. to transporttheweakeronestransitcamps,are from cutsandgunshotwounds.Thetrucks,whichcome tion issufferingfrommalnutrition.Dozensare them areinverypoorshapeandabout60%ofthepopula- few children-aremassedtogether.Thevastmajorityof In Biaro camp, 10,000 to30,000 refugees, including very Extract: edited for clarity.). was inmixedFrench-Englishandhasbeen Kisangani,’ 2May1997(theoriginaldocument ‘ MSF - Zaire Emergency: Situation on1May,’ ’Médecins SansFrontièresInformationBulletin Sitrep fromMSFBelgiumCoordinatorin Press Release,2May1997(inFrench).

153 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

work and collaborate with the Alliance instead of doing NGOs and the international community, who go to the investigative activities.” press before talking to the Alliance. The Alliance has insuf- He criticised NGOs like MSF for stating that the Tutsi are ficient contact with us. If there is a problem, it should be exterminating the Hutu. He said, ”Everyone is free to say presented directly to the Alliance and therefore, it will be what he thinks. But, these declarations should be made solved. Regarding MSF, our attitude means that the prob- directly to the authorities, instead of going straight to lem of trust in us is raised and he wonders if our mandate the press.” Also, Dr Zora spent her time picking up the is humanitarian, or if it is obeying other interests? There ID cards of refugees in the camps instead of working as are people here who have interests in tarnishing the image a doctor. He said that, “60 days should be enough to of the Alliance by reporting only negative news. repatriate everyone. The first day was good with 1,500 In conclusion, the talks were frank and open. The dis- returnees. UNHCR should make an effort to have better satisfaction of the Alliance is clear. There is an urgent collaboration with the Alliance.” need that MSF has closer contact with the local authori- Regarding medical care: The refugees that are severely ties. The external message of MSF should reflect reality ill should not take the plane but should be hospitalised and not only bad things. No direct threat. No word about in Kisangani. There is criticism of UNHCR of not working expulsion. properly. Answering to journos, Moise said, “The incidents in the camps were due to attacks by ex-FAR and fighting with rebels.” Concerning possible uncontrolled soldiers, he said, “The Alliance was unified and there is no fighting On 3 May, while MSF Holland was developing its lobby- between different members. Also, it is utopian to think ing campaign, its Goma team informed headquarters of there would be no banditry in the rebel-controlled area. their doubts over the relevance of this type of activity Goma is safe except for any banditry. No fighting between and that of public communication. The debate over the the different members of the AFDL.” The Vice Governor last public announcement about eastern Zaire contin- and the consultant of the Governor attended the meeting. ued between the operations directors of MSF Belgium I introduced myself and expressed concern after a visit and MSF France. to Vincent last week by a representative of the Justice Ministry. I said, “I would like to clarify what the criticism was in our statements to the press.” However, after the press conference I started to understand more what ‘ Summary of the Advocacy Plan: for Protection the subject of the criticism was about. I also proposed to of the Population and Humanitarian Access in explain the MSF programmes in the country. Kivu, Eastern Zaire,’ 2 May 1997 (in English). Mr Moise wanted me to start with an explanation about the refugees’ situation. Firstly, I briefly explained our Extract: programme in Shaba-Kasai and Katanga, and in the near The MSF message: MSF should have a single concise and future, Kalemie. I said that the Minister of Health had well co-ordinated message to the world be it within silent approved the programmes in writing in Lubumashi some lobbying or the world public via the press. The message weeks ago. I also explained my position in Brussels. should be based on our medical expertise. Unilateral or Then I explained the humanitarian situation of the bilateral press actions by MSF sections have not resulted refugees/death rates before the incidents, and the MSF in a clear, continuous campaign and we should all accept response (with 700 in-patient beds in both camps). Now, our roles in the mis-coordination in the last few weeks. there was a clear deterioration of the situation with 70% Security for our teams in the field remains our priority malnutrition and there is also cholera, dysentery, machete of course, so all information flow to and between all the and bullet wounds, and the people are exhausted and teams in the region needs to be optimal and headquarters terrified. I explained the difficulty of working when hav- need to be feeding context information and press coverage ing to wait for an escort and if a doctor goes without an of the Zaire situation and in particular any references to escort, as happened yesterday, there are incidents with MSF. the military. Throughout the lobbying campaign since Eric Goemaere I also expressed my concern regarding the presence of an and Max Glaser went to Goma in early April to try to anti-personnel mine at Kasese humanitarian facility (loot- see Kabila, and with all the meetings in New York, ed). At that point he seemed very surprised. I explained Washington, and London in the week of April 14th, the that American journos went there with the convoy yes- following six points have been emphasised: terday and took pictures but I had not seen the mine. He MSF demands - was very surprised to learnt that from me, as no one had -That full protection be afforded to both refugees and told him before (It is true, I checked with UNHCR’s Kilian). residents during the repatriation process. Then he said he was sorry that Vincent had left because he -That adequate operational access is afforded to humani- would have strong words with Vincent (who was present tarian organisations to ensure good impact. during the time of the incidents). I said I would appreci- -That the authorities do not abuse what access is given in ate it if he said what he was concerned about. terms of obstruction or by using humanitarian operations 154 He said he was angry about the declaration of MSF, of to be used as bait. what to say andwhento it andto whom. tion consultwitheachotherdirectlytomakedecisionson It hasbeenagreedthatthedesignateddesksineachsec- tion practice. of lastSaturdaywerefurtherexamplespoorcoordina- rewriting oftheShabundasummaryandpressrelease report beingusedbeforedueconsultation.But,the Clearly this has been lacking, starting with the Shabunda INTERSECTION CONSULTATION: coordinated in Amsterdam. has beenthecoremessagefromadvocacyeffortsas This messageoriginatedfromthefieldteamsinZaireand states to comply with humanitarian principles. -That western governments use direct pressure on regional started immediately. -That an internationalhumanrightsinvestigation be 1. unanimously decided: in Gomaheldateammeeting. Thefollowingpointswere the humanitariansituation, primarilyinKisangani,MSF council isplanninganadvocacycampaignconcerning After receivinginformationthisafternoonthattheMSF Extract: 3. 2. 1. These are the lobbyopportunities as oftoday: Dear Colleagues, Extract: nated advocacy campaign.Tolaunchanother campaign with ADFL authorities following last week’s uncoordi- MSF committeditselfto increased communication Ogata, Catherine Harper will keep usinformed. Next Thursday 8 MaythereisanINGOforum with Ms. officials. l willforward his schedule later. arranged othermeetingsattheUNandwithUSgovt. Action-Aid conferenceforINGOsandMSF-NewYorkhas New YorkandWashington.Juleshasgonetoattendthe Jules Pieters,MSF-HEmergencyDeskhasdepartedfor we saw mass graves… have been given confidential information as to where for Human Rights who trained the Argentineans. They contact withtheminGeneva and alsowithPhysician and goingontoGomaMonday…Wehavehaddirect Geneva today.TheywillbeinKigalitodayandSunday The UNHumanRightsinvestigationteamdeparts manager, 3May 1997 (inEnglish). MSF HollandteaminGomatotheprogramme ’MSF AdvocacyinEasternZaire,’Messagefrom other section desks, 3May 1997 (inEnglish). Doherty, MSFHollandprogramme manager to ’Re: ImmediateLobbyPlans,’MessagefromPhil 4. 3. 2. opposed speaking outaboutwhatwashappening there. in favourofopen distributionontheweb, butwenever distribute thisreportasitis, andevennow,I’mnotreally At MSF B we used our veto, it’s true, against the plan to dramatic situation and wehavealready waited too long. That’s notwhat’simportant. We mustspeakoutaboutthis without doubttakingplace! How many,bywhom,where? However, theinformationisconsistentandmassacresare it isbasedonunconfirmedhearsayfromthirdparties. For me, this report is unsuitable for distribution because 1. The Shabunda report the last two weeks. however liketogoovertheKisangani/Shabundastoryfor I believethatonthewholeweareinagreement.would Hello Brigitte, hellooperations in Paris, Extract: nity to respond to our statements except to attack MSF. between MSFandADFL,therebelswillhavenoopportu- further erodeourcredibility.Withoutanopendialogue without firstaddressingtheseissuestotheADFLwill the best way toproceed. Goma isnotconvincedthecurrentadvocacystrategy In lightoftheseconcerns,theMSF-Hollandteamin Bukavu teams atrisk. place onlyinKisangani,whichplacestheGomaand ments. Thereisnocertaintythatreprisalswouldtake and thehard-lineADFLresponsetopreviousMSFstate- placing oflandminesoutsidetheMSFclinicinKasese, aggressive statementstowardsMSFinKisangani,the should takenoteofrecentsecurityincidents,suchas radio France(...)andVoiceofthePeople.Headquarters week byMSFFcontinuetocirculateineasternZaireon image ofMSFisnotpositive.Theaccusationslast with simpledenialsinthepress.Already,local the militant local population will respond peacefully not assumethatextremeelementswithintheADFLof The currentsecuritysituationisprecarious.MSFcan- ments to the contrary. inputs. ItisnotclearhowMSFwilldefendpublicstate- meeting on02.05.97tocoordinatetheiractivitiesand aid agenciesinKisanganiheldamedicaloperations transit camp.AlthoughthesituationinBiaroisdire, refugees toosicktomoveareallowedremaininthe repatriated, thetransitcampisbetterestablished,and increasing slowlyeveryday.Stablerefugeesarebeing sitreps fromMSFBelgium,accesstoKisanganicampsis Based onreportsfrom MSF Holland team membersand Kisangani willbeextremelydifficulttosubstantiate. Accusations thatADFLismanipulatingaidagenciesin Advisor ofMSFFrance,4May1997(inFrench). to theOperationsDierctor andtheLegal E-mail fromMSFBelgiumOperationsDirector 155 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

Quite on the contrary, it was Peter Caesar and Françoise On 3 May, MSF France denounced the ‘media opera- Saulnier who worked on a new version... tion’ by the ADFL and questioned the pertinence of the repatriation of refugees to Rwanda, which supports the 2. Non-access to the Kisangani camps rebels. I believe that we were not quick enough to communicate about this. Between Friday and the Tuesday attacks, four days went by and we should have started talking about them as early as Saturday/Sunday. We do have our share ’MSF Denounced the “Media Operation” by the of the blame. Rebels in Biaro Camp,’ AFP (France), Paris 3 May 1997 (in French). 3. The attacks on the camps. As soon as I became aware of events, I contacted the Extract: other sections, particularly Bernard. We tried to work on a On Friday in Paris, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) message which I thought was quite good. See Thursday’s denounced the ‘media operation’ by the Zairian rebels release, which I feel should have been already released on organising the ‘forced repatriation’ of Hutu, Rwandan Wednesday. refugees in the Biaro camp (southern Zaire) while starving Incredible but true, an Operations Director in Holland was and terrorising them… able to block such a vital and non-accusing message (it “The vast majority of them are in very poor shape and was toned down in relation to Thursday’s). That the truck about 60% are suffering from malnutrition,” according driver was able to reach Kisangani on Thursday is for me a to MSF. Some of them have injuries from gunshot or total surprise and conflicts with the information we had... machetes, according to AFP observations. “[The rebels] are trying to convince the international com- Finally, and very belatedly, came Thursday’s [statement] munity that the problem (of the refugees) is being solved” and [it was] effective. as negotiations begin between the head of the rebellion’, I am unaware of how it was received in the French press, Laurent-Désiré Kabila, and the President of Zaire, Mobutu, but here it was a success and we are continuing. stated Jean-Hervé Bradol, Director of Communications at Those who take communication/advocacy decisions must MSF. now realise that technical progress means that we have In the field, “the rebels have blocked all distribution of to be ready to communicate within 6 hours following the food and water” in Biaro camp “and in Kisangani, they events and that we have to take rapid decisions involving are pushing people into aeroplanes without us being able those in the field and at headquarters. to give them anything to drink, even though the state of health of these refugees is alarming”, he added. 4. Then your Board of Directors meeting on Friday and your “Where is the legitimacy for this repatriation? Is it rea- BoD’s decision. We read your BoD’s decision and if there is sonable to repatriate the refugees to Rwanda, where the no problem with 99% of the fields, it is unacceptable with power in place (Ed: Tutsi dominated) supports the rebels,” respect to people on the fields where safety is an issue. he continued to wonder. He thus denounced “the silence What would you say if tomorrow, Brussels communicated of the international community, which closes its eyes what it wanted in Sri Lanka? because it does not know where to put these refugees,” It is therefore hard to continue to share information if claiming that “the right of refugees is today threatened.” the BoD - an emanation of the GA [general assembly] - releases this highly conflicting message. But we will continue nonetheless. And then The Biaro refugees, in a particularly poor state of 5. Saturday’s release health, are transported to the Lula transit camp, ten We have already mentioned and repeated the reasons for km from Kisangani, where an MSF team is attempting which we cannot agree on this release and the messages to care for them before they are repatriated by air. On it contains. We feel that they do not reflect the position 4 May, when the train arrived, this team discovered of the people in the field, and are not based on a joint 91 bodies in the wagons, dead of asphyxiation. V21 analysis by the operational centres. Worse yet, we dis- agree completely with these positions, which do not seem to us to be sufficiently thought out. Trust us…I can see that it’s continuing this weekend (3 and 4 May). ‘We Can’t Monitor the Refugees,’ Le Soir (Belgium), 6 May 1997 (in French). I too would like to see the stereotypes vanish and for us not to waste time with in-fighting, but there must be a Extract: minimum of dialogue in order to generate mutual trust. “There is a tragedy occurring here,” says Dominique Since we agree on the content, why not try to reach an Boutriau, Head of Mission for Médecins Sans Frontières agreement on the format and on procedures for advocacy (MSF) in the Kisangani region. All the refugees are in a 156 messages? terrible state and they are also frightened after the events doesn’t gothat far. metre 50, but it’s impossible to confirm them. The convoy rumors aboutwhat’stakingplace atkilometre82andkilo- There’s noonetomonitorthat. Thedoctorsaysthereare dehydrated wouldreallyneedtobeinfusedover48hours. everywhere. We try to stabilise the wounded but the most tion salts and body bags - because there are corpses forest. Wehavejustenoughtimetodistributerehydra - shape. They’renotstrongenoughtogobackintothe On site,theonly people leftare the onesinworst cross on the ferry. It takesaridiculous amount of time. cars plusthoseoftheescort’s.Allvehicleshaveto convoys arecomposedofsixorseventrucksandadozen day becausetheUNescortisonlyoneavailable.The We haveaccesstothoserefugeesforonlythreehoursper worse at Biaro and in the other camps along the road. The situationatKisanganiisdifficult,butitmuch become ill. shelters, so the refugees sleep outdoors in the rain and The hospitalkeepsgrowingbecausetherearenotenough diarrhoea andenteritis,casesofseveremalnutrition. and knifewoundsthathadbecomeinfected,patientswith people, includingindividualswithtwoweek-oldbullet international volunteerexplained.Yesterdaywesaw265 We setupafieldhospitalatthistransitcentre,theMSF BIARO ISTHE WORST completely different. refugees -theAlliancepromisedthatbutrealityis the UNHighCommissionforRefugeesisinchargeofthese gees willarrive,whetherbytrainortruck.Intheory, From onedaytothenext,wedon’tknowhowmanyrefu- 5,400. people butyesterdaymorning,Boutriaunoted,therewere Kisangani transit camp. It was designed to hold 2,500 triation byplanecontinuedwiththeemptyingof Yesterday, traintransportsweresuspendedbutrepa- could besaved. Transport conditions areunacceptable. separate thedeadfromlivingandinfusethosewho doors were opened,dozens of bodies fell out. We had to stopping it.WhenthetrainreachedKisanganiand refugees cameoutoftheforest,stormingtrainand Sunday, Boutriausaid.Itleftfull.Alongtheway,new That’s whatpromptedthemtocrowdintothetrainon EMPTYING THE CAMP new attacks. lected freshsupplies,theyreturnedtotheforest,fearing they emergedalongtheroad.Butassoonhadcol- doctor said.Whentheyspottedhumanitarianaidworkers, outskirts ofKisangani,wheretheystopped,theBelgian outbreak ofviolence.Theywandereduntilreachingthe Later 85,000refugeeshad‘disappeared’followingan tragedy explains their fear. centre ontheirwaytoboardtheplaneRwanda.The focated on the train carrying them to the Kisangani transit of twoweeksago.OnthatSunday,around100peoplesuf- nearly 100Rwandan refugees,theinternational aidorgan After Sunday’s shocking events,whichledto thedeathof Extract: tion deadline toberemoved. protected andfortheAFDL-imposed60-dayrepatria - to obtain access to the refugees, for refugees to be Kisangani, MSFBelgiumcalledforhumanitariangroups ters. On5May,inapressreleasedistributedfrom about thecontentofmessagessentbyheadquar - interviews andcomplainedthatitwasnotnotified The Kisanganiteamreceivednumerous requests for they live or not. and depressedtheydon’tseemtocareanymorewhether anymore orgettreatment.Thesepeoplearesoexhausted Some oftherefugeesareanorexic,theydon’twanttoeat EUB andOmnis. evacuation, ortothebasichealthcarestructuresof screening thevulnerable,referringthemtotrucksfor nurses) isinchargeofdistributingOralRehydrationSalts, In Biaro,theMSFteam(2or3expatswith2Zairian under UNHCR control. escorts. Today two expats are returning with ‘the train’ Oxfam onlystay3hoursinordertobenefitfrommilitary and UNICEFworkabout6hours/day.MSF,UNHCR presence inBiaro.LocalmedicalNGOslikeOmnisandEUB Biaro (41kmsouthofKisangani):MSFhasnopermanent humane conditions... tion betweenUNHCRandtheAllianceinordertocreate getting ontothetrain.MSFisaskingforbettercoordina- departure arenecessarytopreventtoomanypeoplefrom convinced that crowd control measures taken prior to the Hospital, distributionofbodybags,etc.Dominiqueis stabilisation andtransferofthewoundedtoUniversity from Biaro.Theyimmediatelystartedhelpingwiththe witnessed thearrivaloffataltrainontheirwayback On Sunday,theteamof3expats(MD,nurse,andlog) (IPD), nutrition, shelter and sanitaryconditions. of consultations(OPD),MSFisinchargethehospital ported to Lola. Local NGOs Omnis and EUB are in charge get out,crosstheriverwithferry,andarethentrans- Kisangani neartheriverbankwhererefugeeshaveto ‘The train’doesn’tstopatthiscamp,itstopscloserto Extract: French). Release, Kisangani/Brussels,5May 1997(in Conditions forRefugees,’MSF BelgiumPress ‘MSF UrgestheAFDLtoEnsureHumane Update.’ MSFBelgium,6May1997(inEnglish). ’Zaire/Rwanda EmergencyCommunication - 157 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

isation Médecins Sans Frontières is urging the Alliance to Britain, German TV, Australian radio, Israeli TV, French create the necessary conditions to help the refugees and BBC, Le Soir, Times. I also treated two reporters; that repatriate them in humane circumstances. Aid efforts must makes three altogether. I’m the only MSF doctor; it creates be stepped up and coordinated to limit the number of casu- relationships. alties. The situation of the refugees in Biaro, 25 miles to the south of Kisangani, is deplorable. Aid workers are faced 4. The message with a situation in which they have to separate those that This is certainly not to say that repatriation should stop, can still be saved from those that are marked for death. as AFP broadcast tonight. That can only exacerbate ten- “Too many refugees in Biaro need intensive care and sions here and towards the refugees and aid workers. resuscitation. It is too late for perfusions, Biaro is a death I suggest that you read the Brussels press release, which camp,” says Dominique Boutriau, MSF Field Coordinator corresponds to our thinking. Thank you. after spending a day working in the camp. Because I didn’t have the Paris press release in advance, I The situation of the refugees is indeed desperate. Each day, was indeed surprised by the message that AFP broadcast, at least 50 people die as a result of illnesses, malnourish- which put me in an awkward position with respect to the ment, and exhaustion. An estimated 60% of the refugees release. I’m starting to get fed up that we aren’t informed are malnourished, many of whom are too weak to travel. about Paris press releases in advance. It’s going to turn Moreover, for fear of new assaults and massacres, the cli- into a real mess, if not in terms of expatriate security, mate is one of panic and chaos. In their struggle for life, then in terms of the consistency of our public message the strongest refugees try to secure some standing room on and our credibility. Reporters keep calling but if you don’t the train and the trucks, which take them to a transit camp send them the press releases in time, well then, it’s just near Kisangani where MSF is in charge of the reception too bad for you if we say the opposite of what you’re say- centre and the hospitalization. ing at headquarters. Confronted with this grave situation in the field, Médecins Sans Frontières is outraged by the imposed conditions on Please show us a little respect. I’m talking about Paris. the repatriation process and is urging the Alliance to: - Lift the 2-month deadline for the repatriation of the refugees to their home country, Rwanda, allowing aid workers to stabilise the condition of refugees that are too weak to Message from Phil Doherty MSF Holland pro- travel. gramme manager and draft of ‘Overview of - Step up efforts to organise aid to the refugees in an effi- Refugee Flow Estimates in Eastern Zaire,’ by cient and coordinated manner. Phil Clarke (MSF UK), 4 May 1997 (in English). - Protect the refugees and aid workers against intimidation and violence. Extract: - Undertake efforts to find the missing tens of thousands • Total refugees before the conflict: of refugees in order to assist them. 1,258,158 [IRIN 106 of 21.02.97] • Total returns to country of origin to end-April 1997: If these claims are not met immediately, a great many 868,790 [From UNHCR data] refugees are sentenced to death and the aid worker’s efforts • Arrivals in third countries: will remain but a drop in the ocean. 10,168 [IRIN 106 of 21.02.97]

• Remainder, total refugees still in eastern Zaire: 379,200 (1) The Humanitarian Affairs Department of the Holland • Portion of remainder with record MSF section drafted a report called ‘Forced Flight’. ed deaths: which described the refugees’ odyssey in eastern Zaire, 2,000 [Calculated below] supplemented by an analysis of medical statistics • Portion of remainder located in Ingende: performed with the cooperation of the operational 12,500 [IRIN 159, 28.04] sections involved. The full report was intended for • Portion of remainder located in Opala: distribution to donors, the UN, the US government, 10 000 [IRIN 150, 15.04] and possibly, as a background document for reporters. • Portion of remainder located in Kisangani: 5 000 [IRIN 159, 28.04] • Portion of remainder located in Kinshasa: 400 [IRIN 160, 29.04 ] ‘Kisangani Sitrep,’ Dominique Boutriau, MSF • Portion of remainder left by plane: Belgium programme manager/Coordinator, 6 300 [IRIN 109, 26.02] May 1997 (in French). • Portion of remainder located in Mbuji-Mayi to Angola area: 11 000 [Calculated below] Extract: • Portion of remainder located in Lodja-Mbandaka- 3. Communications Boende area: 158 Interviews last night, 4 May, and 5 May: France Info, RTL, 79 300 [Info. Merlin and below] unpublished informationsourcesaregiveninitalicfont. credibility totheseestimates.Estimatesderivedfrom intemet) whichcanbecited,andintheorylend ly, using‘publishedinformationsources’(i.e.fromthe after dividedintofourmaingroupsandtreatedseparate stabilised. The subsequent fate of these refugees is here 25,000] atatimewhenrefugeeflowshadtemporarily (170,000), Punia(2000)and‘Shabunda’[i.e.Kalima, 197,000 wereknown,groupedincampsTingi exist ineasternZaire.Atthattimethelocationofonly Rwandan and Burundian refugees were still believed to to thatUNHCRsummaryinwhichanestimated432,103 This documentaimstotrackrefugeeflowssubsequent 17.03). by theFrenchPrimeMinisterAlainJuppe(IRIN128. Region (IRIN120of 6.03), byIRlN-DHA (IRIN 124) and Regional Humanitarian Coordinator forthe Great Lakes document) andhassincebeenquotedbyMartinGriffiths, figure appearstobereliable(analysisinaforthcoming No. 106ontheGreatLakes,21stFebruary1997).This of thiswaspublishedinthelRIN-DHAEmergencyUpdate ment hasnotbeenlocatedbyMSF,althoughasummary eastern Zaire at the end of January (the original docu Rwandan andBurundianrefugeesstillthoughttobein when UNHCRpublishedasummaryofthetotalnumber politicians andthemediasincebeginningofFebruary of 400,000appearstohavebeenconsistentlyusedby eastern Zaireremainscontentious.However,thefigure The issueofthetotalnumberrefugeesremainingin • 119 500(2) Total. refugees fully/partially accounted for: bying purposes, donors,UNagencies,USgovernment offi- the refugeesin easternZaireofabout10 pages, forlob- egy itwouldbeusefultohave apaperonthesituationof Today weagreedthataspart ofabroaderadvocacystrat- Extract: INTRODUCTION January figure *Assumes presentfiguresameormarginallydifferentfrom able) are counted twice. ated fromKisangani(forwhichnoprecisedataisavail- of just1,500comparedto(1)becauserefugeesrepatri- Adding (2)and(3)givesatotalof380,700,discrepancy Total refugees unaccounted for: 261 200 (3) • area: Portion of remainder unaccounted for inKisangani 186 200[Calculated below] Portion of remainder unaccounted for ineastern Kivu: 75,000 [Calculated below] English). Communication Department,5May1997(in Nolan toMSFHollandprogramme manager and ‘Advocacy PaperZaire,’MessagefromHanna - - - on theattacks ofthecampssouthKisangani, withthe October. Could youforwardittoSybille?Iadded asection the revisedgeneralreporton thesituationinKivusince Following ourphonecallyesterday evening, I enclosed Extract: -After discussion, toselected journalists. ICRC. -Circulation toINGOcolleagues, OXFAM, Merlin,SCFand ernments -Circulation to UNGeneva and New York, US and UK gov- -Circulation to desksfor comments and use. page(s). Wednesday. PRofficersaskedtoproduceacovering 2. Numbersanalysis: Finished by Phil Clarke in London cers to discuss andeditfor public distribution. will keepcontactwithParis,Bxl,HAD,anddesks.PRoffi- Input fromfiles,LeslieLefkowandPaulvanHarperen.I with deadline Thursday. 1. Preparationof10-pagesummary:Sybillestartingtoday Extract: only be able togiveminimal support, sorry sorry!) fied, and specifiedto Sybille by Phil and Wilna. (Ed will in view of the RC decision (denunciation), further clari- our previousadvocacyinitiatives,butneedstobestronger Is probablyalongthelinesofmessageformulatedin The message: human rights and humanitarian law the actionswe have witnessed,etc. are violations of - Haveastrongmessage(denunciation)ontowhatextent - Strongly based onfield input if available - Wouldcontaineyewitnessreports by MSFmedicalstaff - Would contain medicaldata as muchpossible report) - Would have a strong humanitarian character (not a HR The nature of thereport: budget this should beputon… send aninvoicetoEd.EdandWilnaneeddiscusswhose 9 May.Shewilldothisonaconsultancybasisand this before Wednesday 14/5, but possibly even by Friday also wrotetheShabundareport,andispreparedtowrite no capacity to do so. HAD has found Sybille Kapferer who The paperneededtobeproducedbyHAD,butHADhas no decisionhas been takenonthis. cials, andpossiblyasbackgroundforjournalistsalthough May 1997(in English). Doherty MSFHollandprogramme manager, 6 Saulnier, MSFFranceLegalAdvisertoPhil ‘Kivu UpdatedReport,’E-mail gramme manager, 6May 1997 (inEnglish). Message fromPhilDoherty,MSFHollandpro- ’Re: lobbyactivitiesinthecomingfewdays,’ from Françoise 159 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

information of the debriefing of some team members. I over the numbers. We said, “You attacked MSF on the refu- will try to have all the other members’ testimonies. gee numbers but MSF was right. Those people really did I left a place to be filled with the information from MSF H exist.” It was better than nothing. It helped to rebuild MSF’s on the situation in your operational zone regarding health credibility, which had been weakened by the debate over the situation of refugees, mortality, denial of access, abuses numbers - but it couldn’t save people. of humanitarian activities to track and terrorize refugees. I remain on stand-by. Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, MSF Legal Advisor Sincerely (in French). Francoise PS: I underlined all what as changed compared with the previous text that you’d translated. The UN denounced the AFDL’s degrading treatment of the refugees.On 6 May, the European Commissioner for Humanitarian Action accused the rebels of carrying out ‘Re-medical reporting,’ E-mail from Phil massacres and of obstructing humanitarian organisa- Doherty, MSF Holland programme manager to tions and the UN inquiry investigating the massacres MSF Belgium and MSF France programme man- in eastern Zaire, which remained blocked in Rwanda. agers, 7 May 1997 (in English).

Extract: We have an urgent request: ’UN Accuses Kabila’s AFDL,’ Le Soir (Belgium), As you know a report has been drafted in Paris by 6 May 1997 (in French). Françoise, which seeks to summarise the MSF understanding of the humanitarian situation associated with the Kivu crisis since November last year. Our contribution here has Extract: been to produce the English language version and to try I didn’t think people would even treat cattle like this… to make the report somewhat more medical rather than a Yesterday in New York, the UN accused Larent-Désiré global summary. Kabila’s Zairian rebels of showing less concern for refugees Our request that you produce a weekly summary report of than they would for cattle when it prevented humanitarian no more the 2 pages which would be circulated through- groups from repatriating the refugees to Rwanda. out the MSF section HQ offices. We have asked MSF-Goma According to the UN spokesperson, yesterday the rebels to write such summary for Goma, Masisi, and Bukavu area. loaded hundreds of refugees, more than twice the allowed Can your medical depts. arrange soon as possible, within load, into trucks.”This is absolutely, completely unaccept- the next 24 hours for example? able. UNHCR has no control over how and where refugees board (the trucks). The dead and the living are crammed in together. The situation is worsening as we speak.”

“DEATH CAMP” We decided to write ‘Forced Flight’ after the whole The rebels continue to refuse the UN High Commission experience with the Shabunda report. We tried to for Refugees access to the Biaro camp, where 30,000 create a process so that we could work together Rwandans await evacuation. There is panic in the air after again. But we were looking back, not ahead in a preventive Sunday’s tragedy. That day, 91 refugees died, suffocated sense. That was a real problem because there was still that and crushed, in an overloaded train evacuating them to whole Biaro-Kisangani episode. There was a big mess, too; Kisangani (40 kilometres north). there was silence, a refusal to speak out. It was impossible UNHCR asked to be allowed to enter Biaro to organise the to agree on a common position on repatriation. Biaro, Hutu refugees’ orderly repatriation to Rwanda. The UN Kisangani - that happened again over two weeks, which insists that UNHCR supervise the evacuation so that this were two weeks of paralysis at MSF. Fabien and Pierre- large-scale effort is carried out properly. Yesterday, no Pascal were on site and brought back information. We trains evacuated refugees from Biaro. UNHCR announced decided to use this information anyway; information that that the trains have been suspended until the agency can hadn’t permitted us to save lives. We organised a work supervise population movements. Things cannot continue group. Dominique Boutriau (MSF Belgium Desk) agreed that like this. I would be part of the editorial committee. There was a The tragedy occurred along a 124 kilometre-long train consensus and I worked with the MSF Holland team, repre- track built in 1906. At the Zairian rebels’ instigation, it senting the French and Belgian sections. The bulk of the was used for a week to transport Rwandan refugees to the Dutch information was the Shabunda report. In ‘Forced transit camp. Forty-seven refugees hospitalized Sunday Flight,’ we added information on the events at Tingi Tingi night, most with broken bones, remained in critical con- and Kisangani. We compiled what we knew and unfortu- dition yesterday at the Kisangani University Hospital. nately, what we were not capable of translating into action. Several are likely to die. According to UNHCR, three are 160 We created a kind of explanation, a response to the debate already in a coma. AFP). last Wednesday to more than 7,500 (according to AP and brought thenumberofrepatriationssinceairliftbegan from Kisangani.Tenflightscarryingthesereturnees as seriouslyaffectedwereexpatriatedyesterdaybyplane More than 2,600 Rwandan Hutu refugees who were not care. It is toolatefor infusions; Biaro is adeathcamp. Biaro refugeesneedintensivetreatmentandhigh-level out repatriation under humane conditions. Many of the conditions necessarytoprovideforeffectiveaidandcarry Médecins SansFrontièresurgestheAlliancetocreate and distributing informationwithinthe MSFnetwork from MSF Holland the job of coordinating operations to refugeesonarrivalin Rwanda. Italsotookover diately. MSF Belgiumwasproviding medical assistance given thecurrentconditions, tobesuspendedimme- On 7May,MSFFranceagain calledfortherepatriation, days of negotiations intheregion and inGeneva. imposed bytherebelsremaininplaceevenafterseveral to searchforpresumedmassgraves.Buttheobstacles travel asquicklypossibletoeasternZaire,specifically ers, arrived in Kigali last weekend. Members had hoped to The mission,composedofspecialUNhumanrightsreport - travel to Gomabegin its investigations in thefield. Kabila’s rebelshavestillnotauthorisedthemissionto According to a UN spokesperson in Geneva, Laurent-Désiré ern ZairehasbeenblockedsinceMondayinRwanda. The UN mission inquiring into the massacres in east- occurring there. organisations from“witnessinghumanrightsviolations” is intendedtopreventhumanitarianandinternational and theUN’s inquiry in the area. She says the policy “obstructing” humanitarianmissionsineasternZaire Ms BoninostatedthattheAlliancewassystematically responsibility.” who initiatedthismassacreshouldnotbeinapositionof country,” shesaid.“IfwewantpeaceinZaire,theperson “Someone with this kind of record has no place leading a encouraging them.” Rwanda, of“doingnothing”topreventtheseacts,“even she said,alsoaccusingneighbouringcountries,including or itisdirectlyinvolvedinhuntingdownHuturefugees,” Either Mr Kabila’sAlliance “is not in control of its troops into aslaughterhouse,” she added. wreaked thereand“theseregionshavebeentransformed ing apressconference.“Unimaginablecarnage”hasbeen in therebel-controlled areas,” MsBoninoannounceddur- “Massive humanrightsviolationshavebeenperpetrated Extract: (France) 6 May 1997(inFrench). Eastern Zaire intoa“Slaughterhouse”,’AFP, ‘Emma BoninoAccusesKabilaofTransforming repatriation. for their survival immediately and before considering any to permittheserefugeesreceivetreatmentnecessary fering frommalnutrition.MSFcallsonAllianceauthorities More than60percentoftheBiarocamppopulationissuf- transported at thistime. Given theirmedicalcondition,manyrefugeescannotbe medical treatment on site and duringtransport. - Untilaidactivitiescanensurethatrefugeesreceive transport the refugeesincamps,transitcentres,andduring - UntilapermanentUNHCRpresenceisestablishednear MSF calls for animmediate halt to therepatriations conditions. have beenrepatriatedunderinhumaneandunacceptable In recent days, Rwandan refugees south of Kisangani ported from the Biarocamp to Kisangani. 4 May,91Rwandanrefugeessuffocatedwhilebeingtrans- for repatriations to be suspended immediately. On Sunday Given currentconditions,MédecinsSansFrontièrescalls Extract: communication policy. that otherMSFsectionsdonotfollowFrance’s outlined inthe5Maypressreleaseandrecommended by Mobutu.MSFHollandmaintaineditspositionas regarding Rwanda,Kisanganiandtheareastillheld the planes… UNHCR aboutthedangerof puttingtoomanypeoplein than 300.MSFinKigalias well asinKisanganiwarned transported yesterday, when ideally it should be no more Ilyushin aeroplane.According tothem,400peoplewere by thenumberofpeoplethat arebeingtakenonthe rhythm upto3,000perday.TheKigaliteamisconcerned 2,000-2,500 perday.UNHCRisplanningtostepthe The repatriationtoRwandacontinuesatarhythmof held territory will follow… you assoonpossible.TomorrowanupdateonMobutu- get organisedtothemostimportantinformation Kisangani andMobutu-controlledterritory.Wewilltryto tion forMSFoperationsandinformationonRwanda, As of now MSF Belgium is taking over as back-up sec- Extract: MSF France, 7 May1997(inFrench). Suspension ofRepatriations,’PressRelease, Médecins SansFrontièresCallsforImmediate Zaire Emergency: Given Current Conditions, Update,’ MSFBelgium,6May1997(inEnglish). ’Zaire/Rwanda EmergencyCommunication 161 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

3. Repatriation to Rwanda image of the country and that the UN was a well-known MSF is the official partner of the authorities for medical institution that could influence that image. The conversa- screening at the camps though which all returnees transit. tion was frank and friendly. Until now, repatriation is going relatively well. MSF teams have no problems referring wounded or ill to hospitals. The first thing that the Vice Governor told me is that he MSF teams are currently working in Kigali, Gisenyi, and had heard a MSF doctor’s voice - a male voice - on the Butare and should start working in Cyangugu… radio. It wasn’t me… The message is still the one formulated in our press release of yesterday. We want the Alliance to take responsibility 1.8. Statements about the refugees’ tragic situation are for the refugees on their territory; the ones in Biaro and used increasingly by politicians to take in the Kabila- all the others that are still missing. There has been some Mobutu wrestling match; watch out for the way in tension because of press releases issued by MSF France in which our statements will be exploited politically which the field and HQ did not agree. because this has direct repercussions on the local Because of the security strain in the field and the deci- population’s attitudes. They are pleased with the reb- sion to stay in Kisangani, we will try to find the right els’ arrival because it means they are no longer being balance between critical observations, communication of ransacked by the FAZ. humanitarian info, and advocacy to try and improve the conditions in which repatriation is taking place.

On 8 May, MSF asked UNHCR to negotiate with the AFDL ’Zaire/Rwanda Emergency Communication to obtain access for aid organisations to the refugees Update,’ MSF Belgium, 7 May 1997 (in English). and for refugee protection. In a press release, MSF France reported on the refugees’ desperate situation at Extract: Biaro and on the difficulties in providing aid to them. We insist that the French line of communication should not be followed. MSF is not against repatriation since it is the only feasible way left to try and get the people out of the shit holes of Kisangani and Biaro and save ‘Médecins Sans Frontières Statement to the them. Yes, monitoring activities in Kisangani and Rwanda UNHCR Greater Lakes Crisis Update,’ from MSF should be stepped up; the Alliance should help protect the UN Liaison Office to Mrs Ogata, UNHCR, 8 May refugees, create conditions for efficient aid and help find 1997 (in English). the missing refugees. All suggestions, help, questions are welcomed (preferably via mail if not urgent urgent). Extract: MSF Recommends: 1. That UNHCR ensure full protection of refugees during the repatriation process. ‘Kisangani Sitrep,’ Dominique Boutriau, MSF 2. That the UN negotiate for adequate operational access Belgium Desk/Coordinator, 7 May 1997 (in for humanitarian organisations. French). 3. That the ADFL authorities neither obstruct access [n] or use humanitarian operations as ‘bait.’ Extract: 4. That an international human rights investigation be 1.3. Following the third surprise press release from Paris, started immediately. we reviewed the situation with the Vice Governor and 5. That UN member states use direct pressure on the Great pointed out the problem areas: lack of coordination Lakes states to comply with humanitarian principles. with UNHCR; the aid workers’ job is not to control 6. That UNHCR and WFP ensure adequate protection and riots; it is impossible to treat refugees in the Biaro food distribution in the communes. camp if doctors can only stay there for three hours; permanent teams need to be placed there around- the-clock, which cannot be done given the hostility of the local population. We think it is important to ‘Information Update/Médecins Sans Frontières meet with the local population to try to counter the Zaire Emergency: Situation as of 7 May,’ MSF negative view of the refugees, thus easing the situa- France Press Release, 8 May 1997 (in French). tion for aid workers. Extract: The Vice Governor took note and will transmit the infor- Rwandan refugees in the Biaro camp south of Kisangani mation to the soldiers, but he said that they don’t like remain in a desperate situation. The limited presence of UNHCR, which does not cooperate effectively with them humanitarian groups - a few hours each day - prevent and does not operate transparently. I emphasised that them from improving the refugees’ health. Some are so 162 images of Biaro and the death train presented a poor weak that they even refuse to eat or be treated. ‘advance security warning’. counterpart’s decisiontoliftthevetoandsetupan Directors expressedtheirdisbeliefatMSFFrance On 9May,themembersofMSFBelgium’sBoard in thetransit camp arealso seriously malnourished. cloth tothem.Nearlyallthe300unaccompaniedchildren clothing andarenaked.TheMSFteamdistributespiecesof trition. Manypatientsdonotevenhaveasingleitemof them, bothadultsandchildren,sufferfromseveremalnu- tal thatMédecinsSansFrontièressetup.Themajorityof Yesterday, 150 patients were being treated in the hospi- of Kisangani,housestherefugeestoberepatriated. The Lola transit camp, by UNHCR. MSF teamalsoaccompaniedthetraintransfer,organised some 36seriouslywoundedpatientsweretransferred.An their transfertotheLolatransitcamp.Yesterdaymorning, patients, triestostabilisetheirhealth,andarrangesfor In thecamp,anMSFteamidentifiesmostseriouslyill clock attention. are difficulttoestablishbecausetheyrequirearound-the- tored andlife-savingmedicalactivitieslikerehydration In Biaro,themostvulnerableindividualscannotbemoni- a blank cheque forsuch a plan. Marleen iswriting a letter issue, itisunacceptable fortheMSFFrance Boardtoissue the sections’effortstocreate ajointstrategyonthis and MSFBelgiumOperational Directorbelievethatafter teams havetimetoevacuate thefield.Eric[Goemaere] security warningbeforeapress releaseisissuedsothat voted toreplacethesecurity vetowitha24-houradvance During thelastMSFFranceBoardmeeting, conference soon onthisissue. incident won’t reoccur. The coordinators will hold a tele- among sectionsbecausewecan’tbesurethatasimilar camps. Butinthefuture,wehavetoimprovecoordination can’t goback.MSFmustcontinuetodemandaccessthe heightened theinsecurityofexpatriatesinfield.We authorities forparticipatinginkillingrefugees,further Strongly wordedpressreleasesfromParis,condemning Amsterdam. on thefrontpageofElPaisandInternetviaMSF but the report showed up nonetheless - via MSF Spain - from unreliable individuals, problemofform,security), regarding Rwandansoldiersandtheirinvolvementcame had held itback for several reasons (certain allegations in onearea,makingiteasiertoeliminatethem).Mario events (NGOsservingasbaitsothatrefugeesconcentrate final versionoftheShabundareport,whichreportsserious What aboutadvocacy?TheBoardwouldliketoreceivethe Extract: Directors 9 May1997(inFrench). Minutes oftheMSFBelgiumBoardmeeting of 11 kilometres southwest advancing, Tutsi-dominated, rebelAlliance. Theyhave army soldiers, the refugeesfearLaurent-Désiré Kabila’s Forced to move by Hutu militiamen and former Rwandan fleeing. the rebels’ advance to encourage the refugees to continue starving andsickcrowds.They trytospreadrumoursof The local population is increasingly impatient with the The others have left for Irebu,inthe south. to reachCongo,nearthetownsofLukolelaandLiranga. 3,000 and 7,000are said to have already crossed the river number, 15,000aresupposedtostillbetherebutbetween refugees havereachedthetownofWenji-Sekli.Ofthat MSF spokespersonMitPhilipsestimatedthat25,000 groups tohave a clearpicture of theirexact location. However, the terrainis too rough for the humanitarian River, whileothersareheadingsouthtowardBikoro. west. SomearetryingtoreachMbandakaviatheRuki ing townofLollo,arebelievedtobeheadingsouthand gathered there,aswell10,000moreintheneighbour- sources reportthatnearly25,000refugees,whowere of the port of Mbandaka (northeastern Zaire). The same round thetownofIngende,around100kilometreseast According tomissionaries,Alliance rebels currently sur- 1,000 kilometres through the Zairianbrush. arrived in the region last month after travelling more than All areamongtheapproximately50,000refugeeswho Extract: camps. report ontherefugees’ flight sincetheattack on the returned fromKisanganitosupplementthesummary began collectingstatements from expatriates who had investigating the massacres. MSF France’s legal advisor the MSFcoordinatormetwithaFrenchtelevisionteam to therefugeesthatarrivedinarea.InKisangani, MSF Belgiumteamprovidedsuppliesandmedicines In Mbandaka,westernZaire,theZairiandoctorson statements of condemnation. support formanagementeffortsregardingadvocacyand [...] In conclusion,theboard of directors confirms its to review. should beconsideredasasuggestionforothersections in forceandthatthedecisionbyMSFFranceBoard Board meetingconfirmedthatthesecurityvetoruleisstill advocacy matters.Shenotesthatthe1Mayinternational management and the lack of strategy and coordination on Marleen regretsthecurrent‘mess’insideMSFInternational’s 1997 decisionregarding the ‘advance security warning’. to theParisBoardexpressingourdisbeliefat25April 10 May1997 (in French). Contact withFleeingRefugees,’AFP,(France) ‘Humanitarian AidGroupsTrytoMaintain 163 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

been wandering through Zaire’s mountains and forests wraps the babies in anything at hand. Further on, near the since 1996 with almost no access to humanitarian aid. ‘hospital’ - a death site housing around 100 patients beneath “They are exhausted,” Mit Philips says. “There is consider- a tent - the bodies of two dead children rot in the gutter. able malnutrition, illness, diarrhoea, ulcers, and swollen legs. Some are very weak and can barely walk any further.” Surprised by the delegation, the village chief talks about The refugees may receive food and medical assistance at “the dead we don’t want to bury here” and the “damage in Wendji-Sekli, “but all those who are able leave again,” the fields”. After a lengthy discussion, he authorises the the MSF spokesperson added. “We have no figures, but humanitarian aid workers to do their work. It’s late by the the refugees say that many people have died on the road.” time the aid workers go to bed in one of the train cars. MSF has stepped up its efforts to fight cholera in the That way, they can keep an eye on the supplies and medi- region, where it is endemic. So far, there has been no cines the train has brought. At 06:00 on Sunday morning, epidemic. the distribution is organised…

Around 14:00, the train sets off. Located between Kilometre 52 and Kilometre 41, the Biaro camp gives off ’Zaire/Rwanda Emergency Communication a strong odour of decaying flesh. A bit further along, the Update,’ MSF Belgium, 9 May 1997 (in English). air clears. But when the train approaches Kilometre 25 at sunset, the smell of death returns. There is no more camp Extract: at Kilometre 25. Are these the mass graves people often Concerning the huge group of Rwandan refugees between referred to, though without proof? Mbandaka - Zaire River, MSF has no access for the moment because of fighting and tension in the region. A group The train reaches Kisangani in the middle of the night. of 13,000 refugees would still be in Wendji, east of Illuminated by truck headlights, 361 unaccompanied chil- Mbandaka, on the river-bank. Our Zairian doctors have dren and 89 ill individuals are taken to the transit centre. identified Rwandan medical staff among the refugees and Many had to be carried because they were too weak to provided them with medicine and material… walk. Their expression is lifeless and they moan. There are less and less journalists in Kisangani. Dominique has briefed ‘Marche du Siècle,’ a French high-profile news programme (FR3). Apparently journalists have been trying to go further than Biaro. Wait and see if they find out On 11 May, MSF objected to AFDL’s ten-day deadline more about massacres or refugee situation... for evacuating the Biaro site. As rumors of massacres Moreover, Françoise Saulnier is coming over on Monday to continued to circulate, the refugees remained in a debrief all people that return from Kisangani, to collect all precarious state of health and it was still difficult to important data, and prepare a report (for advocacy, when, provide them aid. etc... yet to be seen).

‘Médecins Sans Frontières Condemns Inhumane Conditions Surrounding Evacuation of Rwandan On 10 May, the AFDL finally authorised humanitarian Refugees,’ Press Releases, MSF France, MSF organisations to travel by train to Kilometre 82 on the Belgium, MSF USA, 11 May 1997 (in French). Ubundu-Kisangani railroad. Extract (1): [Paris] Kisangani, 11 May 1997: The Alliance (AFDL) is calling on humanitarian organisations to evacuate the ’Kilometre 25 - The Stench of Death in Zaire,’ Le Rwandan refugees from Biaro to Kisangani within 10 days. Monde (France), 13 May 1997 (in French). Médecins Sans Frontières is strongly opposed. Hundreds of the Biaro refugees are too weak to be transported and will Extract: not survive the trip to Kisangani. Thousands of others are But the Alliance obstinately refused to allow travel to hiding in the forest. On-going rumors report that soldiers Kilometre 82 because of conflict in the area with Hutu are using intimidation to prevent refugees from seeking from the former Rwandan army. Saturday, they finally gave aid in the camps. the green light. The team is composed of representatives Will those refugees remaining in the region after this from UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, MSF, Save the Children and 10-day deadline be abandoned simply because they are Omnis, a local NGO. too weak to walk or too frightened to come out of the forest? MSF fears this will occur if the area south of [...] Lying on the black earth, four naked babies have even Kisangani is closed off to humanitarian organisations. MSF lost the strength to moan. Surrounded by general indiffer- thus urges the Alliance to guarantee unrestricted access to ence, worms are eating at them. “Mother, you must not the region for as long as the humanitarian groups deter- 164 leave them like that!” yells Carole, from UNICEF. The team mine is necessary. detour to avoid passingthrough thatarea. massacres occurringatKilometre 51andmakealong In addition,abusesarecontinuing. Therefugeestalkabout and 20percentofthechildren areseverelymalnourished. people atBiaroarestillnotin aconditiontobetransported the refugeeshavegatheredat thesite.Tenpercentof at Biaro,excludingthosewedonotseebecauseall 25 deaths/10,000perday.Thereare40to60deaths/day ation remainscatastrophic,withamortalityrateofabout on thetrain,when100refugeesdied.However,situ Evacuation conditionshaveimprovedsincethetragedy station wherecandidatesforrepatriationarealsoselected. camp isapathwithtworehydrationstationsandmedical Lex Winkler went to Biaro yesterday. All that remains of the [same text as MSFBelgium Press Release] organizations.” Kisangani besealedofffrominternationalhumanitarian “This iswhatwefear,shouldtheregionsouthof Boutriau, MD,CoordinatorforDoctorsWithoutBorders. terrified tocomeoutoftheforest?”askedDominique be lefttodiebecausetheyaretooweakwalkor “Will therefugeeswhoremaininregionafter10days Belgium Press Release] Kisangani/New York: May 11, 1997 - [same text as MSF Extract (3): gees stillmissing[same text asMSFFrancePressRelease] MSF isconcernedaboutthefateofthousandsrefu- Release]. them diedonFridayalone.[sametextasMSFFrancePress patients inthehospitalnearKisanganiairport.13of porting themtoKisangani.MSFiscurrentlytreating382 extremely importanttostabilisetheirhealthbeforetrans- malnourished, dehydrated, and exhaustedrefugees. It is overnight toensurearound-the-clockcarefortheseverely doctors andfournurses,allZairian,remainedatBiaro For the first time, a Médecins Sans Frontières team of two [same text as MSFFrance Press release] Kisangani/Brussels, 11 May 1997: Extract (2): must have unconditional access. tion. This commission, as well as humanitarian agencies, region toinvestigaterumorsofmassacresandintimida- pendent human rights commission be admitted into the thousands ofrefugeesstillmissingandasksthataninde- Médecins SansFrontièresfearsforthefatethatawaits alone. hospital neartheKisanganiairport.13diedonFriday to Kisangani.382refugeesarealreadyhospitalizedinthe stabilise theserefugees’healthbeforetransportingthem ies. Itisunabletodomore.extremelyimportant Every day,theZairianRedCrosscollectscloseto40bod- Since 4 May, MSF has distributed260 body bags in Biaro. Extract: 1997 (inFrench). ’Information Bulletin 303,’MSFFrance,12May - discredit the Alliance. publicly criticisedMSFforusingRwandanrefugeesto the rebels’massacresofrefugees.On14May,AFDL sible. On13May,theFrenchgovernmentcondemned urged thattheybesenttocommunesasquicklypos- tance totherepatriatedrefugees,whileauthorities In Rwanda,MSFteamstriedtoprovidemedicalassis- public opinion of Kabila. said thatMSFis usingtheRwandanrefugees tocreatebad and duringthis,expresseddissatisfaction withMSF.Itwas The AFDLheldapressconference inBrusselsyesterday members of teams. ago hasmadesecurityamore significantissueforFrench massacres ofRwandanrefugees bytherebelstwodays The Frenchgovernment’sdenunciationoftheorchestrated Kisangani, withoutbeingabletodoanythingmorethanthis. able tostabilisethehealthsituationsofthosearrivingfrom possible totheircommunes.Thefearisthatwewillonlybe our facilitiesinorderthatthepeoplereturnasquickly pressure fromthegovernmenttodischargepatients cal andnutritionalattentionforreturnees.Thereisstrong Negotiations continueabouttheprovisionofpropermedi Extract: been resolved. See theRwanda sitrep fordetails. First incidents(two)inKigali.Theproblemsseemtohave be reviewed. malnourished peopleontheplanes.Thescreeningmust is goingfairlywell.However,therearemoreand … Repatriationof1,500-2,000/day.byair a total cynic. could helpinmakingthedecision.Andyou?Tonight,I’m one ofthesedays.McNamaraandSergioVieiradeMello dying? That’saquestionUNHCRwillhavetodealwith do harm?)orsendthemtoRwandaASAP,evensickand possible so they can recover their strength (and ability to Question: Isitsafertokeeptherefugeeshereaslong of the problem. Rwanda]. That gave her a very good idea of the complexity met ourfriendFazil[Tezra,MSFBelgiumcoordinatorin tomorrow. UNHCR medical coordinator visitedKigali and will doanupdatewithUNHCRandthemedicalagencies people goundetectedandareshovedintoplanes.We … Screeningisalsoaproblem.Toomanymalnourished Transit centre: Extract: Update,’ 15 May1997,(inEnglish). May 1997(in French). Belgium programme manager/Coordinator, 11 ’Kisangani ‘Zaire/Rwanda Emergency-Communications Sitrep,’ DominiqueBoutriau,MSF - 165 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

On 13 May, the AFDL seized the town of Mbandaka, in AFDL fighters had also killed nearly 140 refugees on 13 western Zaire. AFDL soldiers took 400 Rwandan refu- May. The witnesses stated that some of the massacred gees to the port by force, beat them and told the local refugees were former Rwandan soldiers and Interahamwe population to finish off the survivors. The same day, militiamen, but that they had already been disarmed by another group was massacred at the site near Wendji. the former government’s soldiers, and that there had been At that time, international humanitarian organisations no fighting. were being kept from the region. These events were “I did not count the number of dead, but I am sure that not made public until some ten days later. more than 200 people were killed in the town and at the airport,” a priest stated. When asked how many refugees Around 15,000 refugees fled to the other side of the were killed on 13 May at the Mbandaka quay, a local river separating the two Congos. They set up in the administration official said, “more than 200”. swampy areas north of Congo Brazzaville at Liranga, Njundou and Lokoulela. With the ICRC’s support, MSF Witnesses said that the AFDL fighters forced the refugees teams provided them food and medical and sanitary to kneel or lie down on the concrete and then fired on aid. them, struck them with bayonets or beat them to death with their rifle butts. Some were thrown directly into the river.

‘United Nations, Department of Humanitarian Affairs, Integrated Regional Network, Update n°171 on the Great Lakes,’ 14 May 1997 (in ’Information Bulletin 305, MSF France,’ 14 May English). 1997 (in French).

Extract: Extract: MSF-Belgium confirmed that ADFL troops took over Congo: End of the Odyssey. Mbandaka in north-western. Zaire on Tuesday morning. 40,000 Rwandans have arrived in the last few days in Zairian soldiers had already fled and the town fell without Mbandaka (600 kilometres north of Kinshasa, close to a fight. Missionary sources say they have received reports the Congolese border). Yesterday, the rebels seized the of rebel massacres of refugees in Mbandaka, who are try- city. The Rwandan refugees scattered in several directions ing to flee to neighbouring Congo. According to AFP, the west to the Congo, where 3,000-3,500 are in Liranga, French foreign ministry said on Tuesday [that] “totally but also north and especially south, where there are only reliable sources” had reported atrocities in Mbandaka car- small groups. Some hid in the small islands in the Congo ried out by the ADFL. River that marks the border between the two countries. There are fears of another looming refugee crisis, as According to priests in the region, the rebels, now con- 20-30,000 Rwandan Hutus, who earlier fled Kisangani by trolling the entire region, massacred the refugees. boat, mass in Mbandaka. ICRC confirmed thousands have Yesterday, there was a meeting of the Congolese gov- already crossed the river to Liranga, a swampy area in ernment, UNHCR, ICRC, WFP and MSF to discuss refugee Congo inaccessible by land. reception. The Congo Republic agreed to take the refugees Emergency food has been dropped by helicopter. 3-400 and is sending a barge today onto the river to pick them more are crossing the river every day. Most are in a poor up. state of health and cholera is reported by aid agencies. Three reception sites have been selected: one close to Brazzaville, another north of the capital (Inoni) and the third, northwest of Brazzaville (Mpé). We propose creating transit centres in this region before setting up in one ’New Killings Attributed to Alliance,’ Reuters- of these three camps. Three organisations are currently Le Soir (Brussels), 26 May 1997 (in French). present in the region: MSF, Oxfam, and ICRC, which is providing food while waiting for WFP to take over. MSF is Extract: sending a three- or four-person team on Thursday night Priests, local officials, and residents said that AFDL men, and there will likely be another departure this weekend. now in control of the country, had killed more than 200 refugees assembled at the quay of the city’s National The ICRC asked the Congo Republic and UNHCR to sepa- Transportation Office in the Mbandaka port on 13 May. rate the ex-FAR from the civilians, whom they have been Mbandaka is an equatorial provincial river port around 600 holding hostage for months. The most able-bodied are the kilometres north-east of Kinshasa. ones who came that far (2,000 kilometres from Goma) and The refugees were killed on the day the AFDL seized con- they include many ex-FAR and Interahamwe. trol of the town. Dozens were killed in the main street and along the road to the airport, witnesses said. According to witnesses, the refugees were arriving from the village of Wendji, 20 kilometres south, where residents, refugees 166 and Red Cross employees reported that refugees in eastern Zaire. administration andtheUNregardingsituationof Zaire, went to theUSspeakofficials in theUS two MSFphysiciansrecently-returnedfromeastern was completed.LisetteLuykxandMarleneMonteyne, the forcedflightofRwandanrefugeesthroughZaire, On 15May,thereport,‘ForcedFlight,’whichrecounts bad public opinion ofKabila. was saidthatMSFisusingtheRwandanrefugeestocreate and duringwhich,expresseddissatisfactionwithMSF.It The AllianceheldapressconferenceinBrusselsyesterday, for French members of teams. by therebels,hasmadesecurityamoresignificantissue denouncing orchestratedmassacresofRwandanrefugees The Frenchgovernment’sstatementtwodaysago, by the New Yorkoffice… meeting, althoughafewinterviewshavebeenorganised No activecommunicationwillbedoneinresponsetothe who wasMedicalCoordinatorinGomaareattendance. who wasworkinginKisangani/BiaroandLisetteLuykx, Foreign Relations)atwhichMarleneMonteyne,adoctor (organised byRefugeesInternationalandCouncilon in Washington, DC there is a Great Lakes Policy Forum the reportswillaccompanyfinalversions.Today, be ready for use tomorrow. Recommendations for using The twointernalreportsbeingdiscussedtodayshould Advocacy/Lobbying Extract: our concernson thesituationinGreatLakes region,in I thinkthatthis willbeanexcellentopportunity toshare whom l called tomake an appointmentwith…. idea wassuggestedtome by theGermanAmbassador, EC inNewYorkattheirweekly Ambassadors’meeting.This 1. Wewillmeetfirstwiththe 15Representativesofthe meetings for tomorrow, Friday, inNew York: Luycks, MedicalCoordinatorinBukavu,larrangedthree Following requeststomakeappointmentsforLisette Extract: “FORCED FLIGHT”AND Update,’ 15 May1997(inEnglish). 1997 (inEnglish). Harper, MSFLiaisonofficerwithUN,15May ’Zaire andTémoignage,’E-mailfromCatherine ’Zaire/Rwanda Emergency-Communications “MSF ACCUSES” how the report would be distributed. the decision,madeduring theteleconference,about evening paper,LeMonde.Acontroversyarosearound trusted. Thedocumentwas also providedtotheFrench reporter fromtheFrenchdaily,Libération,whomhe emergency officergavetheamendeddocumenttoa them nottoquoteMSF.On16May,theFrenchsection’s to distributethereporttargetedjournalists,asking the sectionwithestimatesofnumberdeathsand that MSFHollandhadproduced.Theydecidedtoremove sections discussedhowtousethe‘ForcedFlight’report ence, theexecutivedirectorsofMSFoperational On 15May,attheendofdayduringateleconfer - about the Ubundu corridor south of Kisangani. Holland’s MedicalCoordinatorinKivu,visited.Marlènespoke a doctorontheKisanganiteam, and LisetteLuyckx,MSF policy. WehadstartedthisprocesswhenMarlèneMonteyne, in USpolicytheGreatLakesregionorhumanitarian White HouseortheDepartmentofStatewhowereinvolved ‘Shabunda’ and ‘Forced Flight’ - was sent to officials at the come. Variouspeoplemadepresentations.…Eachreport- Best regards, bisous, on it!). in theSCchambers.(CNNisalreadyworkingonastory tion oftherefugeeswilltakeplaceonnextWednesday Region) andtheSecurityCouncil’sroleversussitua- (global situation,notonlytherefugeesinGreatLakes 5. Pleasetakenotethatanopendebateontherefugees tribute the two reports to themaswell??... UNHCR, WFP [World Food Programme], UNICEF. Can l dis- Operations], and possibly some other agencies like Sahnoun’s office),DPKO[DepartmentofPeaceKeeping of PoliticalAffairs](includingarepresentativefrom [Department of Humanitarian Affairs], DPA [Department 2. Wehaveanappointmentat15:00theUNwithDHA agree with her, pleaselet her andusknow asap! told methatwecouldgivethemthereports.Ifyoudon’t already consultedWilnatonightonthatpossibility. also likeverymuchtodistributeourtwolastreportsandl States, fouraresittingontheSecurityCouncil.lwould particular inZaireandoftherefugees.Of15Member operational sections involved. We askedthemto munications on this problem, we appealed to the As soonaswesawthingsmovingintermsofcom- Antoine Gérard, MSF USAHead of Programmes Department (in French). 167 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

operations directed at the elimination of refugees, including women and children, under the pretext of military ’Forced Flight: a Brutal Strategy of Elimination operations against the ex-FAR and Interahamwe.3 in Eastern Zaire,’ MSF Report, 16 May 1997 (in English). 3. Those who fled to the Masisi region of North Kivu found themselves in an area of long-standing ethnic violence, Extract: which was exacerbated by the fighting between AFDL and Introduction the Forces Armées Zaïroises (FAZ). The area continues During late October/November 1996, troops of the to be a war zone with clashes between AFDL and sup- Alliance des Forces Démocratiques pour la Libération du porting groups on one side and coalitions of ex-FAR, Congo-Zaire (AFDL) attacked refugee camps in eastern Interahamwe, FAZ (also referred to as ex-FAZ), and armed Zaire. ln the camps, former members of the Forces Armées Hutu villagers on the other side. Hutu refugees and local Rwandaises (referred to as ex-FAR) and Interahamwe Hutu residents appear to be coerced and targeted by both had been living among the refugees, using the camps sides in the contlict.4 as a base for cross-border operations and intimidating Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) estimates that of the the majority of the camp population. As a result of the 340,000 refugees who remained in Zaire, the location of at attacks, humanitarian organisations were forced to leave least 190,000 refugees remains unknown. The majority of Uvira on 22 October 1996, Bukavu on 28 October 1996 the refugees in Zaire remain dispersed and largely inacces- and Goma on 2 November 1996. These attacks marked the sible to humanitarian relief organisations. ln addition, an beginning of a period during which refugees internally unknown number of Zairians have been displaced by the displaced Zairians and local populations suffered a steady ongoing conflict between the various groups. Those who deterioration of their humanitarian situation. Throughout remain in their villages have also increasingly suffered this period, they have been victims of serious violations of oppression, intimidation, and even killings at the hands of international humanitarian and human rights law, includ- the AFDL, or by ex-FAR and Interahamwe as weIl as ex-FAZ ing intimidation, ill-treatment, and killings as well as the and armed Hutu villagers. denial of adequate protection and assistance. Until the The humanitarian situation in eastern Zaire has been, and present time, their plight continues. continues to be, appalling. The medical status of many of those affected has progressively deteriorated. The According to UNHCR data and other unpublished esti- delivery of food and medical care to those in need has mates, there were more than 1.2 million Rwandan and been severely curtailed by limitations of access imposed Burundian refugees in the Zairian camps at the outset of on the humanitarian agencies. In part, restrictions are the AFDL attacks. At least 900,000 returned to their coun- due to difficult physical conditions such as the lack of tries of origin. It is estimated that over 340,000 remained infrastructure or road conditions. Security concerns have in Zaire, hiding in the hills and forests of the Kivu region, also limited access; on repeated occasions, humanitarian in areas controlled by the AFDL, or fleeing northwest, organisations had to pull out of refugee camps or zones ahead of the advancing front-line12. due to armed conflict in the area. Refugees could not be followed as they fled further into dense forests. 1. After several weeks during which the whereabouts In many more instances, the AFDL has denied MSF and of those who fled west remained unknown, groups of other humanitarian organisations access to populations refugees resurfaced in mid-December and makeshift camps in need of medical assistance. On some occasions, the were set up at Tingi Tingi and Amisi. In February 1997, the authorities claimed that it would be too dangerous for AFDL attacked and emptied the camps at Tingi Tingi and international agencies to enter certain areas as military Amisi. Most refugees forced out of Tingi Tingi and Amisi confrontations were taking place, or that the presence of fled towards Ubundu/Kisangani. Another group took the ex-FAR and Interahamwe constituted a risk for humanitar- road to Opala and western Zaire. ian staff. On other occasions, however, it appeared that ADFL authorities simply did not want humanitarian organ- 2. ln mid-January, the AFDL attacked refugee camps that isations to see what was happening in the areas under had been set up in Shabunda, South Kivu in mid-Decem- their control. In addition, in the Shabunda area, where ber, reportedly killing thousands of people. Large numbers access was granted, humanitarian organisations realised fled into the forests in the Bukavu-Shabunda area, now that humanitarian aid was used as a lure by the military in under AFDL control. From there, thousands attempted to order to attract refugees out of the forest onto the road, return to Rwanda on foot. However, it has become increas- where according to witnesses, they were then killed. ingly evident that the military in the area is carrying out

3. Details on the situation in the Shabunda area, including information relating to killings of refugees and an AFDL «ideological seminar» which took place in late 2. The exact number of refugees is almost impossible to ascertain, due to March in Shabunda and marked a heightening in pressure on the local population uncertainty about original camp censuses, possible multiple registrations, and on the part of the military, are contained in a report reconstructing an exploratory the inexact estimates of returning refugees during the massive repatriation of mission by MSF along the Bukavu-Kigulube-Shabunda road in late March/early April November-December, 1996. MSF has attempted to compile the variety of .data 1997. This report is on file with MSF Amsterdam. on the numbers of refugees in order to clarify the issue; MSF’s conclusions are 4. Reports of MSF exploratory missions into the Masisi region are on file with MSF- 168 included in annexe I. Amsterdam. ex-FAZ, ex-FAR, andInterahamwe. Oncethe front-line saw their homes destroyed and their properties looted by of property.Residentsareas wherefightingtookplace physical integrity,freedomof movement,andenjoyment fered large-scaleinfringements oftheirrightstolifeand The localpopulationandthe displacedhavealsosuf- eliminate them. locate refugeesorlurethemoutoftheforestinorderto cies havebeenusedrepeatedlybythemilitarytoeither occur in thecontext of combat. Humanitarian aid agen- women andchildren.Suchindiscriminatekillingsdonot AFDL has also taken the form of killing refugees, including the strategyofeliminationundertakenbyelements the forests,aswellduringattacksonrefugeecamps, In areaswheretherefugeesweredispersedandhiddenin access to the refugees. repeated demandsandpersistentlobbyingforimproved precarious condition.TheAFDLhasbeeninsensitiveto Others whohavesurvivedthusfarremaininanextremely refugees havediedofhunger,exhaustion,anddiseases. to themundertheprovisionsofinternationallaw.Many right to adequate protection and assistance, as granted medical assistanceamounts,ineffect,toadenialoftheir organisations toprovidetherefugeeswithfoodand obstruction bytheAFDLofeffortshumanitarianaid refugees, includingwomenandchildren.Thesystematic AFDL, aimedattheeliminationofaIlremainingRwandan appears tobetheresultofadeliberatestrategyby can onlybedescribedasdramatic.Toalargeextent,this populations hasbeensteadilydeteriorating.Atpresent,it for refugees,internallydisplacedZairians,andthelocal in October/November1996,thehumanitariansituation Since theAFDLattacksonrefugeecampsineasternZaire Conclusions and Recommendations region. … tions intheShabundaarea;andconflictsMasisi the situationofrefugeesandsufferinglocalpopula- plight oftherefugeesforcedtomovetowardsKisangani; focus on the three main scenarios outlined above: the reflected inMSF’sinternalrecords.Thefollowingsections MSF inthefieldbyreliablelocalandexpatriatesources,as ing intheareaaswellinformationmadeavailableto report is based on the direct experience of MSF staff work- Unless otherwisestated,informationcontainedinthis The presentreportdescribesthehumanitariansituation. are ongoing. that severehumanrightsviolationshavetakenplaceand MSF staffinthearea,therearestrongreasonstobelieve risk. Furthermore,onthebasisofinformationobtainedby putting manylives,particularlythoseofchildren,athigh particularly withregardtowidespreadseveremalnutrition Musange, andRunda)alsoprovidedalarmingresults, formed byMSFatthetransitcampsinRwanda(Nkamira, including therefugees,isdeteriorating.Healthchecksper- that thehealthstatusofmanygroupsineasternZaire, basis. Yet, the medical data obtained by MSF indicates tance tothoseinneedonlyonasporadicandinadequate encountered difficulties of access and could provide assis- Thus, throughoutitsprogrammesinKivu,MSFconstantly ing financial and personnel resources as required into human rights violations, particularly through provid- • Tosupport ongoing efforts for aninternational inquiry with humanitarian principles • Toexert pressure onstates in theregion to comply for violations of human rights among the refugee populationwho bear responsibility • Toassist in identifying and bringingtojustice those the protection of refugees conflict as well the internationalstandards governing treatment of civilians and ex-combatants during armed particularly, the provisions contained therein for the international humanitarian and human rightslaw, and, other influential actors in theconflict, to complywith • Toexert pressure onthe AFDL and,as appropriate, MSF calls on theinternational community them in areasunder its control and tofully co-operate with • Tofacilitate the deployment of human rights monitors with human rights investigators gations into human rightsviolations and fully co-operate • Tofacilitate and grant access tointernational investi- sures to prevent theoccurrence of abuses in thefuture bringing them to justice,and to adoptadequatemea- establishing the facts, identifying thoseresponsible, and violations perpetrated by AFDL personnelwith a viewto • Tocarry out investigations into alleged human rights conditions that permit their health statusto stabilise • Toallow refugees toremain in safelocations and in adequate assistance may be delivered • Togrant full access to populationsinneed so that killing and intimidating refugees and localpopulations • Toimmediately put a halt to elements within theAFDL In particular, MSF calls on theAFDL: human rights law. the conflicttorespectinternationalhumanitarianand In viewoftheabove, MSF urgentlycalls on allpartiesto care facilities, puts constant strain onthe population. the destructionoflocalinfrastructure,includinghealth Continuing insecurityandforcedmovements,aswell source of chronic destabilisation for the local population. ment duetothepresenceoflargenumbersrefugeesisa particular, pressureonfoodresourcesandmilitaryharass- ic disruptioncausedbytheconflictanditsaftermath.In MSF isalsodeeplyconcernedatthegeneralsocio-econom- ians andcoerce them intoco-operation. area. The latter are also reported to intimidate Hutu civil- Interahamwe, ex-FAZ,andarmedHutuvillagersinthe of theirethnicityandsuspectedsupportforex-FAR, and villages during attacks directed against them because unarmed local Hutu villagers and destroyed their houses In theMasisiregionofNorthKivu,AFDLsoldierskilled military include beatingsand killings oflocal population. their attemptstoexterminatethem.Methodsusedbythe help therefugeesbutrathertoassistAFDLmilitaryin tions weresubjectedtointimidationandthreatsnot were nowunderthecontrolofAFDL,localpopula- had passedbeyond their villages, in many places that 169 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

• To support efforts to establish a constant human rights monitoring presence in the area • To support humanitarian relief efforts and provide nec- ’Zaire/Rwanda Emergency - Communications essary funds and expertise Update,’ 16 May 1997 (in English).

MSF calls on UNHCR Extract: • To effectively fulfill its mandate to protect both Important media contacts can call the field directly. Rwandan and Burundian refugees as stipulated in its Spokespeople are: William Klaus […] the Coordinator in statutes and relevant international conventions Kisangani; […] Fasil Tezra […] the Coordinator in Kigali; • To bring forward a plan with a view to assist the […] Mit Philips or Nicolas Van Bunnen in Kinshasa; […] Zairian population victimised by the effects of the refu- Philippe Petrieux,the Coordinator in Brazzaville. gee crisis Task force communications: Anouk Delafortrie […] • To implement their mandate for returnees in Rwanda Interviews with […], Director of Operations or Daniel De i.e. not to proceed with repatriations to Rwanda unless Schryver, Director of Communications in Brussels. Also there are guarantees for their effective protection in that Dominique Boutriau is back from Kisangani where she country was working as Head of Mission. She is back in her office (Desk) in Brussels. If you want to arrange an interview, MSF also demands that adequate preparations be made contact Anouk on the number above. and international supervision ensured for the return of the All information may be used externally, except where it refugees throughout Rwanda. is indicated otherwise. Be aware that information about military movements and other military strategic information is provided for context reasons and should not be communicated with MSF as the source. … ‘Background on Zaire Communications,’ written during summer 1997 by Jean-Marie Kindermans, The reports MSF International Secretary General (in French). Coming to you on cc:mail and if you have format problems with receiving attached files, now is the time to let us Extract: know. Management teleconference (15 May): presented as Messages to be communicated to the press debriefing of Lex [Winkler, MSF Holland Executive Today at least 60 [???] Rwandan refugees are still dying in Director]. Conclusions regarding the report: remove refer- and around Kisangani. It is one of the most horrific scenes ences to the 20,000 deaths; otherwise the newspapers will that we have ever witnessed as aid workers. The people pick it up. This isn’t the time to attack the AFDL; wait for left behind in Kisangani and its vicinity are often too aid operations to finish up in Biaro first. Wait for another weak to be transported. This is why we have been asking time, after an unacceptable event, to hit hard again. the AFDL not to speed up the process of repatriation. We have to help them on the spot so that they can recover Conclusions (JMK’s version): modify the report by remov- before being put onto trains, trucks, or planes. Otherwise, ing the death estimates. Amsterdam will provide final they will simply die. version tomorrow. This report is for political officials and We are concerned about what is happening to the refu- a limited, targeted number of journalists agreed to by gees upon their return in Rwanda. Even if today we can Amsterdam. Impression that this report doesn’t provide keep and help the weakest at their arrival, there are still anything new, it won’t be picked up once the number of thousands of malnourished people to come. Refugees that deaths no longer appears. The idea is not to be quoted as are more or less healthy are immediately sent to the com- MSF, but no formal prohibition against saying that MSF munes. Due to the insecurity in many regions of Rwanda, wrote it when Bernard Pécoul says he’s going to do it. it is difficult to check how the newcomers are treated. 16/5: Pim asked teleconference participants if anyone We heard about a large group of Rwandan refugees trying had a different interpretation; same for the exchanges to reach Congo-Brazzaville and Angola. They are fleeing between the Paris and Brussels dircoms. the rebel advance and are scattered. No one knows exactly 19:00: Anouk Delafortrie [MSF Belgium Communications how many they are and where they are, but estimates say Officer] in the communications department: the lobbying 30,000 to 50,000. At the end of the refugee trail, you have policy for this report is as follows: the elderly, women, and children. They are exhausted and -Use it with a selected group of individuals in very bad shape after having crossed the whole of Zaire -Give it to a selected group of reporters you identify in on foot. We have to prevent these people from undergoing your country, with the restriction that MSF may not be the same treatment as in Kisangani; the only thing we can cited as the information source. do today is save those who can still be saved.

170 to me: this. IwasnottherebutBernard’s debriefingwasclear Thursday night,Lex,Bernard andErichadadiscussionon it outso that theKisangani team couldread it. Iagreed. Marie-Christine askedthatwe wait24hoursbeforegiving mentioned distribution ofthereporttocertainjournalists(Ihad In theend,despitePim’sreticence,weagreedtotarget was possible.Ihadusedtheterm‘publicdistribution’. a limitednumberofreporters-butwithMSF’sname - for the Biaroteams. Mario assumed that distribution to that MSF’snamenotbeusedtoavoidcreatingproblems ers. Pimwantedittoremainalobbyingdocument,asking agreed togivethereportaselectednumberof - Director, Pim[DeGraaf]andIhadonWednesday,we During theconversationthatMSFBelgiumOperational and why. Before the insults resume, here’s what we did yesterday Hello, Extract: MSF-Belgium, France andHolland. This policy has been decided yesterday by the directors of outcome ofthem(coverageinpress->faxusthearticles). We needfeedbackonallinitiativesyoutakeandthe being thesource of information. sonally, andwiththerequesttobediscreteasMSF in anindividualway,thatthereportishandedoverper- For bothgroups(1&2),weaskthattheybeapproached […] FIRST. posals needtobesubmittedtheDirectorofOperations, contacts, weinsistthatforaIllobbyinitiatives(1),pro- Since MSF-Biscentralisingandtryingtofollow-uponall mentioned as thesourceof information. maximum 2),withtherestrictionthatMSFcannotbe ists whicheachofyoucanchooseforyourcountry(1, 2. To give them to a very selective group of journal- of people. 1. Tousethemaslobbypaperstowardsaselectivegroup report and the refugeenumber analysis is: The communicationpolicywithrespecttothe10-page REPORT DISTRIBUTION GUIDELINE Extract: 1997, 19:55(in French). Directors andprogramme managers, 16May to MSFHollandandBelgiumOperations Brigitte Vasset,MSFFranceOperationsDirector, ‘Kisangani PressCommunications,’E-mailfrom (in English). Communication Officers, 16 May1997,18:57 Delafortrie, MSF Belgium Press Officer to MSF ‘Final Draft Reports,’ E-mail from Anouk Le MondeandLibération).Thursdaymorning, me, Iagreedto thecontent,buttherewasclearly noagree- how to and when to do it, there was no real agreement. For us thetime to organise it.” in BukavuandGomawhoareagainstit,butyoushouldgive ence fromKampala.AndIsaid:“We’lloverrulethepeople Goma. IwasinKampalaandparticipatedthisteleconfer - it would be one day or so. In that period, I myself went to the sameinGomabutitwouldn’ttakeasmuchtime;there to takethembackanditwillacoupleofdays.And region of Shabunda and we said we have to make it possible they cantakethepreparations.”Westillhadpeoplein time to consult our people in Bukavu and Goma, so that was verybig.Sowesaid,“well-atleastifyougiveusthe on this.Butthen,thepressure,especiallyfromMSFFrance We haddiscussedit-weshouldn’tmakeapublicstatement operations so then we cando nothing anymore. here. Whenwespeakout,riskthathavetostopour because theythoughtthatwecoulddomorewhenare Bukavu, wereagainstit.Theyspeakingout because ourpeopleinthefield,especiallyGomaand to also be informed, which we already found a problem it; togivepeopleinthefieldtimegetpreparedand so thatwecandistributeitaroundnoon.Thanks.Brigitte. Would youpleasesend your comments by 11:30 tomorrow and UNHCR’s plans todoublethe transports. a pressreleaseaboutthedeathsinBiaroandKisangani going toputthepeoplewhoareill???We’vejustwritten wants to double the transport resources. Where are they In William’ssitrepthismorning,hetoldusthatUNHCR ing outabouttherefugeesismore important thanever. Apart fromthisproceduralaspect,Ithinkthatspeak- you can’t take itback. and gaveitout.Aftergivingadocumenttoreporter, This morningwereceivedthefinalversionofreport dying inBiaro and Kisangani”. - Wehavetocommunicateregularly“abouttherefugees publicly to targetedjournalists and theymay use it. - Withoutthisparagraph,thereportcanbedistributed the estimateforlaterwhenitmightbeatacticalnecessity. be bettertoremovetheparagraphonmortalityandrework the reporterswilluserightaway.Forthatreason,itwould estimated mortalityinthelastsixmonths.That’sone one newparagraphinthereportisdealingwith -This isnotthetimetoattackAllianceagain,but can sayweallagreedshould dosomething.But standing. Ifyouconsiderthe variouspositions,you At thattime,Ithinkthere was arealmisunder- to. Ithinkwehadagreedtodoitbutwaitwith in thatperiodIcannotrecallwhatweagreed I wasinvolvedbutwehadsomanyteleconferences Pim DeGraaf, MSF Holland Operational Director (in English).

171 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

ment on when and how. I think also what was very critical and Bernard were drifting, not because they weren’t con- here was for the first time in that year, we were establishing vinced but because they didn’t want to worsen their rela- an executive committee. So we had had one to two meetings tionship with Amsterdam and Brussels. They didn’t want to and then in April we all met for the first time to discuss this. put MSF International’s development at risk. This was a very And a month later we had this incident. It can also be said important strategic direction for them at that time. It that we were not used to working together. That is why a wasn’t only a question of differences between sections. For yes from Mr X can be completely interpreted differently than some time, the general management and operations man- a yes from Mr B. So we did not know how to play the game. agement at MSF France had not taken responsibility for the If we had been more fine-tuned to each other, this could political problem that the Great Lakes raised. I argued with have been avoided. And also the impact of this crisis asserts Bernard and Philippe, but the result was that they said to that we should have never have done this by telephone, but me, “You misunderstand us. We want to make diplomatic in person at Brussels. We have learned from this, because efforts along with the other sections, but we’ll never agree from then we were meeting very often in person at least to do that at the price of keeping silent. So you have our once a month. So we learned but it was too late. guarantee that you’ll be able to communicate MSF’s position as you understand it.” In my opinion, Philippe and Bernard Lex Winkler, MSF Holland Executive Director had clearly committed to the correct position. At MSF and Operational Director 1996 - 1997 (in English). France, we had decided to put out the report. Bernard worked really hard to convince Lex and Eric. There was a teleconference that I participated in. Eric and Lex had some doubts, but in the end they said yes, very clearly. Before hanging up, Bernard said, “Let me go over the position We agreed to say that it was clearly Rwandan troops we’ve agreed to one more time.” It involved publicly com- doing this kind of thing. But did we reach the point municating a position that Bernard didn’t find very new and of attacking Kagame directly? Was this a matter of that he didn’t think would get a lot of attention because it local abuses, pursuit manouvres, and local commanders’ had already been published two weeks before as a press decisions, or would we suddenly attribute it to Kagame’s release with a little report. The position was: “Rwandan own strategy? Today, I would be pretty comfortable saying, refugees in eastern Zaire are being subjected to an extermi- “Yes, it was Kagame who organised things.” But at the nation campaign led by the AFDL. So the aid operations are time, the argument against saying that was that we didn’t a failure because it is impossible to provide medical aid to know; we weren’t sure it was organised as such. The people who are being killed.” We also saw this position as Shabunda report had just come out. It was hard to know. a way to explain the accomplishments of our aid operations It’s one thing to say, “Kagame was the one who decided to in those places. … There were discussions on the question have them killed,” and another to say, “Those are local of citing the number of people who died, but I don’t think commanders’ decisions.” It’s so complex. I was stuck with there was a formal decision. We did have to give an order of refugees who were telling me they wanted to go back to magnitude … On Friday, the day after the famous telecon- Rwanda. If we said that Kagame had decided to have them ference, Daniel de Schryver (MSF Belgium’s Communications killed, there was no reason to plead for their return to Director) called me. Eric Goemaere (MSF Belgium’s Executive Rwanda. If they were going to be killed in Rwanda or their Director) hadn’t told him about the conclusions reached at plane was going to be shot down, they might as well just the teleconference. I’m the one who told him. He called me die in the forest. We kept tripping all over ourselves. to find out where things were. It was Friday. Saturday, Between the political scenario and the spontaneity of the Sunday, and Monday went by. Three days passed and no one advocacy, there was a serious conflict. called us back, although they knew full well what we were going to do. Dr. Éric Goemaere, MSF Belgium General Director (in French). … The following decision was made during the teleconference: “The information is complicated and sensitive, so if one of us comes up with a plan with a reporter who under- stands the context and our limitations and manages to write a targeted, quality article, that’s what we should do. This In May, on the Thursday before the Whit Sunday isn’t about just throwing a press release out there.” Marc weekend, there was a teleconference with Lex (Gastellu, MSF France Emergency Manager found Stephen Winkler, Eric Goemaere, Jean-Marie Kindermans and Smith [Libération reporter]. They’d known each other since Bernard Pécoul. I was on Bernard’s side because I didn’t Somalia. Marc said to us, “Since you’re looking for targeted quite trust how Bernard, Eric (Goemaere, MSF Belgium publications, Stephen Smith agrees to take the entire report Executive Director) and Lex (Winkler, MSF Holland Executive and give the information at least two high-quality pages.” Director) worked together. They acted as if they always Marc is the Director of Emergencies. He’s at the heart of agreed but they didn’t really. I was Communications Director operations, with us. I said to him, “Go for it!” so I came to hear their positions for myself and to be sure about what everyone wanted. My position had been clear for Dr. Jean-Hervé Bradol, MSF France programme 172 a long time. I felt that Philippe (Biberson, MSF F President) manager then Communication Director (in French). distributing the report to journalists. in GomaandBukavu made itclearthattheyopposed cussed theadvocacyissue.TheMSFHollandteams On 17 May, the MSF Belgium General Assembly dis- etc.) texts andincidentsovertime(createarecord,network, - Structuringtheorganisationtoallowmonitoringofcon - data gathering) atic concerninallcontexts (create reflex response - i.e. - Makingthemostappropriateformofadvocacyasystem - advocacy initiatives. - Definingsecurityguarantees(rules)forimplementing (basic trainingforeveryone,expertreferencepeople,etc.) - Choosinghowwewanttoimproveourskillsinthisarea feasibility, limits, etc. of medicalassistanceprojects,includingananalysisof: ods bedeterminedformally,astheyareinthecontext defined foreachcontext/time,andthatmeansmeth- -Requiring thattheadvocacyobjectivebesystematically sional, which would involve: We recommendthattheprocessbecomemoreprofes- but doesnot constitute adequate preparation - Emotionisastrongindicationthatadvocacycalledfor respond to each identified andthatdifferentlevels/forms of advocacycor- - Differentstagesinagivencontextcanandmustbe Given that: Recommendations: The motion is rejected.… abstentions: 100 against: 107 Vote for: 35 that the objectives ofsuch advocacy beclearly defined. determined bytheexistenceofaidactivityinfieldand The GAasksthatthenatureofeveryadvocacyactivitybe Motion 15: Extract: the waythisreport businessisgoingon.It seemsthatwe We reallyarefed-up, frustrated,tiredanddemotivated by Extract: 17 May1997 (in French). Minutes oftheMSFBelgiumGeneralAssembly, 17 may 1997 (inEnglish). programmes managers andExecutiveDirectors, and Goma to MSF Holland and MSF Belgium Message fromMSFHollandteamsinBukavu again). Thattypeofapproachjustdoesn’tcuticehere... way, youhavejustpassedthesamemessagetopress, and rationally,thattheyareallmassmurderers(andbythe wish tomarchintotheirofficeandhopediscuss,calmly ing adialoguewiththeAlliance,wedonotmeanthat comprehension HQ has of what is going on here. Byopen Alliance wasafurtherindicationtothefieldofhowlittle The optiongiventouspresentthisreportthe at noon. official publication. Thus, the 20 May issue of LeMondewasavailableon19 May 5. Anevening newspaper, LeMondegoes onsaleat noon of the day prior toits newspaper, On 19May,inits20Mayissue,theFrenchevening the alliance as abasisfor our medicalconcerns? version offactsandstatisticsonlywhichcanbegivento which wecannotusehere.Woulditbepossibletoedita to wastethisbysurroundingitwithemotionalhyperbole that itcontainsagoodsummaryofthefacts:isshame We appreciatethatalotofworkwentintothereportand what happened to UNICEFearlier this week. not knownfortheirrationality,especiallyinthelightof not needtogiveanymore ammunition topeoplewhoare ties asfalloutfromthelaststatements,andcertainlydo We arealreadyexperiencingdifficultieswiththeauthori- report. with them? It appears we learntnothing. reports intheinternationalpress,whicharenotdiscussed clear to Dominique that the Alliance will not accept What didwelearnfromthelasttime,whenitwasmade press anyway? MSF Pariswhowillsenditstraighttotheinternational ists’ and‘confidential’ifreportslikethisarestillsentto Further, whatistheuseoftalkingabout‘selectedjournal- a sizeable team inthefield trying toremain operational? does MSF’s name need to be all over it when you still have Although thecontentsofreportseemaccurate,why about theinformationweshouldsendthemanyway. that issenttothemwhichputsseriousquestionmarks We totallylosttrustthatHQwillcontroltheinformation position. which theresultsaredoubtfulandendangerour have anyprojectsinthiscountry,aretakingdecisionsof a 9,000 km distance, preferablyfrom sections who don’t ence intheprocessandthatpeoplesittingofficesat who arerunningthebiggestriskhavelittleornoinflu- organisations authorisedto respond inearlyAprilfound After facingconsiderabledifficulties, thehumanitarian Extract: Monde (France), 20 May1997(in French).* ”Slow Extermination”of Rwandan Refugees,’ Le Claire Tréan,‘IntheEast,AFDLForcesPursue Le Monde, 5 published excerpts from MSF’s - 173 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

people in a catastrophic state. “These aren’t sick people All MSF teams in the field and all the organisation’s anymore, they are pre-corpses,” an MSF team reported. national sections contributed to the report on the fate of “They don’t even have the strength to eat.” Rwandan sol- Hutu refugees in eastern Zaire. The document concludes diers are among the escorts supervising the humanitarian that Laurent-Désiré Kabila’s movement is pursuing “a groups’ visits. strategy of extermination” and estimates the number of In mid-April, Kabila’s men again prohibited the NGOs from people missing at 190,000. Libération obtained a copy of obtaining access to the camps south of Kisangani. The this report, written in English and dated 16 May. The total camps were attacked between the 21st and the 23rd. “On number of Hutu refugees dispersed throughout the Zairian 23 April, UNHCR and the reporters who were authorised forest is estimated at 340,000. These refugees were to return to the Kasese camp found it empty,” Médecins attacked in late October-early November while assembled Sans Frontières noted in its last report. “All the refugees, in camps near the Zaire-Rwanda border around Goma and including the sick and 9,000 children, had disappeared. Bukavu. They fled fighting, sometimes travelling as many The visit was interrupted when firing was heard. The AFDL as 1,500 kilometres across Zaire or hiding in the Equatorial attributed the shooting to “fighting”. and it was impos- forest. Some are still there. Based on specific witness sible to examine the reported mass graves more closely. statements, MSF charges the AFDL with “a deliberate strat- On 28 April, the MSF team was authorised to return to egy aimed at eliminating all remaining Rwandan refugees, the Kasese and Biaro camps. “All the health infrastruc- including women and children.” ture had disappeared, as had all the refugees who were [...] being treated there.” 1,250 people had begun hospital treatment; MSF estimated that 5,000 others were unable Some of the MSF sections - France, Belgium and Holland to walk: “These 6,250 refugees were too weak or ill to - were not eager to issue a public report whose mes- flee and it is unlikely that they could survive for a week sage would be damning for Zaire’s new rulers. But in the without medical assistance,” the report noted. ”MSF found end, they reached consensus on the “duty to speak out.” neither any signs of them nor their bodies.” … Voicing his regret that no one has been able to determine The NGOs were afraid they would be used as bait. “We a total count of refugee deaths in eastern Zaire, an NGO obtained authorisation to go to certain places - and then official said, “we have to continue working so that we can that was it,” a humanitarian aid worker reported. “In the at least establish an order of magnitude. Otherwise, after meantime, the soldiers [AFDL] announced our arrival by all those dead without names, the world risks becoming calling people to assemble and when we went back there, accustomed to the dead without number.” we didn’t find them.” In this region and others, foreigners have noticed suspicious freshly turned squares of earth.

Minutes: Zaire Task Force, MSF Belgium, 20 May 1997 (in French).

On 20 May, the French daily, Libération, published long Extract: excerpts of the report under the title, ‘190,000 Hutu Following Libération’s ”outing” of the Doherty Report, two Refugees Missing in Zaire - MSF Accuse .’ The main questions (among others…): article noted that the report, dated 16 May and written 1 - What is MSF’s reaction to the media? in English, was jointly published by ‘all MSF sections.’ 2 - What should our security policy be for teams in the The Belgian and Dutch sections responded negatively region? to the publication. 1. Media NB1: the 190,000 figure of the ”disappeared” is a minimal estimate. Stephen Smith ‘190,000 Hutu Refugees Are NB2: the Libération article reports the accusations against Missing in Zaire - MSF Accuses,’ Libération the Alliance and Rwanda. (France), 20 May 1997 (in French). Timing: Extract: -The timing is poor because MSF will find itself identified 190,000 Hutu Refugees Missing in Zaire MSF Accuses politically as primarily anti-Kabila. A Médecins Sans Frontières report offers an estimate -The timing is good because in a week, it will be too late, of the number of persons who have disappeared since particularly in Rwanda. We didn’t want to speak out earlier November, fleeing from, or as a result of abuses commit- so that there would be time to test the diplomatic route ted by Laurent-Désiré Kabila’s troops. Libération presents via direct contacts in the field. the report’s contents here. The report condemns “a delib- -On the other hand, we wanted to speak out because too erate strategy aimed at eliminating all Rwandan refu- many people have disappeared and the mortality at the gees.” MSF says that after experiencing the phenomenon sites is too high. of “the dead without name,” the world must not become - BUT IN FACT THE TIMING WASN’T REALLY A MATTER OF 174 accustomed to, “the dead without number.” … CHOICE. region. -Prepare forwithdrawal(total,notpartial) from the Brussels, also towardthe Embassy -Take aproactiveapproachtowardtheAllianceandin -Prepare for expulsion(Biaro will beempty soon…) advocacy -Take theauthorities’pulse,gaugeimpactof Instructions: -Rwanda? on thesubject of thereport. -Kinshasa: notravel.MitwillnotmeetwiththeAlliance Belgium. into William’ssitreps,soinformationstayswithinMSF -Mbandaka: noexpatriates,localteam.Nogoingback and thegovernor. He’ll also putMbandaka on thetable. -Kisangani: WilliamlefttodaytomeetwiththeAlliance now. -Clearly, we’renotsendinganyoneelsetothefieldfor staff. -There aretheexpatriates(60inRwanda+Congo)andlocal 2. Security had it. as thereportcameout,viawhateverchannel,everyone Distribution? Limiteddistribution?Butinreality,assoon NOTE: Therewasnoconsensusondistributingthereport. the message and theevents. -The inconsistencybetweentheguidelinefordistributing -The media onslaught to work after: Operations Directors’message-ithasbecomeimpossible not forget human rights. ity, Kabila must be made to face his responsibilities and -And nobacktrackinglike:Havingbecomethesoleauthor- international inquiry. -We havetocallforprotectionoftherefugeesandan ”chain” ofrefugees stretching from Kisanganito Rwanda. communes) andnon-protection;wehavetotalkaboutthe refugees as a result of lack of access (particularly in the -The messagehastotalkaboutphysicaleliminationof and therefugees’ condition -not on Kabila. -The messagemustbefocusedontherefugees,mortality, Basically: Thursday night, managementformallydecided onastrat- our advocacy on theRwandan refugees. After thinkingaboutthis,I am writingtoyouregarding Dear Friends, Philippe, Bernard, Brigitte, Extract: 1997 (inFrench). agers ofMSFFranceandHolland,21May of OperationstoDirectorsandprogramme man- ‘MSF Accuses,’ E-mail from MSF Belgium Director I believethat this veryseriousincidentdemands thatwe operational management andadvocacy in thefield. sibility towardsthesections that aretodayresponsiblefor als are in danger. I hope you understand fully your respon- Today, the Congo’s borders are closed and French nation- the message. must alsoallowthefieldtime toprepareandunderstand and publicly. I find the timing unfortunate but I think we I think that we must speak out forcefully, if necessary, we can’t continue toplaythis game. Cyangugu, Kigali,Kalemie,Katana,Mbandaka,etc.) and Kinshasa, Goma,Bukavu,Kisangani,Gisenyi,Butare, national staffonsiteacrossallsections(Lubumbashi, Today, wehavearound60expatriatesanddozensof approach. the possibleimpactsofahighlycondemnatoryadvocacy danger andthattheydidnothaveachancetopreparefor know that thesenewspaper headlines put their lives in We’re playingwiththelivesofpeopleinfield.We in theend. all thiscrazinessagainonlytohavedodamagecontrol before makingdecisions.ButIdon’twanttogothrough seem shaky to them, then let them discuss things openly ceptable andthatweshouldnotmakeagreements advocacy strategies,iftheybelievecompromiseisunac- basically ignored?IfMSF’sdecision-makersdon’tagreeon ing! Whymobilizeeveryonearoundagreementsthatare gence orpremeditatedaction?Ifindthisallveryexhaust- Today therearetwoversionsofthereport.Simplenegli- changes to be made! the finalversionprinted…andtherewereimportant Friday MORNING,beforethecorrectionsweremadeand 2. ThereportwasgiventoLibérationandLeMondeon bad enough.Convenient oversight? That’s worse! cite MSF as he did…? A case of simple negligence? That’s Maybe MrSmithdidnotgetthemessagethathecouldn’t keep silent regarding MSF. On the contrary, 1. Thereportwasdistributedtoajournalistwhodidnot of that decision. Your behaviorcompletelycontradictstheletterandspirit our that choice. been chosen (in this case, Thursday night), we must hon- because theyaresovaried. However, onceastrategy has among sections,wehavetoagreeonadvocacystrategies But weobviouslyknowthatwithineachsectionand the ‘sword’ (advocacy strategies). whether byusingthe‘shield(interventionstrategies)or MSF movement, we want to do good for all the refugees, I’m startingfromthepositionthatwithinoverall ing their revisions issuedonFriday morning. report’s draft version but to send outthe final one follow- formally agreed (even if verbally) not to distribute the danger lastweekend.Meanwhile,theoperationsdirectors abuses in Mbandaka) and thus, not put our operations in the reportatamoreopportunetime(forexample,other not toquoteMSFtoomuch)becauseyouagreeduse experienced with egy thatwouldnothavethekindofrepercussionswe Libération (=distribution with warning MSF Accuses… 175 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

meet to discuss and provide explaination, because we cannot continue like this. We’ll be in touch soon. Then, the very next day, it was in Libération, which Regards, to me indicated that at the moment that we were Mario. having the teleconference, the information had already been given to the Libération - or was being given, at that very moment. Then hell broke out. […] Once this happened, there was indeed one line in MSF Holland. That ‘Comments on the Report,’ E-mail from Task this is destroying confidence between the MSF sections, and Force Comm, MSF Belgium to all MSF communi- that it created a risk for people in the field. And the risk for cation departments, 20 May 1997 (in English). the MSF people in the field was the biggest issue. Not so much the advocacy and the message, but the fact that it Extract: was done without consent of MSF Holland and MSF Belgian. It has been decided between the field coordination offices About the message itself, there were mixed feelings here. and the desks here in Brussels that there will be no direct Some people would say, “Well, the message is not helpful access for the press to the field teams specifically for anyway because, what will it do? This is just emptying your comment on the contents of the report that came out on own emotions.” But other people would say: “Maybe we the weekend. have to do it because we are not very operational, not very All enquiries, etc. should be handled by communications active in the field, so it’s time to do this.” So it was mixed departments as it is too rough to ask of the field to pro- but I think 100% of the people here were against the timing vide answers in an already difficult local situation. of it and the way that it was done. In case of questions about exactly what we want, a rough guideline is to say that we hope the new administration of Pim De Graaf, MSF Holland Operational Director Zaire/Congo will be able to address the problems raised in (in English). the report. Try to take the emphasis away from the term ‘I accuse’ and as always, the primary concern is the health and well-being of the populations we are working with (including the fact that there are people missing). The word ‘genocide’ has surfaced a couple of times, and My major criticism of the article’s publication in it is important to know that we are not talking about a Libération, beyond the way things operated, the genocide, so no, that is not our statement. quality of the text, etc. was that this document Your comments and ideas and feedback are much appreci- appeared in a French newspaper when France was totally ated. involved and it virtually backed up the French policy. In addition, it was picked up by Radio France Internationale and on the national radio station by Juppé (the French Prime Minister). We should ask ourselves whether MSF wasn’t just a dupe of French policy? At least, we wanted to give the people in the field the chance to decide for themselves. I remember Alex Parisel, MSF Belgium, Human Resources Director that we didn’t feel as an organisation that we (in French). should leave. But that we should at least be open and say to the people in the field, “If you don’t feel confident and safe, of course you can leave.” That’s normal. Everybody can always leave. That was not possible anymore because the report was on the front page the morning after the telecon- “MSF Accuse,” that’s total hypocrisy. We made a ference. I remember that after the teleconference, Lex decision, we sent the text. I spent the weekend at (Winkler, MSF Holland Executive Director) came to me with MSF Belgium’s GA. I came with the report and some feedback (from the meeting) but it was not clear to announced that we were putting it out. During the weekend, me. I called Brigitte (Vasset, Director of Operations MSF I was questioned by Stephen Smith of Libération, etc. “MSF France) because I had been working with these people for a Accuse” came out on Monday morning. Think it was a sur- long time so I knew her. She said, “It has already been sent prise in Belgium? No way! I remember clearly that Lex to the Libération - this was the agreement in the telecon- Winkler was at the MSF Belgium GA. At that time, we’d lost ference-I don’t know what your problem is.” She didn’t Jacques de Milliano [former Executive Director and then understand why I was asking. President of MSF Holland]. So, quick advocacy was over for MSF Holland. Wilna Van Artzen, MSF Holland Emergency Desk Officer (in English). Dr. Bernard Pécoul, MSF France Executive Director (in French).

176 etc.” That’s when Judith Pasquier was in the room film- to theMSFBelgium DirectorofOperations, he’spleased, just hadfromhim.“Everything isgoinggreat,Ijustspoke MSF Franceheadquarters)and debriefedusonthecallshe’d Brigitte cametoseeusinthe glassroom(meetingat Director ofOperations).“Congratulations, that’sterrific.” Director ofOperationsto Brigitte Vasset(MSFFrance The sameday, there wasaphone call fromthe MSF Belgium I’m really pleased.” we’ve alsodonesomecommunications.Itworked.It’sgreat, Director, MSF a phone call from Daniel de Schryver [Communication The daythereportwaspublished in Libération,Igot that weren’t ours to make. choose iteither.Soweshouldn’tbecriticisedforchoices time. have pressconferences pretty much everywhere at thesame come outthefollowingweek,MondayorTuesday,andwe’d …The agreementamong sections was that the report would it would never have come out!” they’ll say,“Theothersaredraggingtheirfeetsoslowlythat it whenweboughtthepaperatnewsstand.Onceagain, else, publishedthereportinLibération.Wefoundoutabout on that.Pariswentitsownwayand,unknowntoeveryone would beclearer.Ithoughtwehadreachedanagreement ter. Rightlyorwrongly…it’struethattoday,thepicture was against accusing the Kigali regime by name in this mat- whether we were going to accuse Kagame at this stage. I the opinions, making life more difficult. Communications Director,MSF not approvethepointofviewJean-Hervé[Bradol, ent opinionsaboutit.Here,manypeople,besidesme,did very difficultatthattimeandalsothereweremanydiffer- The transitionfromonetofourDirectorsofoperationswas a newdirectorforsuchshorttimeitwasnot a goodidea. reporter, wasn’t responsible for it either. He didn’t article. Ididn’tchooseit.StephenSmith,the I wasn’t responsible for the title of the content of what we were going to say, particularly There wasaweekofcarefulnegotiationsonthe We allagreedaboutgoingpublicwiththisreport. part of 1997. We had to change over and to appoint Director and of Director of Operationsin1996and I havebeencoveringbothpositionsofExecutive and Operational Director 1996- 1997 (inEnglish) Dr. Éric Goemaere, MSF Belgium General Director Belgium] saying,“That’sgreatwhatyoudid, Lex Winkler, MSF Holland Executive Director France], didnotagreewith (in French). Libération

with the report. departments that all sections hadagreed to go public within theMSFmovement,informedallcommunication of coordinatingcommunicationsontheZairiancrisis tional press.SamanthaBolton,temporarilyincharge The ‘ForcedFlight’reportwascitedbytheinterna- - and proclaimed himself President. in Kinshasa,thecapitalofZaire-nowrenamedCongo On 20May,Laurent-DésiréKabilaarrivedvictoriously day ended like that andeveryone was happy. didn’t agreewiththeothersatall.Itwasamess.So problem inHolland.Erwin,theCommunicationsDirector, that point,Ihadn’theardfromtheDutch.Therewasabig ing herdocumentaryonMSF.Thatsceneisinthefilm.At eliminate them,” saidthe charity’s report. locate refugeesorlurethemoutoftheforestinorderto aid agencieshavebeenusedrepeatedlybythemilitaryto in ordertofindtherefugeesandkillthem.“Humanitarian efforts ofaidagencieshadbeenmanipulatedbytherebels and children”inCongo.Thereportalsochargedthatthe to kill“allremainingRwandanrefugees,includingwomen issued astatementsayingthatMrKabila’sforcesplanned Without Borders,aninternationalmedicalaidgroup, outside. Reuters reported today from Paris that Doctors there wascriticismofhisrebelmovementfromthe there wasnolackofsupportforMrKabilainKinshasa, not announcehisgovernmentashehadpromised…While southern cityLubumbashitotakeoverthecapital,butdid dent, Laurent-Désiré Kabila, arrived here tonight from the spectacular campaignsforpower,thecountry’snewpresi- In avoyagethatmarkedtheendofoneAfrica’smost Extract: country. to exterminate RwandanHuturefugees remaining in the new DemocraticRepublicofCongo, yesterday,ofplanning Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) accused the rulers of the Extract: manager then Communication Director (in French). (USA), 20 May1997(inEnglish). after 7-MonthQuest,’TheNewYorkTimes Howard French, ‘Kabila Reaches Congo’s Capital French). Guardian ‘AFDL AccusedofKillingRefugees,’The Dr. Jean-Hervé Bradol, MSF Franceprogramme (UK) -Reuters,21May1997(in 177 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

It said that Hutu refugees, in what was Zaire, were being 3. Médecins Sans Frontières and other humanitarian killed or starved and aid agencies’ assistance was being organisations are being prevented from reaching the refu- systematically obstructed. gees, who need medical care and food. “To a large extent, this appears to be the result of a [...] deliberate strategy by the alliance aimed at the elimination of all remaining Rwandan refugees, including women 4. Médecins Sans Frontières and other humanitarian and children,” it said…, and other agencies of failing to organisations have been used as bait to attract and mur- repatriate them. der refugees MSF said it was told by an Alliance military commander that “all those in the forest are considered to be the 5. We know that mass graves exist… enemy.” The report said refugees had been indiscrimi- [...] nately killed in the forest or in attacks on camps as part of an “extermination strategy”. “At present, the humanitarian situation of the refugees “Humanitarian aid agencies have been used repeatedly can only be described as tragic. To a large extent, this by the military to locate refugees or lure them out of the seems to be the result of a deliberate AFDL strategy forest in order to eliminate them,” it said. aimed at eliminating all the remaining Rwandan refugees, including women and children. The AFDL’s systematic obstruction of humanitarian organisations’ efforts to feed the refugees and provide them with medical assistance amounts to a de facto denial of their right to adequate ‘Congo-Zaire: Médecins Sans Frontières Accuses,’ assistance. (extract from the report published 16 May Many refugees have died from hunger, exhaustion and 1997). Four-page document sent to MSF France disease. Others have survived but are living in extremely donors, late May 1997 (in French). precarious conditions. The AFDL has turned a deaf ear to repeated requests for improved access to the refugees.” Extract: Our témoignage is meaningless unless it arouses solidarity. Our report has received wide coverage in the national press. We are pleased that our témoignage has received ’Sam’s Message for All Sections,’ E-mail from such publicity; the crimes perpetrated in Zaire will not Samantha Bolton, MSF Press Officer, 20 May be ignored. It is no longer possible to say, “We didn’t 1997 (in English). know.” It is up to the politicians to step in and put pressure on the authors of these crimes, so that they can be Extract: stopped and brought to trial. Médecins Sans Frontières This is Samantha here - have been drafted over to MSF B will continue to fulfil its role - caring for the refugees, to help for the next couple of days before the AGs [General who are still being harassed and targeted for systematic Assemblies] to help coordinate messages. extermination... “In late October and early November 1996, troops belonging QUICK UPDATE/ Eric Goemaere is in Kigali re returnees to the Alliance des Forces Démocratiques pour la Libération (so expect more tomorrow when Kabila and the AFDL will du Congo-Zaïre (AFDL) attacked refugee camps in eastern have taken Kinshasa) and more importantly today the full Zaire... Since then, the situation of both Rwandan refugees Confidential 10 page report (Forced Flight)... and numbers and displaced Zairians has steadily deteriorated. Throughout report has been released in Libération in France. this period, they have been subjected to serious violations of their human rights, including intimidation, violence and ALL SECTIONS AGREE TO GO PUBLIC FULLOUT TO SPEAK murder, and have been denied adequate aid and protec- ABOUT THE REPORT - BOTH REPORTS ARE NOW PUBLIC! ! ! tion.” Our report retraces the itinerary of the Rwandan INTERVIEWS -This is the message to brief journalists with: refugees who fled into the Zairian interior six months ago, Philippe Biberson in Paris and [MSF Belgium Operational as the AFDL troops advanced. Director] in Brussels are available for interviews. No one We came to help the refugees in the camps that line the in the field is speaking today route of their purgatory, from Tingi Tingi to Ubundu and MESSAGE/THIS IS A CALL FOR ACCOUNTABILITY BY NEW Kisangani, from Shabunda (Bukavu region) in the south, AUTHORITIES and in North Kivu. In all these regions, we found that (the news is really in the numbers report). AFDL troops employ a variety of methods to eliminate the According to numbers compiled from UNHCR data, 190,000 refugees… refugees are still unaccounted for. Many have died of starvation and there are persistent accounts of massacres 1. The refugees are being harassed and their camps whether systematic or isolated; no one knows exactly what attacked. Thousands of our patients have disappeared… has happened to them. Now that the war is officially over and the new authorities 2. Refugees - men, women and children - have been mur- are in power and in full control, (Kabila and AFDL) they 178 dered… must assume these responsibilities. out… about thethreattosecurityevenbeforereportscame wounded bygunfire.Theteam’scoordinatorswereworried the stampedesduringrepatriationsandpeople the facts.Theyhadtobepressedbeforethey’dtalkabout there werestillproblemsofaccessandMSFteamsstuckto ed!!! Inprinciple,Kisanganiseemedeasiertodealwithbut you’ll encounterhugedifficulties.”Itwasquitecomplicat - yourself… Butweknowthatifyoumanagetogetthere like, “don’tquoteMSF,you’lljusthavetogoandseefor verbal briefingonitscontents.Butasweweresayingthings because itwasconfidential.Sowegavethejournalistsa either. Wedidn’thavetherighttodistributereport it easy.Theydidn’tgetmuchcooperationfromusatMSF, tions. Veryfewmanagedtogetaccessandtheydidn’tfind field. Itwasalmostimpossibleforthemtoobtainauthorisa- said thatjournalistsdidn’tfinditeasytodotheirjobinthe sources. They probably needed confirmation. It hastobe publish thisinformationearlier,buttheydidn’thavethe in thewayitwasprovesthatjournalistshadwantedto report came out very late, and the fact that it was taken up lished orhadappearedelsewhere-therewasnoscoop.The pilation ofinformation;partsithadalreadybeenpub- get thatkindofcoveragebecausetousitwasjustacom- one. chance toreplaceabadgovernmentwithanaccountable - WedonotwantareturntotheMobutodaysnowis more importantly where are themissing refugees? more aboutsystematicandcircumstantialkillings-but -Under no circumstances are we talking about genocide; OTHER POINTS TO CONSIDER population. availability tocooperateassisttherefugeesandlocal Médecins SansFrontièresreaffirmsitscommitmentand gees. and toaidagenciesfindassistthemissingrefu- human rights commissions to investigate the massacres Grant fullunhinderedaccesstoindependentinternational reach those hiding intheforest. a minimumofdignityandchoicethatassistancecan granted by the forces; that the return be conducted with and woundedbegrantedassistancethatsecurity they not be submitted to any attacks and that the sick be grantedtheprotection they areentitledtoandthat target -todaythewarisoverandMSFrequeststhatthey the frontlineandtheywereconsideredtobeamilitary Since October1996therefugeeswereforcedtomovewith Statement taken byAnne Fouchard-Brown inSeptember Anne Guibert, MSF FrancePress Officer (inFrench). Europe, theUS…Wedidn’tthinkreportwould telephone callsfromallovertheplace-France, There wasonedaywhenwedidn’tstopfielding 1997 (inFrench). higher profile in the United States. than astatementbyAmnestyInternational,whichhas are tryingtoreach,astatementbyMSFcarrieslessweight the Americanpress.Forordinaryreaderthatnewspapers that as it’s a European organisation, it’s not so known to not, arevalid.MSFisacrediblesource,butithastobesaid nalist, Icanstatethatbothdecisions,tospeakpubliclyor MSF oranyotherNGOtotakesuchdecisions.Butasajour- anonymous sources.Ofcourse,Ican’tseemyselfadvising journalism, opensourcesarealwaysmorepowerfulthan articles, whereI’dhadtoquoteanonymoussources.In able toquoteMSFgavethatarticlemoreimpactthanother impact. Thatstatementmeantsomething.Thefactofbeing forced tospeakout,”thedecisionouthasacertain at acertainmoment,“Wehaveseentoomuch,wearenow impact. ButwhenanorganisationlikeMSFdecides to say, tion for always complaining, the complaints lose their result. Weknowperfectlywellthatifweacquireareputa- some took it up and othersdidn’t. But they all knew. the othermediaknowingaboutit.Sofortacticalreasons, it’s impossibletomakethefrontpageofLibérationwithout language mediadidn’tgiveitallthatmuchcoverage.But the RPFwasdirectlyresponsibleforit…TheEnglish- But theydidn’tknowtherewasamassacrestrategyandthat knew and accepted the reality of therefugees’ existence. I feelthaton a certain level the international media already reactions theyfeared,before beinggiventothepress. that it should have been shown to the AFDL, whose that thedocumentwouldbemadepublic.Theyfelt teams inthefield;someofthemhadnotbeenwarned The report’spublication was greeted with anger by MSF Personally, Iusedthisreportandgotaverygood the AFDL,whichworriedmanyoftheircolleagues. MSF publishedareportdenouncingtheactionsof first timethatMSFhadafullpageinLibération. front page of This reportcausedabiggerstirthantheothers.The correspondent 1996-1997 (interview conducted by Anne Fouchard), 19 September1997(in French). Dr. Éric Goemaere, MSF Belgium General Director Jim Rupper, Washington Post East Africa Libération stirred things up. It was the (in French). 179 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

communication veto was withdrawn but a 24-hour security window was maintained so the teams could be warned. Letter from Pascal Vignier, MSF France coordi- It seems that in the euphoria of your entente between nator in Kinshasa, to the General Director, operational centres, the field workers have become pawns Communications Director, and programme man- - they can’t understand the operational centres’ high ager of MSF France, 20 May 1997 (in French). strategy so why bother telling them? Yet at the same time, they are told to get on with making contacts so the work Extract: can continue. Hello Paris, I can only hope that during coordinators’ week you won’t Absolutely delighted to see that the operational centres propose, for the 26th year, a debate on team security are capable of understanding and getting on with each because these days, if we want to evaluate the risk, all we other, in short, of denouncing the situation of the Hutu have to do is listen to RFI. refugees in Zaire, shit, I mean the Democratic Congo. I Although I’m in complete agreement on the facts in the note, however, that you seem to have forgotten the exis- dossier and I think we would have been capable of sup- tence of the Belgian and French teams in Kinshasa, which porting it, I’m totally disgusted by our casual attitude. amount to 40 people at the very least. This is both regret- Fred - the management pawn. table and dangerous. Regrettable, since at the very moment I’m supposed to re-establish contact with the new authorities, I’m totally unaware that you have decided to remind us of their ‘Re: Media Coverage on Leaked MSF Position presence in a more indirect way. You might think I’m a Paper on Zaire,’ Message from MSF Goma to bit thick but frankly, I didn’t envisage introducing myself MSF Holland programme manager and Director to the new government armed with such a discourse. of Operations, 21 May 1997 (in English). Anyway, I’m prepared to have a change of heart, as long as I’m kept informed of the communication policy you Extract: decide for us. The media coverage of the leaked MSF position paper on Apart from that, I’m the first to follow you on the facts of Zaire continues to grow. Besides the front-page coverage the dossier for, I may remind you, not so long ago I was in Libération and Le Monde, which you informed us about, one of those who directly witnessed what was happening MSF was directly quoted in repeated broadcasts of TV5, to the refugees. You know, Tingi Tingi! You could have RFI, and BBC, including interviews with MSF France. Each talked to me about it, my name’s not […], General Director of these programmes is heavily listened to here. MSF B- I think I would have understood….twigged… [...] An overview of the coverage follows: Imagine the liberation of Paris in 1944. The Parisians are - BBC: Françoise Saulnier at MSF- France was interviewed out on the streets, armed with their clippers, and MSF about the MSF report. She stated that MSF has seen denounces the bombing of Dresden. Then a small team corpses [resulting] from the AFDL strategy to kill refugees, sets off through the streets in a gas-powered Citroen duly that the AFDL has denied our access to the refugees, and festooned with the regulation stickers and flags, because that MSF received threats from the AFDL. Referring to the they’ve been told that these accessories will contribute to systematic killing/massacres of refugees, Saulnier admit- their security. ted that MSF does not have proof of the massacres in the That’s more or less the situation you’ve placed us in, only form of bodies or other forensic evidence probably since here the clippers are more effectively replaced by a burning the AFDL got rid of the bodies. tyre around your neck. Luckily, the press is there to tell us what’s going on but as for you, you won’t be winning the In a good counter-offensive backed up by the BBC cor- Prix Albert Londres this year. respondent in Kinshasa, the AFDL denied responsibility. But finally, if some of you think that communication with AFDL stated that Kisangani was a newly liberated area the field doesn’t matter, I’ll give you a tip so you can and therefore difficult to control. Moreover, so-called really fulfil your potential. Young and Rubicam are recruit- hard-core or rogue elements of the multi-factional AFDL, ing creative staff who report their projects directly to the particularly the Tutsi, are hard to control in their search commercial director, last door at the end of the corridor, for revenge. The BBC correspondent added his view that on your right… for all these accusations, there is still no evidence of atrocities on the ground.

- TV5: Citing the MSF paper and information from ‘les Letter from Frédérique Marodon, MSF France in responsables sur place’ [people in charge in the field], Kinshasa, to the directors of MSF France, 20 TV5 interviewed Marc Gastelu at MSF France, although the May 1997 (in French). editing made it appear that Gastellu was speaking from Zaire. He stated that the AFDL was killing the refugees Extract: with disease, malnutrition, and direct attacks. 180 Who are they trying to kid? At the last Board meeting, the - RFI: several times in both the morning and evening further public exhibition by MSF. can remainoperational inthefutureonly ifthereisno coming fromthefield?Theteams hereconsiderthatthey field, ifanyoneisreading the securityincidentreports overreact tothesepressreleases. Wewonder,hereinthe in Amsterdam.Wehavethe feelingthatweareseento not touchus,”wehavebeen toldbytheEmergencyDesk to beatriskofretaliationfromtheAlliance.”Theywill [movement] donotconsiderMSFHollandteamsinZaire teams thatcertainpeoplewithintheMSFinternational ments beyonditscentralcontrol.’ItisknownbytheKivu dismissed bytheAllianceascommitted‘hardcoreele - team memberineasternZaire.Thesereprisalswillbe a seriousriskofreprisalsaimedspecificallyatanMSF-H If thispresspolicycontinues,fieldoperationswillrun logue with them until the leaked reports are a fait accompli. continued pressdebaclespreventusfromestablishingadia ties isnotseenasarealisticoptioninthenearfuture.The of MSF’spresspolicy.Damagecontrolwiththenewauthori this region,notsimplybecauseoftheAlliancebut current hopelessnessofourattemptstoachieveaccessin from GomaandBukavu.Weareforcedtoacknowledgethe discussions willbeheldthisafternoononteamreductions completely. Securityfortheteamsisonhighalertand The MSF-HfieldoperationsineasternZairehaveceased in charge the field],”. TV inZaireto“lesresponsablesdeMSFsurplace.[people explicit waypossible.Itisdirectlysourcedontheradio/ satellite TV5.ThereportisattributedtoMSFinthemost France International,theBBCWorldServiceandFrench Libération, andiswidelycovered in eastern Zaire byRadio the frontpageofmajorFrenchnewspapers,including by MSF-FtotheFrenchpress.Ithasnowappearedon in Eastern Zaire,” has been circulated by MSF-H and leaked The report ”Forced Flight: A BrutalStrategy of Elimination Extract: we arenot going todo). and aIlotherNGO’sareinvitedtojointheparade,which display inthismorning’sAFDLvictoryparade.(HCR,MSF, and tensionsarehighgiventhecelebrationsmilitary last communicationsdebacle.Second,publicexpectations operations werejustgettingunderwayagainafterthe for thistobehappeningGomaandteamsecurity.First, -Please notethattodayisoneoftheworstpossibledays Biberson at MSF Francewasinterviewed. accusatory and politicallanguage.Thismorning, Philippe broadcasts, RFIisreportingonthesameusingMSF’s MSF H co-days, 21 May 1997 (in English). MSF Hco-days,21May 1997 (inEnglish). Lubumbashi, toMSFHKampala,LCNKenya, Germany, toMSFBKisangani,Gisenyi,Kigali, and toMSFUK,Canada,USA, Directors MSF Holland, MSF France,Belgium 1997,’ Report ofMSFHtoFrenchPresson19thMay ‘Field ResponsefromMSFHZaire/CongotoLeaked from MSF Holland Zaire teams to Message fromMSFHollandZaireteamsto - - MSFH in Zaire. rights informationinanysitrepsorreportscomingfrom field’sconsent, therewillbenofurtherinclusionofhuman information passedtoMSFForpressreleaseswithoutthe in thispresspolicy,andthattherewillbenofurther Until wehaveassurancesthatthefieldmattersatall operational and securitypriorities. commitments and make any compromise given the local the professionalismanddignitytofollowthroughontheir tried before.Ithasbeenproventhatothersectionslack sections tobringdisagreementsthetablehasbeen an adequateresponse.Opencommunicationswithother 17 May(“wearefedup...”),wasfullofsympathy,butnot fact. Amsterdam’sreactiontoourmessageofcomplaint are neverinformedofanypressstatementsuntilafterthe To expelanymythsingeneralcirculation,thefieldteams the teams here ifthis continues. this yet.MSFHHQshouldnotexpectanyconfidencefrom wrong. We donotaccept that noone is preparedto do Amsterdam assumeresponsibilityforwhathasgone Director andparticularlytheZaireDeskofMSFHin The MSFHZaireteamswouldliketoseetheGeneral Goma in April.) this strategy (one that the Zaire Desk agreed to while in and theAmsterdamresponsetoourcomplaintsdismissed logue basedonhardmedicaldata.Theleakedpolicypaper reports. Thestrategyistohavea2-way,non-politicaldia- looking simplytobashtheAllianceoverheadwithour on theAlliance,pointhasbeenmissed.MSFisnot On theissueofmaintaininglocalcontactsandpressure overtly complex. is paintingaveryone-sidedpicturewhenthereality at everylevel.Thisisawarzone.Ourpublicadvocacy isation. ThereareatrocitiesinZairefromeveryside, MSF assumesamantleofana-political,impartialorgan- deal with the consequences here inZaire. to listen helplessly to their comments in the press and here before theyshoot their mouths off, and we are forced Gastellu andallinMSFFhavenotconsideredourposition appears thatPhilippeBiberson,JeanHervéBradol,Marc reports. Inviewofthedecisionsthathavebeentaken,it section’s field-levelsecuritybyconstantlyleakingMSF-H so irresponsiblyandinsuchrecklessdisregardofanother direct fromParis,anexplanationofhowtheycanbehave The MSF-HteamsineasternZairewouldliketoreceive, Congo. press telling people what MSF is doing throughout the -William will start a “propaganda” campaign in the local staff to reassure them and checksecurity. other questions.Williamcalled ameetingwiththelocal problems betweenMSFandthe AFDLandareaskingeach local staffareworkingatLola. Thelocalstaffhavewindof -MSF is on standby, everyone has stayed at the office, only Extract: May 1997(in French). Minutes, TaskForceZaire,MSFBelgium,21 181 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

- William requests that MSF restricts its dealings with the you have just proved to us poor idiots in the field that media. when it comes to something as serious as testimony, -AFDL counters the accusations: “there are uncontrollable there is no dialogue between the field and the operational Tutsi elements in the region.” centres. -UNHCR is also on standby and there will be no flight Made much stronger by the glorious international victory today… of uniting three sections on this theme, you quite simply -Message from the Congolese authorities to two German forgot that there were teams doing the dirty jobs. journalists who crossed the frontier at Goma: “Don’t go -In Kisangani with 5,000 refugees; in Mbandaka (local and see MSF, they are enemies of the Alliance… “ staff, admittedly) with 2,000 refugees; in Kinshasa, collecting 200 corpses and treating 200 injured. [...] But the harsh law of the media-humanitarian calculus Some Kinshasa newspapers are publishing anti-NGO arti- being what it is, these figures lack a few zeros and pale cles: “It is not for NGOs to dictate policy. That might have into insignificance when compared with the 200,000 miss- been all right in Mobutu’s time, but it is not the case with ing people. Once again, forgive this misplaced cynicism Kabila.” - it’s my field worker’s stupidity that’s trying to express -A ship from the CAR, chartered by the WFP and MSF itself here. loaded with food for Kin, was not granted clearance to So seen from a distance, despite cell phones, fax, satellite cross the CAR-Congo frontier and other forms of instant communication - which appar- Rwanda: ently were not working before the testimony (but not to -Eric Goemaere has to meet the Health Minister today. worry, everything was repaired by Tuesday morning) - it -Local doctors do not want to treat the refugees. They looks as if the Dutch delayed sending out the corrected make no secret of their disgust. report, while the Belgians fucked around between various -Mortality: 15-10,000/day. -Only 2,000 people in the departments trying find out who was really responsible transit camps. The refugees are being packed off to their for what. This meant that when the Zaire Desk learned communes. about the leaking of the report on Tuesday morning, it had trouble warning the teams that the French had stooped to Security: the level of using this testimony in the press. -More and more incidents in the north. However, technically speaking, it’s a success: RFI repeated this resounding testimony every fifteen minutes on Communication-Rwanda: Tuesday and Wednesday. Bib [Biberson, MSF F President] -Very touchy from the security point of view. compounded the damage when he said on Antenne 2 that -Or else Eric handles communication. they didn’t have access to the refugees in Kisangani six months ago because of the AFDL troops, whereas at that General communication: time it was still the FAZ and the FAR who were blocking -To avoid each section saying different things, we can them! Even Juppé, chasing re-election, repeated on A2 appoint contacts in the field to whom all journalists can Wednesday night that France had been the only country be referred. Be careful because there are direct threats in to denounce the suffering of these 200,000 refugees - any the field. allusion to the MSF report was purely accidental... -Besides, this doesn’t stop the sections from communicat- “Anyway,” as they say here in Congo (former Zaire), the ing. confusion has not gone unnoticed amongst the popula- -Dominique, who hasn’t stopped giving interviews in tion. Kisangani and Paris, has also issued three press releases The result? Cessation of activities in Kisangani and sur- in the same period. veillance of expats; expulsion of French MDM staff from -Do not yield to the pressure from Paris to communicate Goma; no expat access to Mbandaka; and in Kinshasa, we on Rwanda. are so proud of belonging to MSF that we don’t display its logo any more. As our “leaders” can only deal with the problem of populations in danger from European capitals, they are jeopardising the safety of the expats and even Letter from Olivier Antonin, MSF Belgium team the so-called “local” staff… in Kinshasa, to the Heads of MSF France, MSF Finally, I would like to alert the MSF General Assembly in Belgium and MSF Holland, 22 May 1997 (in Paris, because the gravity of our directors’ irresponsibility, French). involving three sections, is one thing, the political oppor- tunism of the French section before the GAG is another. Extract: Was the French decision to put pressure on Kabila the To the “Fanfans la Tulipe” [kind of French “Robin Wood” ] right one? No way, absolutely not, given the history of “Rain in November, Christmas in December,”” (Belgian French policy in the area and given that three-quarters of proverb) “In May, do what you like,” (French saying). the country has already been sold to American interests. Open letter to any idiot who would like to read it. But Was releasing the report on the day Kabila entered especially to all our idiot managers. Please forgive me, Kinshasa going to make him think more carefully? That 182 ladies and gentlemen of the management, but once again question still hasn’t been answered... ing all sections soasto be politically incorrect. -Would verymuchliketotakeonanewNDPPencompass- -Member of theMSF-B Emergency Poolfor two years Brussels Operational Centre, Tajikistan) -Emergency MSF-BandAEDES92-95(Somalia,Zaire, mouth too much inIraq missions] MSF-F from 91 to 96 for having opened his big -Ex-NDPP (ne doit plus partir) [black listed for future -Ex-MSF-F in Kurdistan 91 -Ex MSF-B in Mali86-87 French nationality Male, white race Olivier Antonin … the balls to bear witness… albeit from a great distance!! proving thattherearestillsomepeopleatMSFwhohave their owntrumpetsattheAG,astoundingeverybodyby open thefloodgates,andotherDirectorscouldblow pick it up.Then the Director of Communications could pounce on it, and that therefore the French press would On theotherhand,itwasinevitablethatjournalistswould forget that a mistake admitted is a mistake half-forgiven. at handtoavoidarepetition ofsuchmistakes.Anddon’t munications system.Wewill thushavealltheelements malfunctioning, orrathernon-functioning, ofthecom- out whowasresponsibleanddeterminethecausesof partite commissionofinquirywhosejobitwillbetofind fervently invitethevariousMSFsectionstoorganiseatri - In ordertoclarifytheoriginsofthismassiveblunder, I know anything about it… Desk toobtainanexplanation,theytoldusdidn’t As ifthatwasn’tenough,whenwe contacted theCongo Holland and, to capitall, from MSFBELGIUM!!! release camenotonlyfromMSFFrance,butalso nothing aboutit,andthenfound out thatthepress when werealisedthattheMSFteaminKinshasaknew You canimaginehowastonishedandoffendedwewere actually working inthe Democratic Republic of Congo.” for theshitinwhichitdropsothersectionsthatare classic and melodious cock crow without the least concern to shootitsmouthoffallovertheplaceandbroadcast France which,asithasnoteaminthefield,thinksit’sOK Our first reaction was, “This is another low blow from MSF against the Rwandan refugees in the former Zaire. a pressreleaseaccusingtheAFDLofworstatrocities “pleasure” ofhearingontheradiothatMSFhadissued As soonaswegotuponTuesdaymorning,hadthe Extract: May 1997(in French). ager ”For Transmission to All Concerned,” 22 Administrator inZaire,totheprogramme man- Letter from Nicolas Van Bunnen, MSF Belgium Use only factual information.” in communicatingonRwanda,ifsayinganythingatall. extremely high tension in the country, please be selective the returnofrefugeestotheirhomecommunes,and “Due tothecrucialstageatwhichnegotiationregarding Kigali request from the Head ofMission: team in Goma. Kisangani andtwoothersheadingforKigaliarewiththe ing days.Inthemeantime,twoexpatswaitingtogo MSF willreduceitsteambysevenexpatsinthefollow- an incidentinwhichoneoftheirstaffwasbeatenup. Oxfam hassuspendeditsactivitiesforthisweekfollowing rity, he andtheteam will leave for Kampalaby car. spy. Hewasfreedafter the interventionofUNHCRsecu- tor attheairport.Hewasreputedlyaccusedofbeinga following anattemptedarrestoftheirlogisticalcoordina- -MDM has decided to remove its whole team of six expats, Goma security incidents: this suggestion of alowprofile. the beststrategywouldbesilence.TheGovernoraccepted the fallacy of the accusations, but William suggested that The Governorrequestedthatweactivelycommunicateon their health in preparation for repatriation to Rwanda. with theAllianceinassistingrefugeesandstabilising Alliance. HealsosaidthatMSFisinterestedinworking took profitofthetimingforaccusationsagainst before thefallofKinshasaandthatitwaspresswho The responseofWilliam was thatthereporthadappeared cuss thenegativeeffectofreportonAlliance. William mettheGovernorinKisanganiyesterdaytodis- Damage control on theReport Extract: 1. Thursday15 May:agreementonthefinal versionof way things occurred (la forme): would liketogiveyousome explanationsconcerningthe us withregardtotheanalysis ofthefacts(lefond),we Because wethinkthatthere isnodisagreementamong you toknow that wefeel very sorry. very difficultandevendangeroussituation,wewouldlike tant tous.Ifalackofclearinformationhasputyouin tors ofMSF,thesecurityourteamsisextremelyimpor - Firstly wewouldliketoapologiseallofyou.Asdirec - Dear all, Extract: Update,’ 22 May1997(inEnglish). managers inEurope, 23 May 1997(in English). in DRCongo(ex-Zaire),toAllprogramme Operations toAllTeamsofSectionsWorking President, ExecutiveDirectorandof Bernard Pécoul,BrigitteVasset,MSFFrance ‘Letter ofExplanation’,fromPhilippeBiberson, Zaire/Rwanda Emergency - Communications

183 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

the report entitled “Forced Flight: A Brutal Strategy of ask: “How is this possible?” And I had a discussion with the Elimination in Eastern Zaire.” person in charge in Goma who said, “Are you crazy? We could never do that here.” I thought that we should. But 2. This report is the follow-up of the report entitled ”MSF they refused to do it. Of course the people were angry. After témoigne de l’élimination physique des réfugiés Rwandais the release of the report - the team in Goma had agreed, but du Kivu,” [MSF testimony to the physical elimination of then when it was released, they were very angry with me as the Rwandan refugees of Kivu] which has been largely well - extremely angry with me, and quite a few people distributed since Friday 25th April (amongst other places resigned. They said they resigned not only from MSF in it is available on the MSF website). Goma but also from MSF in total. That changed later but I got several letters from people saying that I had not dealt 3. During a conference call between the General Directors with it in the correct way. There was the person in charge in of the Belgian, Dutch and French sections on Thursday 15 Kinshasa that resigned too. And they all sent letters all over May, it was decided to distribute the report to a selected the MSF network. It was a total mess. After that-in June - I group of journalists. The objective was to have leading wanted a holiday. I had the feeling that I didn’t know what articles on the situation of the refugee population in Kivu was going to happen to me. I felt that I was the guilty since November 1996. It was furthermore decided that person. I wasn’t sure. the communication concerning the day-to-day events in the region of Kisangani, was going to be coordinated in Wilna Van Artzen, MSF Holland Emergency Desk Brussels. Officer (in English).

4. ln Paris, the report was given to 2 journalists, one from Le Monde the other from Libération. In Le Monde, a leading article appeared at page 3 in the Monday edition of the This aggressive communications campaign had been newspaper (dated Tuesday 20 May). On Monday, 19 May, running for a month, since the day after the Board the journalist Stephen Smith of Libération interviewed meeting with Marlène. There had already been an several people, to complete the information covered in MSF report denouncing the extermination etc… If they the report. We were all very much surprised to find out wanted to withdraw their teams because we were practicing on Tuesday morning that the Editorial Committee of this type of communication, they had had a month to do so. Libération had decided to make it a cover-page article, If they did not do so, it is because they did not want to which resulted in yielding considerable weight for the withdraw them. The proof is that they left them until the advocacy. end, until Kasese and Biaro, until they could cover the massacres. In any case, they were determined to stay in the We hope to be able to discuss the above in more detail in field, whatever the cost. All operations sectors knew that we the near future with you were going to release the report in the next few days. Some of them did not warn their teams because they had only half assumed their policy position. Nor did MSF France warn the team from the French section, which was in Kinshasa at that We made a very bad mistake. The Paris Desk has time. The Libération article came out at the very moment admitted its stupidity because the field was not Kabila was retaking Kinshasa and all the international radio alerted. We could not imagine that the people in stations were saying, “MSF is attacking Kabila.” The MSF Kinshasa had not been told about what was being prepared. team was obviously worried! Some of them came to see me We forgot to establish a link between operations and com- and we had a discussion. They said: “We are happy with the munications. Some people thought that what was happen- position but we would have appreciated being warned ing in Kisangani would not have any repercussions in because it is rather dangerous for us.” I told them,”I under- Kinshasa... On Monday morning, the Kinshasa team had a stand your point of view very well, talk to your Programme go at us. Frédérique Marodon [MSF France coordinator in Managers and the Directors of Operations. It’s their job. But Kinshasa] did not attack us on the content but she said, don’t come to me, the Communications Director. It is not for “You are reckless.” She was right to say so. On the other me to take these decisions with you.” Brigitte, the Head of hand, Mit Philips [MSF Belgium coordinator in Kinshasa] Operations, had the decency to admit: “I wasn’t very clear accused us of factual errors. in the way I warned you. I didn’t warn you specifically about that, although I knew about it. It’s my fault. I admit Bernard Pecoul, that it was a mistake.” Executive Director, MSF France (in French). Dr. Jean-Hervé Bradol, MSF France programme manager then Communication Director (in French).

I had a discussion with the field. I felt that we should not only release the report but confront the authorities on the ground with it - we should give it The teams in the field wanted to be protected. The 184 to them and say: “How is this possible?” Not accuse but general position at MSF Belgium was - we stay and collaborating… Once you have built these contacts, you can direct relations withauthorities.Talkingisnot thesameas direct… Idon’thaveanymoral problemswithdeveloping lems wehave?”Themessage, meanwhile,canbevery promised. Nowcouldyouhelp usoutwithacoupleofprob- versations. “Weareveryinterested inthechangesyouhave you’re in.Ofcourse,youneed therighttoneinthesecon- with theauthoritieshasbeeninsufficient...Onceyou’rein, Therefore youshouldavoidspeakingoutifdirectcontact that theywillsuspectyouofspying.Andspiesgetkilled. out initiallytalking to theauthorities themselves will mean put yourteamindanger.Comingoutwithstatements - have tokeepcompletelysilentaltogether.Otherwise,you anti-foreigner slogans, etc… were moreindirect:passinglorrieswithpassengerschanting have been more cautious. We did not get direct threats; they applied… There were provocations. etc. I think they should mony. Butthedecisionhadbeentakensoittobe were quiteafewpeoplewhodidnotagreewiththistesti- of beingsensitised.ButKabilawasnot.Allthesame,there sensitise theauthoritiesatoutset-iftheyarecapable have tomatchthestrategysituation.You them. Inmyview,youcan’tcreateproceduresforit.You procedures forthetestimonyarestupid!Idon’tagreewith field aboutgainingtime,evacuatingpeople,etc…Allthese need? Anditalldraggedon.Therewasadiscussioninthe fire andhe’dhadtoburypeopleetc…Whatmoredidthey he camebackfromthecamps,thathe’dheardmachinegun believe theyhadalorrydriverwhosaidsomethingwhen didn’t havemuchdirecttestimonyatthattime,butI there wasnoaccess…Butanyway,werestories.We true thattherewasn’tmuchproofattimebecause communicating anything.Andthatwasunacceptable.It’s about proof.Theteamswantedproofofthekillingsbefore about that.Therewasalsoaheateddebateinthefield rebel territory,beforeanyoneelse.Idisagreedwiththem reports togotheCongoleseauthorities,andKabilain Dutch sections.Theteamsinthefieldalsowanted Belgian orDutchsections,butespeciallytheand took on this subject was brushed aside by the French, tions centreafterthat.EverydecisiontheOperationsCentre press andnobodyinthefieldwantedtotalkopera- weeks. Theyreleasedthereportandthenitbrokein new volunteerseverymonth,aHeadofMissionthree never workedinasimilarsituation.Theyweresendingout at first.VincentJanssen[coordinatorinKisangani]had in thefielddidnothavethisexperienceofbearingwitness security, contrarytowhatisusuallythought.Ourvolunteers witness becauseinawayitstrengthensourpositionand we bearwitness.Onthewhole,arenotafraidofbearing But ifyoudonotthatonaregularbasis,will the local, regional, or national authorities directly. Many CountryManagersareafraidofapproaching Dr.[…], MSF BelgiumOperational Director (in French). verbally. But after some time, it disappeared. in Bukavu;andMSFwasthreatened,butnotphysically,only We werecalledtotheGovernorinGomaandlater,Ithink, some cases. But, in terms of security, there was no reaction. radio -intheCongo.PeopleCongoknewbeforeMSF Congolese orKabila.Itwasimmediatelyontheair- for Kabila. that statementasanorganisation,thenyouareenemy accuse Kabilaforkilling.’And,itwasmoreover,ifyoumake expats safety.…Thedangerwasmoreinthetitle,‘MSF because theprocedureswerenotfollowed,andrisking time?” Thatwasmoremyproblem.Buthere,it I was more on the line that, “What’s the point after such a [the] team.Weagreedthatitneededtobedone.Asforme, inform thepeople,topreparesecurity,orreductionof Bukavu andGoma.Theydidnotevenhavethetimeto Holland wasinBukavu.Therestillaninteresttobe the big upset in Amsterdam was mainly because MSF me itwasmoretheissuelike,”Jesus!Amonthlater!”…And accuse? I think we can. For me that was not the issue. For about thefrontpageaccusation,“MSFaccuse”.Shouldwe biggest debatewas...Imeanaboutthedenunciation,was It wasjustthat,“Whynow?”solate!…herethe terms of approach to advocacy. the dayIfeelclosertothemthandoDutch,in French for their behaviour during the crisis, at the end of médiatiques. Buttobehonest,howeverangryIamatthe write solid,UNlikereports,andtheFrenchwhoarevery just havetolivewiththatbiggapbetweentheDutch,who save thelivesofpossibly50,000refugees…Isupposewe the plightofrefugeessouthKisangani.Ithelpedto in somecases,choosetospeakoutpublicly,likewedidon Advocacy Interviews” September 1997 (inEnglish). but nothinghappenedintermsofattackbythe couple ofdaystogetthepeopleoutShabunda, They stopped the operations immediately. It tooka not upsetwiththecontentortitle.Itwasgreat. this hugepanichereabouttheLibération...Iwas I hadholidays.camebackandthentherewas manager. Interviewed by Erwin Van’tLand in ”The Dr. Dominique Boutriau, MSF Belgium programme Marcel Van Soest,MSFHolland Field Coordinator, Pim deGraaf, Director of OperationMSF Holland Goma, January to March 1997 (inEnglish). (in English) 185 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

On 22 May, The New York Times revealed that the AFDL next to the Sudan. had received significant support from Uganda, Rwanda, Rwanda’s motive for aiding Mr Kabila’s forces was a desire Angola, and Zambia. to close refugee camps on the border that had become bases for Hutu guerrillas attacking Rwanda’s Tutsi-led Government. Revenge was also a factor. Many Hutu militants in the camps had been involved in James C. McKinley Jr, ‘Congo’s Neighbors the 1994 massacres in Rwanda, and some also began stir- Played Crucial Role in Civil War’, The New York ring up anti-Tutsi feeling in what was then Zaire, which Times (USA), 22 May 1997 (in English). led to the killings of thousands of Tutsi in Zaire. Tens of thousands of other Tutsi fled into Rwanda for safety… Extract: Paul Kagame, the Rwandan leader, has consistently denied When Laurent Kabila’s rebels captured this country’s that his troops fought in Zaire at the beginning of the war, capital over the weekend and catapulted him into the though he says Rwanda supports the rebellion in spirit. He presidency, they did not do it alone. From the onset of the has acknowledged only that some Rwandan regular troops war last autumn until the fall of Kinshasa on Saturday, Mr crossed the border into Zaire during the battles for Goma Kabila’s forces received heavy support from several neigh- and Bukavu after shells were lobbed across the border. boring countries with an interest in toppling the long- But a senior Rwandan defence official, speaking on time dictator, Mobutu Sese Seko, diplomats and United condition of anonymity, said Rwandan military advisers States officials said. had operated in Congo since then, helping Mr Kabila’s The military aid came in many forms from Rwanda, commanders with strategy. ‘’The advisers are there,’’ the Uganda, Zambia and Angola - all of which have denied official said. ‘’We helped them morally, financially and involvement. It ranged from military advisers to training, militarily as well.’’ from air transport to supplies. In a few instances, foreign troops even crossed the border to fight alongside the rebels. And thousands of Tutsi volunteers from Uganda and Rwanda joined the rebellion in sympathy with their Tutsi The United States Ambassador to Rwanda told the MSF kinsmen here. team that he believed their organisation served the The motives of Mr Kabila’s silent backers vary widely. Many interests of the French government. Tutsi in Rwanda wanted revenge on the Hutu militants who fled to Zaire, as Congo was known under Mr Mobutu, after taking part in the 1994 massacres of Tutsi in Rwanda. Uganda and Angola were both tired of Mr. Mobutu’s har- Sitrep from MSF Belgium team in Rwanda to boring guerrilla groups on their borders. And the entire the programme manager, 22 May 1997 (in region was being dragged down by the abysmal economic English). performance of the country under Mr.Mobutu’s corrupt leadership. Extract: Because the foreign military aid has been covert, the American Ambassador: the gruelling meeting of the day... extent of the foreign interference in the civil conflict that two hours of ‘engueulade’ [rowing] [because of their] total has produced a new Government and a new name may mistrust on our figures for eastern Zaire. Nothing is proven never be made public. so nothing is right. Seen the last declaration in the French But diplomats and United States officials say Congo’s press, MSF has, for him, now a clear political agenda in neighbors have played crucial roles in bringing Mr Kabila Zaire alongside the French government and is totally dis- to power, especially the Angolans and the Tutsi-led credited in the area. Government in Rwanda. It remains to be seen what debts Nice meeting... we have to think about increasing our Mr Kabila owes them. channel of information to them, no need to say that ‘’The rebel alliance has a guilty secret,’’ a Western diplo- the Ambassador is quite influential here. We invited the mat in the region said this week, insisting on anonymity. USAID representative to visit Runda camp today… ‘’Zairians didn’t win the war. The Rwandans won the war Communication with press: please no communications on for them. We don’t know how they will be paid back.’’ repatriation process except factual situation. Very tense Last October and November, Uganda and Rwanda played for the moment with Gisenyi team in a hotel for the night an active military role. On occasion both countries sent and arrestations [arrests] of local staff was stopped in troops across the border to help secure a strip of the Gisenyi and Kigali yesterday. eastern part of the country, United States Government Thank you officials say. For the Ugandan President, Yoweri Museveni, the insur- rection in this country was an opportunity to remove two rebel groups who had been mounting raids into Uganda. To that end, in November and December, several thou- At the Coordinators’ meetings and General Assemblies sand Ugandan soldiers, backed with tanks, took part in in the last week of May, the controversy over the pub- 186 conquering the entire north-eastern corner of the country lication of the report in Libération intensified. ché’s remarks”. risk of not saying anythingat all […]Theseare press atta- doesn’t matter! If we make all these calculations we run the the end, Idisposed of the impact issue by saying: “It obliged bythisorthat?Isitgoingtostopthefighting?”In impact willourtémoignage[testimony]haveifweare etc… Thatwastheargumenttheyusedagainstus,“What sured beforehand,weighedagainstthepossiblesideeffects culated, thatit’snotsomethingcanbepreciselymea - transparency, that it can’t be totally controlled, totally cal- témoignage [testimony]isaboveallaboutthenecessityfor even if they are still angry with us. It triggered the idea that ment down.Allthesame,Ithinktherewasatriggereffect, they consideredthatitwasadisgrace,weletthemove - in favouroftémoignage,butwhenitputteamsdanger, also cometoourAGandhadpubliclystatedthattheywere jeopardised thesafetyofteamsinfield.Theyhad abuse… Wehadreleasedthereportandpeoplesaidwe remember theDutchAGduringwhichIwasshoweredwith for thosewhowereinGomathesummerof1994.I people are still saying, it did create a delayed reaction effect be happening, if there are problems, we sort them out.” we focusedoninternal controversies. I thought, “This can’t kinds ofsecurityproblemsarise…Asthemeetingwenton, always saidthattheteamsshouldbewithdrawnwhenthose was stronglysupportiveofMSFFranceatthattime.I’ve the detriment of thevassal sections.” erate strategyaimedateliminatingtheFrenchsectionto get anysupportorcashfromus.Wedenouncethedelib- continue toactivelysupportit.ThatcrookKabilawillnot “Despite thechaoticstateofFrenchforeignpolicy,wewill Extract: Dr. Jacques de Milliano, MSF HollandGeneral Director we learnedalotfromit.Contrarytowhatsome aroused withintheMSFmovementbecauseIthink I amquitehappy with themajor arguments it Field CoordinatorsgavePhilippeaveryhardtime.I Philippe Biberson wasinvited, that wasinMay. The I remember the Coordinators’ meeting to which and MSFInternational vice-président (in French). France, 22 May 1997(inFrench). of peared inZaire,”Plagiarismofthefrontpage ‘MSF Announces: 19,000 HutuRefugees disap- Libération, jokefromMSFBelgiumto Dr. Philippe Biberson, MSFFrance President (in French).

conversation and they agreed on acouple of things. it wasgoodthathehadcalledLex.Itbeena hour andBernardcamebackthankedmesaidthat - Idon’tknowwhattheydiscussedbutspokeforan that I’ve mentioned this to you.” That’s what Bernard did should callLexandaskhimhowit’sgoing-don’ttell then asked, “What should we do ?” And I said: “Well-you awake, butnotthistypeofnastybackstabbing.“Bernard anymore. Weshouldfightandcriticise,itwillkeepus ing toeachother, we shouldnothavethose kinds ofwars sections, during the ‘camps’ issue. And I think that by talk- stink: “Iwaspartofaveryunpleasanteventwithinthe explained to them what was going on and that it was a big Brigitte’s officeandBernardPécoulwasthereI since hewastheDirectorofCommunications.SoIwentto the teleconferenceandhesaidno,butwaslistening ing. Hewasnotagainstit.IaskedJeanHervéifhein had explainedwhattheyweregoingtodoandLexdidnoth- and BrigitteBernardPécoulweretherethatthey it wasnotatalllikethat. There hadbeenateleconference going onandwhatthehellisthis?JeanHervétoldmethat Paris andspoketoJeanHervésaidthatthisis had todosomething-butIdidn’tknowwhat.Soflew because theirexpatsarenotindanger.”Ithoughtthat ing in the area so they were not entitled to speak out the press.Theyarenotevenonspot.work- are alwayswiththeirpressreleasesandscreamingto know howdangeroustiis-and,ThesefuckingFrenchthey at home,organisethemselves,whatever.Theysaid:“ÿou beforehand sothattheywouldbeabletoevacuateorstay the expatsindangerandtheydidnotadvisesections published averybigarticleinthenewspaperanditbrought dirty thing…TheCoordinators said thatMSFFrancehad And now,IsawaMSFdirectorlyingtohispeople-thisis because wearealltogetheranddiscussalotofthings. “There are two witnesses to that teleconference in this sive and asked him to substantiate his statement. I said, been manipulated).Itoldhim Ifoundthatextremelyoffen- as akilleroffieldteams(he lateracknowledgedthathe’d Devaux (member of theMSF France Board) denounced me could offerhisapologies… At theMSFFrance AG, Alain invited metolunchinAmsterdam, justthetwoofus,sohe reality he had given his approval.A few months later, Lex Heads [Desks]couldseethathewaslyingtothem,in many of the coordinators and especially the Programme Miliano asadirector.Theco-daysareveryspecial because IameducatedinMSFwithJacquesde Iwasshockedbywhatsawduringtheco-days He hadtriedtodenyitatfirst,helied,but in frontofeverybodythathe’dgivenhisapproval. Wouter toldmethatLexhadbeenobligedtoconfess Wouter VanEmpelen, MSF Holland Programme manager until 31 October1996(in English). 187 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

room.” I asked Bernard Pécoul and Jean-Marie Kindermans, together; they were not in the same places. As the French in full view of everybody, to tell the General Assembly what were not in the field, it was easy for them to talk. It was the position of the teleconference had been and what those more difficult for the Belgians and that was only to be present had thought. They had to do it because they felt expected. Since 1994, MSF Belgium has demonstrated a that the situation between us was getting out of hand. certain spontaneity - take the denunciation of genocide at Butare. On the other hand, that section has such a paranoid Dr. Jean-Hervé Bradol, MSF France programme way of functioning when it comes to poorly timed state- manager then Communication Director (in French). ments from Paris, that it sometimes withholds information. I don’t know if it’s a voluntary practice or if it’s quite simply that they don’t have the reflex to go and get this information whereas with MSF France, it’s a kind of instinct.

I was very much supporting the article of Jean- Joëlle Tanguy, MSF USA Executive Director Hervé, although we had a big fight on how the posi- (in French). tion was taken. This is typical MSF. If I were to do it all over again, I would take more of a different approach. Many people are inclined to agree about the positions taken years ago. And, if only they were inclined to agree four years ago, it would make my life easier. I am not sure what people blame me for. The position which we had, according THE DILEMMA OF REPATRIATION to some people, placated the field people enough. When I visited Zaire that time (this was 1997 before the ‘J’accuse’), I felt that we were missing out in trying to address the issue more vigorously. Because there were many rumours around Goma at the time about massacres. And we were present there; we should have tried our utmost to reveal the content In Rwanda, the MSF Belgium teams were concerned of what was happening. People were resistant, partly about the health of the refugees who had been repatri- because of security reasons. But it was like “This is not our ated to their communes. work if we do not investigate.” I visited one of the woman doctors, quite a nice person, and she did not agree with what we were advocating. I said,”This massacre that we hear about is only one hour away, why do we not go ’Report on Medical Services Provided by MSF there?”. She said, “Because it is not our role.” ”But it is our Belgium to the Repatriates from Eastern Zaire,’ role,” I said. “We are working in the clinic and we should 27 April - 25 May 1997 (in English). try to reveal the context.” But if you talk to her now she seems to be much more accepting about our position. Extract: 1. Introduction Lex Winkler, MSF Holland Executive Director As of the end of April, UNHCR has started its repatriation and Operational Director 1996 - 1997 (in English). by plane of the Rwandan refugees from eastern Zaire back to Rwanda. An estimated 80,000 refugees are anticipated to benefit from this repatriation since most of the other refugees returned en mass at the end of last year or were transported by trucks in the beginning of this year from It went beyond quarrels between sections. With MSF the camps of Masisi, Tingi Tingi, and North Kivu, among Holland it became quarrels between the operations others. centre and the field, and personal quarrels with This repatriation however has only been granted permis- Jean-Hervé… I sometimes felt that MSF was descending sion by the Alliance during a period of 60 days. After this into farce. But I forgave us these lapses because what lay no more movement of refugees will be allowed. Another at the bottom of crises, like the Rwandan crisis, was the constraint surrounding this repatriation exercise is the expression of a malaise. It showed that we were living general condition of the people which has worsened due through this malaise, that we were not completely discon- to the deplorable conditions in which they had to live nected from the events. Here in New York, we felt bad about during the last months (lack of food, water and sanita- not being able to get this information out; it was barely tion, shelter etc...), as well as the violence they had to mentioned in the newspapers. That’s the form our malaise experience. took. In Europe, the malaise took the usual form of contro- ln view of this, MSF has increased the medical services it versy but basically it was a way of realising that we were on continued to provide to the returnees since November last shaky ground. What was the disagreement? The French had year (dispensary at Nkamira and Musange transit camp); not managed to get into the field whereas the Belgians had, with the following activities: but they didn’t want to talk about it. It’s not a matter of -Surgical assistance to the wounded at Gisenyi hospital 188 agreement or disagreement. The sections were not working -Nutritional assistance to the severely malnourished autumn 1996. tory sincetheattackoncampsineasternZaire and Loukolela.Therefugeesdescribedtheirtravelhis - Monde collectedtestimonyfromthecampsatNjundu Officer andadoctorsecondedtoMSFfromMédecinsdu In theRepublicofCongo,MSFFranceCommunications of returnees. especially inthosecommunesthatreceivedahighnumber contagious diseases(choleracases)atthehealthcentres, - Oneshouldbeverycarefultofollowthereportingof financial participation) for quite sometime. health services(intermsofworkload,impossibility returnees willcontinuetobeaburdenontheexisting - Thebadnutritionalandmedicalconditionofthenew munity levels are strengthened. in severemalnutritionunlessnutritionalcentresatcom- really takeninchargeduringtheirtransit;thiswillresult malnourished, detectedatthetransitcamps,werenot and percentageofchildrenunder5.But,themoderately the information needed concerning malnutrition rates - Nutritionalsurveillancesetupdidnotreallyprovide save some lives. action inthecommunesisnecessaryifwestillwantto is morethanprobablystillpresent,whichmeansaquick tion alreadyarrivedintheircommunes,ahighmortality This shouldalertustothefactthatamongpopula- dead), evenafterpassingthroughseveralmedicalstops. high (althoughdecliningsincetheweakarealready day), weobservethatthefigurecontinuestobevery Musange which is the second transit stop (9/10,000/ the firsttransitstationinRwanda(30/10,000/day)and teams providedthefirstmedicalcareatRundawhichis triation, fromKisangani(71/10,000/day)towhereour -Comparing mortalityfiguresinweek4oftherepa- (this dueto several factors). and thespeedoftransferfromKisanganitoKigali conditions inwhichtherefugeesappearedfromforest ning of the repatriation. This is partIy due to the poor unacceptable andhavebeenincreasingsincethebegin- -Daily mortalityfiguresobservedatthetransitcampare . Conclusions (Gisenyi)… Gisenyi) andattheborderforthosearrivingonfoot -Screening ofthenewarrivalsatairport(Kigali/ with cholera. collection, isolation,andtreatmentofpatientspresenting -Surveillance forepidemicsthroughepidemiologicaldata hospitals -Medical assistancethroughtheestablishmentoffield ways ofdealingwiththerefugeesarrivinginMbandaka. On 25May,MSFBelgium’sCongoTaskForcediscussed who regroupedatLoukolelaandLiranga,tookthesameroad. site. The vast majority of these refugees, as wellthose The testimony concerns refugee populations at the Njundu who have arrived inthe Congo… and childrenareunder-representedamongtherefugees ing ineveryfamily-achild,father,mother…Women - Everyfamilyhasbeenbrokenup.Thereissomeonemiss along the road andkilledby the rebels. great numbers.Unabletocontinue,theywereabandoned - Thevulnerable(women,children,thesick)havediedin (Ubundu, Ikela). and havecommittedactsofviolenceagainstrefugees - The routed Zairian military have engaged in looting priority. Mbandaka) andsupposedintellectuals(cf.in - Massacreshavebeencommitted,targetingchildren(cf. up tothe banks oftheCongo River. - Therebelshavepursuedandattacked the refugeesright violence (cf. Mbandaka, Wenji). Cross andthelocalpopulationtoparticipateinactsof - Onseveraloccasions,rebelshaveforcedtheZairianRed the rebels, flee, and find food. done asmuchpossibletohelptherefugeeshidefrom - Throughouttheirjourney,theZairianpopulationhas note that: various testimonies collected from refugees in Njundu, we Rwandan refugees,Congo,May/June1997.Fromthe ments. by Guy at Njundu.Whatdoyouthink? We awaityour com- Here isadraftofcompilationtestimoniescollected Extract: build additional structures at theairport. a major cleansing??). MSF has not received permission to are en route from KIS[angani] to MBAN[daka] (the start of There aremanysoldiersandit lookslikelargecontingents MSF iscurrentlyworkingwith therefugeesatairport. MBANDAKA… Extract: French). Department ofMSFFrance,earlyJune1997(in manager, LegalAdviserandCommunications Communications Officer,totheprogramme Draft Meeting, 26 May 1997(inFrench). Minutes oftheMSFBelgiumCongoTaskForce of areportfromAnneGuibert,MSFFrance 189 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

We keep coming back to two basic questions: halfway between the Congo (former Zaire) and Congo- -What means do we employ to take charge of the refugees Brazzaville. (and what refugees, those in the camps, the forests)? Four sites along the river have been identified - Loukolela, -What are we to make of the information that we’ll collect, Liranga, Ndjundu, Makotipoko - accommodating up to what témoignage [testimony]? 15,000 people. They are located in swampland, are difficult to reach, and the exhausted and starving refugees In operational terms, there are two approaches: the cannot receive the attention they need. There are more refugees and the Congolese population. Can we contem- refugees in the forests and swamps, beyond the reach of plate combining the two? Or keeping to the long-term the aid operation. programmes on the grounds that they will also reach the The situation of the Rwandan refugees is once again refugees? disastrous; they are suffering from malnutrition, dysentery and injuries to their lower limbs. The latest arrivals are The refugees still in the forest - how do we find out if shocked and terrified and have no possessions at all. they’re still alive? How many are there? And how many On the Loukolela site, for example, where 4,200 people have died? Given the conditions of access (extremely have already gathered, 500 new refugees arrive every dense forest), actively tracing them is not an option. If day. According to an inquiry conducted by teams from we started tracing, would our aim be to find the living or Médecins Sans Frontières, 80% of the children in this look for mass graves? (NB: MSF-F had suggested doing this camp are severely malnourished. Many children are suffer- tracing independently of MSF-B - we said no). ing from ulcerations of the mucous membranes and lack If we base ourselves solely on the long-term programmes, the strength to swallow. Some of the adults also display how can we manage the (second-hand) information that signs of malnutrition. One case of shigellosis dysentery has we’ll collect on the massacres, mass graves, cleansing? We already been identified. We fear an outbreak of cholera. can’t just shelve it. But at the same time, MSF statements MSF demands that humanitarian organisations are pro- about the disappearances will be directly interpreted in vided with the logistical means, particularly ships, to the press as an accusation against the AFDL. evacuate the women, children, and sick from these sites as This handling of information must be clearly set out in a soon as possible and resettle them in the Bilolo camp near clear and widely (internally) distributed action plan! It Brazzaville, where they can receive proper care. should take into account the fact that we won’t be able 13 volunteers from Médecins Sans Frontières are providing to focus international attention on this region for very medical care and sanitation. New teams must be sent to long, and that Mban[daka] was belatedly affected by the reinforce them. The ICRC is also on site and is ensuring influx of refugees. the distribution of food. There is also someone collecting testimony at KlS[angani]. At the operations centre, they don’t even know what they’ll do with this information. Communication in this context is so “fucked up” that it constitutes a textbook case. Repatriation to Rwanda was being conducted against THERE MUST be an inter-section meeting about communi- a shameful background of AFDL intimidation in the cations, internally prepared to fix the position of Brussels Kisangani transit camps, UNHCR eagerness to evacu- (between shouting and saying nothing), an expanded ate the refugees, and the dangers facing the latter in meeting (more than the Task Force) in Brussels. their communes of origin. MSF national sections were divided on what position to adopt.

On 26 May, a press release from MSF Belgium and MSF Danielle Rouard, ‘Humanitarian Organisations France called for a logistics operation to evacuate the Debate Operational Conditions in Congo (the refugees from the swamplands in the Republic of Congo former Zaire). Médecins Sans Frontières criti- and separate the civilians from the armed leaders. cises the Policy of Repatriating Hutu Refugees,’ Le Monde (France), 28 May 1997 (in French).

Extract: ’Rwandan Refugee Emergency in Congo- Officials from UNHCR, ICRC, various NGOs including Brazzaville,’ Press Release, MSF France and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and the Ministry of MSF Belgium, 26 May 1997 (in French). Defence met today to discuss the “the inaccessibility of victims and security for organisations working in the Extract: field” in the Great Lakes region. They also discussed the Brussels, 26 May 1997. Hundreds of Rwandan refugees are “possibilities and limitations” of international humanitar- still crossing the Ubangi-Congo River every day, seeking ian law and the “complementarities” of the organisations shelter in Congo-Brazzaville. These refugees are fleeing involved… 190 the Mbandaka area; some of them are stranded on islands MSF researcher Dr Rony Brauman did not mince his words, are motivatedandnaive enough toreplaceus... operations centre is surprised that it can’t find people who the caretakerforwhenMarioandBrigittearrive,how group onaflighttoEuropeleavingtheofficekeyswith meeting he’dagreedto,howtheexpatMSFteamleftina to replace,howtheHealthMinisterrefusesgrantus its dayremovingthestickersithadsurreptitiouslydared day aftertomorrow,howtheMSFteamonceagainspent ing onhispoliticalcareer!Orishe?Readinthesitrep, there’s methinkingthathe’dleftMSF!Thathewaswork inspired bythewordsofwhoelsebutRonyBrauman!And be abletoenjoytherepercussionsofanarticleinLeMonde, too longforegomaniacs).Sotomorrow,wewillonceagain all, therehadbeennopressreleaseforawholeweek!!!Far after thecriesofoutragefrompeopleinfield(after be manipulatedbythepressandFrenchpolitics,noteven Of course,MSFcouldnotpassupsuchanopportunityto their oppressors in thename of humanitarianism?” UNHCR bereturningtheserefugeestotheverycountryof are “destroying the refugees by the thousands. Should standing” withtheRwandangovernment,whosemembers Dr Brauman.Helaunchedascathingattackonthe“under- international pressureandrushingthisrepatriation,”said for therefugeesinRwandaitself,UNHCRisbowingto claiming therighttoasylumandguaranteeingprotection the UN,wassingledoutforcriticism.“Insteadofpro- alising”. UNHCR,whichismanagingtherepatriationfor although hewascarefultoavoidanysuggestionof“mor- for two or threedays. As I was leaving (the 31st), repatriation was suspended off the plane (???). the MSF-BteaminRwanda, they fledassoongot between the airport and the transit camp. According to arrived inRwanda,manyof therefugeeswentmissing there. When the first two or three flights from Mbandaka tored bytheKigaliauthorities, according totheMSFteams about 80%,whosearrivalinRwandaseemscloselymoni - -From Mbandaka to Rwanda - mostly male population, in apitiful state. sit camp,11kmfromKisangani.Itisamixedpopulation and Biaro.The“fittest”makeabriefstopattheLolatran - -From KisanganitoRwanda-refugeesfromUbundu,Obilo in May. There aretwo routes: UNHCR “repatriated”justover40,000refugeestoRwanda Extract: Extract: 31 May1997 (in French). field byFabienDubuet,MSFInformationOfficer, ’Some notesonKisangani,’Reportfromthe 1997 (inFrench). Sitrep fromMSFBelgiuminKinshasa,28May - many ofthese peopleandinfactalittlelater thatmorn- charge ofthe nutritionalcentrenotedthe absenceof Rwanda onthemorningof 24 May).TheMSFnursein (some ofthemalnourished were probablytransportedto so thatUNHCR,initszeal,did notrepatriateourpatients their departureforaspecific day.”Wehadtobevigilant return toRwandatodayandwe can’tmedicallyprogramme explanations: “No,thesepatientsarenotfitenoughto lot ofenergywasexpendedeverydayrepeatingthesame particularly annoying and had to be constantly resisted; a These UNHCR pests, full of their own self-importance, were or theircompanionswerefitenoughtoreturnRwanda. treated) almosteverymorningtoaskifcertainpatients to thepartswheremalnourishedandvulnerableare - UNHCRlocalagentscametothehospital(especially arrests every dayin the Rwandancommunes land oftheirbirth.AccordingtoICRC,thereare300-400 that even if it means death, they would rather die in the security of those who had already returned. They told me present inthecommunesandifwehadinformationon refugees haveoftenaskedmeifhumanitarianactorswere diers haveactively participated inthemassacres. Fearful executioners. We knowthat Rwandan government sol- UNHCR isquitesimplysendingthevictimsbacktotheir - Transportingrefugeestoanothersourceofdanger: destination. most ofthemaskedmeiftherewasanotherpossible stabilisation inthecamp,attackoncamp.However, the samescenarioeverytime:constructionofacamp, tion andtheyweretiredafterthreeyearsontheroad was basedonresignation. They couldseenoothersolu- all madeitclearthattheiragreementtoreturnRwanda refugees atObilowhoknewnothingaboutit).Butthey to Rwanda(althoughPierre-Pascaltoldmehe’dmetsome Obilo andUbunduthattheyweregoingtoberepatriated refugees ItalkedtowerefullyawarewhentheyleftBiaro, - AbsenceofotheroptionsproposedbyUNHCR:allthe 60-day ultimatum. of themalsoexpressedanxietyabouttheexpiryKabila’s happened atBiaroandKasese can happenheretoo.”Most refugees Ispoketosaidtheyfearedanewattack:“What the camp or hospital since 13 May, the vast majority of camp, althoughtherehadbeennomilitarypresenceinside MSF logisticians working in Biaro). In the Lola transit (information confirmed by theinfirmary and oneofthe and 100,000 New Zaires for a guaranteed seat on the train a blackmarket;therefugeeshadtopaybetween40,000 Tickets weresoexpensivethatUNHCRlocalstaffsetup the refugeeswereurgedtotaketrainKisangani. shooting aroundUbundu,ObiloandBiarosince17May, refugees toreturnRwanda.Althoughtherehadbeenno to havemovedonMbandaka)isenoughincitethe which hadbecomenotoriousinKaseseandBiaro,seems in Mbandaka(theRwandanTutsicleansingoperation, - Directorindirectthreats:thepowerfulmilitarypresence transportation (a more appropriate term) is sinister: can talkof“voluntary”departure-butthebasisthis the refugeesarenotforcedontoplanes-soUNHCR The term “repatriation” is an abuse of language. Admittedly, Transportation rather than repatriation 191 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

ing, three of them came back to us from the airport. How and Le Monde) on Friday 16 May. During the AG, Marc Biot many had been flown to Rwanda? Did they escape or did read Olivier Antonin’s letter in which Jean-Hervé Bradol is they succumb to the UNHCR siren song? portrayed as the big bad wolf of MSF in Paris. After the two teleconferences between Operations Directors and General Directors (see the attached email which I sent to Mario, Marie-Christine, Pim et Wilna on ”UNHCR meeting in Geneva,” Summary from the night of Friday 16 May), I received an email of the Dominique Boutriau, MSF Belgium programme ‘final version’ of the Kivu report. I was the one who sent manager, 5 June 1997 (in English). it to comm.[unications department] for distribution, making it clear that the General Directors had agreed to a Extract: NON-confidential distribution. Marc Gastellu faxed it to Herewith some personal minutes of UNHCR in Geneva Stephen Smith (they’d known each other well since a trip about Great Lakes. Maybe an official summary would come to Somalia). out… So, cc the will of UNHCR protection I do not think MSF can By the time I’d received the “final version” of the report make more criticism... towards UNHCR itself but more on by email in the late afternoon, the first version had member states who do not support UNHCR. already gone out around midday. If mistakes were made, anger should therefore be directed at the people who were 2. cc operational capacity of UNHCR our feeling is that participating in the teleconferences, at Marc or me. due to lack of “competency” of some UNHCR staff in the field, there is consequently a certain lack of coordination We sent our apologies to the teams in the field for of operations between agencies. etc... any security problems that the distribution might have There are factual incidents, and these incidents have of caused them [(copies to Eric, Mario, and Dominique)] and course consequences on the fate of the refugees. Our explained how the situation had come about. I made a big point of view is that we should collect all the problems we mistake in not warning Frédérique and Pascal in Kinshasa. encountered and try first to have an open dialogue about these problems with UNHCR delegate in the field and also raise that issue directly with key UNHCR person[nel] (who appreciate MSF) in Geneva. ‘DR Congo: Thoughts on the Témoignage [testimony],’ Memo from Bernard Pécoul, General 3. I am convinced that we will not gain anything in going Director, MSF France, 26 May 1997 (in French). public against UNHCR and they are in the same bullshit as us in front of what is happening in Congo-Rwanda. What Extract: can do humanitarian people do in front of military!!! I - Consolidation of figures and conditions of repatriation am convinced that we should have an open dialogue with in view of the pressure on UNHCR (meeting of Friday UNHCR as a partner in the refugee crisis to try to solve the 30 May on protection; participation Françoise Saulnier, problems we meet in the field. Dominique Boutriau?). Write a paper [...] - Pressure on the facts with UNHCR (cf. result of Ogata’s intervention at the Security Council: UNHCR lowers its The General Director of MSF France suggested a confer- arms with regard to its mandate). ence on the Congo témoignage [advocacy]. The crisis of confidence between MSF sections continued. The Belgian and Dutch sections tried to stop MSF France’s Director of Communications being interviewed on “Re: Report Telephone Conversation with French television. V22 William,” E-mail Dominique Boutriau, MSF Belgium programme manager, 28 May 1997 (in French).

‘Distribution of the Kivu Report,’ E-mail from Extract: Brigitte Vasset, Director of Operations, MSF La Marche du Siècle [a French television programme] did a France, to MSF Belgium Operations Directors, report in Kisangani. This will be screened 04/06. Invited 25 May 1997, (in French). to the studio: - J.H. Bradol. We are trying to get this cancelled. Extract: Paris, 25 May 97 Hello, After talking to some people from Brussels over the weekend, I would like to pass on details on the people respon- 192 sible for releasing the report to French journalists (Libé Frontières statements about theRwandanrefugees that experienced in formerZairefollowingthe Médecins Sans I amwritingtoyouaboutthe incidentthatwehavejust Extract: Rwanda. can nolongerguaranteethesecurityofexpatsin programme. ThismeansabreakwithMSF-F.Dominique “Marche duSiècle”:Bradolisstillduetoappearonthe William Claus andco. sion andcollaboration. being itistheonlysolution.Thanksforyourcomprehen- I regrettotakesuchmeasuresbutforthis[SIC]time 4. 3. 2. 1. the damage. obliged totakesomepreventivemeasuresinorderlimit on the3/06.KnowingreputationofMrBradolweare tions inthepast)willbeattendingadiscussiononTF1 We knowalsothatMrBradol(wellknownforhisdeclara- in Paris.WehopethatitwillnotbeonRFIthismorning. The co-ordinationteaminKisanganihaslostconfidence interest of Paris. situation] theinsecurityinfieldissecondaryto high withoutbeingpresentonthefield.Ifthis[is it is the first time that the press coverage in Paris is so the newspapers.Ihavetocongratulateyou.thinkthat the ‘damage control’,whichwastheresultofarticlein who wrotetheletterofexplanation.Afterdoing I amaddressingthisletterespeciallytothose3people Extract: security. MSF Paris as we don’t want to be responsible for their We will reduce as much as possible expats coming from an explanation on thepressarticles. Paris whenIwill[SIC]calledbytheGovernortogive lished andtheimportanceofit,Iwillnolongerdefend Although Istillsupportthelastreportthatwaspub- be stopped. prepare thefieldtosetupalong-termprogrammewill ment ofMariePierreAllie)tointroduceParisand AlI thelobbyingthatwasundertaken(withagree- to Paris. From todaynoinformationfromKisanganiwillbegiven Libération, again MSF Paris succeeded in being in May 1997(in French). Board, SecretaryGeneralMSF International,31 tor inKinshasa,toMSFDirectors,Presidents, Letter from Mit Philips, MSF Belgium coordina- May 2003(in English). Teams presentintheGreatLakesregion,29 Director andofOperationsall France, andMSFHollandPresident,Executive Belgium inKisanganitoMSFBelgium, Message fromWilliamClaus,CoordinatorMSF my very existence scorned. scorned, myviews scorned, myworkinthefield trust you. I feel scorned these days - my personal security As forme,I’vehadit.I’msendingyounoticethatIdon’t develop... even doingabasicanalysisofthewaythingsmight because inthatcaseyouareallthemorestupidfornot AFDL control(assomebodytoldmeoverthephone), of KinshasaandthatKin[shasa]wouldalreadybeunder And don’ttell me thatyoucouldnothave foreseen thefall totally insecure:whocouldhavechosenabettermoment? when thesituationinKinshasawasextremelyvolatileand weekend indoorstoavoidbeingbumpedoffbytheFAZ, The dayKabilaarrivedinKinshasa,afterwespenta informed… we were in contact throughoutthe weekend, was not -Furthermore, MSF-B’sZaireDeskforKinshasa,withwhich releasing it atthattime. -Goma: Informationonthereport,butnoagreement Coordinator what MSF hasbeen saying. ing about its distribution. The AFDL official tells the -Kisangani: Informationonthereportbutnowarn- -Mbandaka: No information. that such a reportwas being prepared. things worse,theMSF-BKinshasateamwasnoteventold through RFIthatMSFwasdenouncing[theAFDL].Tomake -Kinshasa: BoththeMSF-BandMSF-Fteamslearned over the waythis témoignage [testimony] was handled … repeat -myconcernisyourcarelessnessandincompetence the reportordutyofbearingwitnessonthisissue.I pened, becauseIamnotevenquestioning the contentsof the massacresissogravethatitjustifieswhathashap- Let noonestartmoralisingbysayingthatthecauseof whelming professional incompetence. handled thisrevealsalackofseriousnessandanover- appeared inthepress.Iconsiderthatwayyouhave the AFDLin variouslocations,insecurity isnotonly Thirdly, although thereportshavebeenhanded over[to] sion andgive priority tothe security of our teams. wrong, notthediscussionnow) thantopreservethemis- in atthemoment.MSFParis hasotherpriorities(rightor account theprecarioussituation someofourteamsare Secondly wecannothaveconfidencethatheistakinginto work as oil onthefire. might havebeensaidalready,itwill,atleastinGoma, can assumethatalotofthethingsheisgoingtosay ate atthistime,andshouldnottakeplace.Althoughwe I thinkthatJeanHervéBradol’sinterviewisnotappropri - Hi Dominique Extract: manager, 4June 1997 (inEnglish). Dominique Boutriau,MSFBelgiumprogramme Artzen, MSFHollandprogramme manager and ”Re-interview,” E-mails between Wilna Van 193 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

coming from AFDL official [s in] various locations, inse- At the request of its team in Rwanda, MSF Belgium curity is not only coming from AFDL official levels, but decided not to send the French section any further maybe more from the so called uncontrolled/undisciplined information on the Great Lakes context and suspended fractions[SIC]. One more interview on local radio/TV will all communication concerning the refugees in eastern only assist a possible uncontrolled response from these Zaire until further notice. sides. And, SCF and UNHCR have sent out a press release yesterday evening in relation to the murder of SCF national staff member and the refugees, strong one. ‘Silence Does Not Mean Consent,’ Message from the MSF Belgium team in Rwanda to the [Dominique’s answer to Wilna] Directors and programme manager of MSF Belgium, MSF Holland, MSF France, 29 May Hello Wilna 1997 (in French).

I am afraid that the interview of the Marche du Siecle is Extract: going to take place. We have been equally dismayed, distressed, disappointed and angered by the whole episode. We try to understand l do agree that MSF Paris has shown a lack of responsibil- why MSF France adamantly insists on being reckless and ity towards our team in their external communication of nonchalant about the lives of so many volunteers in the last month, this on 5 separate “incidents” ... and l do region. We also try to understand how on earth it is again think that due to the frequency of these “incidents”, they possible that apparent differences in approach of advo- are not hazardous incidents. cacy can lead once again to another intersectional crisis … Going back to last week: we tried to open a dialogue Our General Director has vetoed the passage of Bradol ... with the major players in the country, we discussed the without success. Eric Goemaere has had a phone conver- report, we handed over these reports to the various embas- sation with Bradol yesterday and Bradol will maintain his sies, we promised to give them time to study and analyse interview ... as he mentions he is not able to convince the report. Most were critical of the method we chose to the Marche de Siecle to accept somebody else from MSF. discuss this matter in public; they proposed to have this I believe it is true because l have been called by the jour- discussed internally with those responsible and promised nalist of The Marche du Siecle to check the figures of war to apply diplomatic pressures using our data and info. We wounded in our Kisangani hospital ... and the journalist said we would open dialogue to express our concern and said that the organiser of the Marche du Siecle wants to for the time being, no more publications and discussions have the person who was in charge of the famous Libé would take place through the media. Astonishing therefore report...so Bradol ! ! ! that only a few hours after our final meeting and discus- Anyway, following what Eric told me, Bradol will concen- sion with the German embassy, all we had just said went trate on two subjects: up in smoke due to the latest press release of Paris. This -The implication of the French elements in the Rwandese put us in a funny situation not knowing what to say next. [SIC] refugees crisis ... supporting existence of the This approach put us in a difficult position. We have lost camps and therefore facilitating the remilitarisation of confidence again. MSF will be taken as one who sells lies the camps... using the civilians as a human shield. l am or as people who don’t know what they are talking about, not against that... although l do feel personally that MSF as jokers, and unreliable. What a nice image to have in the should not be involved in such kind of political issue ... it diplomatic circle and the international community… should not either affect our field teams. -The refugees missing: Bradol wanted to talk about massa- Proposals for the long-term: cres; Eric asked to stress also on their medical status... not We should review our approach to humanitarian aid, we allowing them to leave without humanitarian assistance... don’t think it is only a question of the Great Lakes region; as this would lead to death. it is a question of probably the new era of human rights and humanitarian aid. It is a question of our ethical value Eric expressly said that the word “extermination” should and its implications. We have to bring our acts together be avoided, that Rwanda should not be accused, and and come up with plans and strategies [relating to] where UNHCR either. Bradol agreed. and how to go about it. Our teams have been informed in the field. I understand that the security is very touchy especially in For the short-term: Goma after the SCF incident in which one local staff was 1. We should cut off our link with Paris, stop providing any killed on purpose. Security is also very tense in Rwanda... information since they repeatedly refuse to co-ordinate and starting to be tense in Kisangani. l hope that this their press communiqués. time the discussions in Paris will be respected... 2. We think it is imperative for all payers involved at headquarters level to get together and come up with a genuine coordination. What happened to Chantilly? Please let us 194 put our acts together. the oft-repeated argumentsjustifyingsuch anoperational On ourside,we undertaketoputinwriting byMonday Operations. mechanisms as defined for the region by the Directors of -Willingness toacceptthe operationalcoordination Brussels and Amsterdam. tion ofmessagesissuedbyCoordinatorsdesignated French section,withtheexceptionofcarefulresump - -Respecting atotalsilenceondenunciationfromthe disregards all former commitments. vidual sectiontoengageindenunciation,whichtotally more nor lessthat nothing canstopthe will of an indi- -Cancellation of the Board’s decision of 25 April affirming should befulfilled: trust istoberestored,thefollowingminimumconditions Nothing is immutable at MSF but it seems to us that if of making us taketheblame for it. movement’s internationalisation,butspareusthedeceit that there is a great risk of dealing a severe blow to the We takenopleasureinwritingthis,forwearewellaware ferences over decisions. Europe, asthesituationdoesnotallowforcontinualdif- if thosewhoarenothappywiththesemethodsreturnto as definedbyBrussels.Itisclearthatitwouldbebetter sions, operational methods, and communications policy ing inthefield,wewillaskthemtorespectdeci- As fortheexpatriatessentbyParisandcurrentlywork- for any move concerning this context. -Refusal ofjointrepresentationwiththeFrenchsection obtain accreditation for theFrench section. -Cessation oftheapproachesbegunonsite[inDRC]to and western political players. that appliestolocalauthoritiesaswellthemedia positions adopted by the Paris Operations Centre; a policy -The possibility of publicly dissociating ourselves from the French section. -No furtherinformationonthiscontextwillbesenttothe ally taken the following decisions: Given thegravityofconsequences,wehaveunilater- plaything of theFrenchmedia and otherinterests. for MSFontheinternationalstage.Itisnowseenas risks mentionedabove,inaprofoundlossofcredibility ests overthoseofthemovementhasresulted,beyond All inall,thepriviledgingofdomesticandpersonalinter- of understanding”. clearly appearstobeadeliberateattitudeandnot“lack after thatfamousBoardmeeting,throughwhatnowvery agreements thatyouconsciouslyfloutedfromtheday of thegreatmanydiscussionswehavehad,andpast taken followingcountlesswarningsissuedoverthecourse This isnotahastyemotionalreaction.Itdecision Extract: France, 29 May 1997(inFrench). MSF Belgium, to the Management of MSF Message fromEricGoemaere,GeneralDirector, court. recourse totheInternationalCouncil.Theballisinyour June inBrussels.Itcouldbeanopportunitytoavoid A meetingofGeneralDirectorsisalreadyplannedfor4 dialogue onthe background. policy. Thisisinordertoavoidanyblockageofcritical the MSF Belgium in-house magazine. The formerButarecoordinator repliedlaterinContact, denunciation ofthemassacres bytheteaminButare. at the mercy of the militias, did not oppose the public during thegenocide,teaminKigali,eventhough the Rwandanrefugee crisis in Zaire. He recalls that tions the advocacy policy of the MSF movement in house magazine, the Communications Director ques- In aspecialreportinMessages,theMSFFrancein- Daniel DeShryver or Chui Hsiaforfurther clarification. the process,sopleasedonothesitatetocallMichelVillée, has tobefoundquickly.Youwillkeptupdateon Agreement onthelineofcommunicationandadvocacy and contentofadvocacythatneedtobeclearlydefined. advocacy isfirmlyontheagenda,anditmethods The BrusselsBackupSectionwishestoemphasisethat sent. operational basisof our presenceinthecountry will be detailing our involvement in Congo and explaining the By theendofMonday,orearlyTuesday, a document sions tosolve the organisational problems. on thissubject.Inthemeantime,therewillbediscus- Paris offices,inregardtotherefugeecrisisandadvocacy well asinrelationsbetweentheBrussels/Amsterdamand to prevent further damage to the situation on the field as For themoment,thereisanall-stoponinformationflow in recent times. communications about the Congo region has been handled executive, expressingdissatisfactionwiththewaythat Eric GoemaerewenttotheParisoffice,atlevelof over thelastfewweeks.Yesterdayevening,aletterfrom we aredoingaboutthecommunicationsproblemsfaced As promised yesterday, below is an explanation of what Extract: English). communication departments,30May1997(in from CommunicationsTaskForceBrusselstoall ‘Update onComm[unications]Policy,’E-mail 195 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

was mentioned as a good example on three occasions after my particularly frank but friendly conversation with the ‘I Keep Quiet, You Keep Quiet, They Die,’ Doctor Vice-Governor. They are probably playing a sort of game Jean-Hervé Bradol, Director Communications in denigrating UNHCR while applauding others, aiming to MSF France, Messages (MSF France in-house drive a wedge between us, so we shouldn’t be too happy magazine) April-May 1997 (in French). to hear about these feathers in the MSF cap.

Extract: There is certainly more than ‘a sort of game’ in the dedi- For several months now, everyone - be it in government cation employed by the butchers to silence the victims. offices, the United Nations, or the press - has been aware But to realise this, we have to open our eyes rather than that an implacable process is underway to liquidate the congratulating ourselves over ‘frank but friendly’ conversa- largest possible number of refugees still present in Zaire, tions with the monsters who have just exterminated our or about 250,000 people. In late March 1997, one of our patients. teams in Kivu drafted a report on the fact that our work Butare, 1994, for information - the roadside first aid posts to help the refugees coming The MSF team stands by powerless as the Rwandan militia out of the forest - is being used by the ADFL, backed up kills 200 patients in Butare hospital. It was decided to by Rwandan military, to attract the refugees and then close the mission and accuse the Rwandan authorities of massacre them. the time. Another team was in Kigali at the mercy of the militia. This team decided not to oppose the approach At the end of April, we began to release this information adopted by the Butare team and stayed in Kigali. I was a unofficially to governments, the United Nations and a few doctor in the Kigali team and Rony Zachariah was a doc- journalists. Meanwhile, in Kisangani, refugee massacres tor in the Butare team. More than ever, I can only thank were beginning. The Rwandan-speaking troops took over Rony for having opened his big mouth and enabling me to from the Katangans, mechanical diggers were sent to the continue to be able to look at myself in the mirror. camps to dig mass graves, and of course, access to the camps remained closed to the aid organisations.

What was the reaction from Médecins Sans Frontières? ’On Behalf of the MSF Butare Team, 1994,’ First veto from Brussels - prohibiting any release of infor- Doctor Rony Zachariah, Contact n°48 (MSF mation, even unofficial, about the fact that our work is Belgium Internal publication), June-July 1997 being used to make refugee massacres more efficient. (in English). Second veto from Amsterdam - prohibiting discussion of the massacres in progress in the Biaro and Kasese camps Extract: south of Kisangani. I must clarify, that there were the following distinct differences in the general context: So what’s left of our so-called policy of advocacy? The a) April 26th 1994 was the day that we had left Rwanda, right to release information confidentially to officials an evacuation from Butare via Bujumbura by road. and journalists already perfectly aware of the facts, and There was nothing more to do. We had no more MSF already publicly proclaimed by other aid organisations, local personnel, and no more victims to treat. The usually reluctant to speak out? The right to describe the patients that we had treated and saved during the situation of the survivors, without explaining what really past weeks had all been killed in front of our own eyes happened to them? The right to count the number of (Butare hospital 22-23 April 1994). In a larger context, corpses for which we supplied body bags? we had been witness to a genocide of over one million Tutsis. The entire expatriate staff had been evacuated A glaring example is this account, transmitted by the MSF and the local MSF staff had either been massacred or field desk, of a discussion between the aid organisations had already fled to Burundi. International press decla- and the Vice-Governor of Kisangani. For information, two rations and a press conference were then decided on weeks previously, these authorities were massacring the by the team while in Burundi, in collaboration with the refugees. We are now collecting eyewitness accounts of head offices. It is therefore important to note that the the massacre of our patients by the troops following the decision to go to the press was taken by the team itself orders of these same political leaders. The killings con- and not by individuals at the head offices. tinue south of Biaro, which is still off-limits to us. b) As there were neither expatriate nor MSF Tutsi person- “The Vice-Governor, accompanied by Kamanza (ADFL/ nel present in Butare at the time of our declarations, UNHCR liaison officer) and the Mayor of Kisangani, also there was no possible repercussion on the ‘security’ of deplored the poor image given to the Alliance in the individuals. outside world, feeling this image to be unfair because it failed to mention the good things done by the Alliance, c) The Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) had already taken such as authorising the transit site, providing escorts, fer- over control of a good part of Kigali and the former 196 rying the refugees over to the right bank, and so on. MSF Hutu government (of Habyarimana) was already fleeing Kabila described all such claims as irresponsible. UN calledforitsimmediatecessation.Laurent-Désiré lence directedatRwandanrefugeesintheCongo.The eral articlesintheinternationalpressdetailedvio- A reportcommissionedbytheLutheranchurchandsev- d) still at war. purposes, if they are alive and with ex-soldiers, they are That leaves222,000unaccounted for.Forallpractical of 53,000morestillinCongo orneighbouringcountries. refugees repatriatedsinceJanuary andthewhereabouts the south.TheUnitedNationssaysitknowsof125,000 have beenspottedontheAngolanborder,600miles to up inMbandaka,750mileswestofLakeKivu,andmany nearly thesizeofWesternEurope.Thousandshaveturned is nowaytoknow,becausetheyarescatteredoveranarea from bullets,moststarvationanddisease.Butthere mate thathalftheirnumberhavediedinthejungle-some The Alliancehasangrilydeniedthat.Somerefugeesesti - ing thebodies. cring refugees,includingwomenandchildren,burn - Tutsi Alliancetroopsareaccusedofmethodicallymassa - camps nearKilometre42,southofKisangani,Rwandan bly ontheroadswesttoGomaandinBiaroKasese of theforestsotheycouldbekilled.Insomeareas,nota- medical care for refugees, but really to lure the Hutu out cies asbait,leadingthemintothejunglewithfoodand Mr Kabila’sguerrillaAllianceofusinghumanitarianagen- The European group Doctors without Borders has accused Extract: comed by the newRPFrebels. no risktotheMSFteams,andinfactwereclearlywel- made against the Hutu government were of relatively the RPF).Therefore,internationaldeclarations and furthernorthofthecountry(areascontrolledby were MSFteamspresentinKigali(MSF-International) to neighbouringZairetowardstheendofApril.There with the head offices. a decision taken by the field teams in collaboration trolled areas.Furthermore,theinitiativewasprimarily by theauthorities/rebelsinKigaliandotherRPFcon- operations, and the declarations were well accepted personnel, inasituationwheretherewasnoriskto was nopotentialrisktothesecurityorlivesofMSF context ofagenocide,incircumstanceswherethere the teamofButare1994,werethereforemade,in In conclusion,thepressdeclarationsandtestimonyof (USA), 1June1997, (in English). Donald G.McNeilJrTheNewYorkTimes “In Congo,ForbiddingTerrainHidesaCalamity,” according to the document. that thewarisnotoverandfuturelooksbleak,” by a generalisedclimate of anxiety. Many are convinced life ofthepopulationsthesezonesischaracterised taken byKabila’smeninOctoberandNovember.“Thedaily The provinces of NorthandSouthKivuwerethefirst to be subjected to torture,” the report reveals… gone northorsouth.Thosewhodaredtoreturnhavebeen has fled.SomearestillinTanzania,whileothershave last October.“MuchofthepopulationUvirazone notably intheUviraregion,whererebellionstarted The situationseemsparticularlyseriousinthisprovince, whole,” the document continues… not dealtwith in theeastern region andthecountry as a reprisals, whichmaybecomecommonpracticeiftheyare the report.“Moreover,thisjustifiesgreatnumberof actively engagedininter-ethnicbattles,”accordingto Large numbersoftheseareveryyoungandhadalready and thirstforvengeanceofmanytheircombatants. “AFDL leadershavehadlittlecontroloverthebehaviour rights”. “a particularlyalarmingsituationwithregardtohuman mer Zaire)stressesthatthenewgovernmentisinheriting organised bytheLutheranChurchinCongo(thefor- In areportreleasedtothepress,commissionofinquiry local commission of inquiry in Kinshasasaidon Monday. Democratic RepublicofCongo(DRC,theformerZaire),a human rightsarestillprevalentintheeasternpartof Violence, reprisals,inter-ethnictensionsandviolationsof Extract: ing theUNrepresentative and MohammedSahnoun of given byPresident Kabilatoseveralofficials includ- Laurent-Désiré Kabila.“Despite theofficialstatements mer Zaire,despitetheassurances givenbyDRCPresident Akashi, claimedthatmassacres arecontinuinginthefor- The UNUnder-SecretaryforHumanitarian Affairs,Yasushi spokesman Raphaël Ghendatold AFP. their factsbeforemakingsuchallegations,”government the massacres?Theyshouldthinkcarefullyandcheck should notmakesuchstatementslightly.Havetheyseen “All theseofficialsaresupposedtobeimpartial;they senior UN official as ”particularly irresponsible.” tions ofmassacresRwandanHuturefugeesissuedbya Congo (DRC,theformerZaire)describedfreshaccusa - On Monday,theauthoritiesofDemocraticRepublic Extract: 1997 (inFrench). former Zaire),’AFP(France),Kinshasa, 2June Tension andViolenceinEasternCongo(the 1997 (inFrench). Kinshasa,” ‘Particularly Irresponsible,’Accordingto ‘Accusations ofMassacres ofRefugeesare AFP, (France),Kinshasa, 2June 197 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), the massacres continue,” Mr Akashi wrote in an opinion column in the International Herald Tribune (IHT) on Monday, as the ’Rwandan Refugees in Congo-Brazzaville,’ Press OAU’s 33rd summit opened in Harare. Release, MSF France 7 June 1997, (in French). Moreover, he claimed that UN staff assisting in the repatriation of Rwandan refugees from Mbandaka, on the Extract: Congo-Brazzaville border, learned from “reliable local For the last two days, street fighting in Brazzaville has informants that the killings are still going on in the for- forced humanitarian organisations to suspend aid opera- ests”. According to these informants, “the refugees are tions to the Rwandan refugees in Bilolo camp, 25 km from hunted down despite the opposition (to these kinds of the Congolese capital. No food has been distributed since practices) of some non-Tutsi units of the ADFL (Alliance of Thursday morning and medical staff have not had access Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo).” to the camp. The registration of refugees volunteering for Last Thursday, the UN Security Council appealed to the repatriation to Rwanda has also been stopped. new government to stop the massacres. Kinshasa replied The impossibility of free movement in Brazzaville has also by accusing the UN authorities of backing a “campaign of prevented assistance to the Congolese wounded in the intimidation”. fighting. 13 Médecins Sans Frontières volunteers are now trapped in Brazzaville. Two MSF teams are still working with the 10,000 refugees regrouped in two camps in the north of the country. But the impossibility of reinforcing On 3 June, MSF Germany announced that after receiv- the missions with provisions from Brazzaville will soon ing the MSF report, the German Foreign affairs Minister create shortages of food and medical supplies. addressed an EU meeting and called for an end to the massacres. MSF Holland described this approach as a The mortality rate is very high at NjoundouNjundu and model of “quiet diplomacy”. Loukolela. We record six deaths per 10,000 per day at NjoundouNjundu and four per 10,000 at Loukolela (we estimate that the critical point is generally two per 10,000 per day). The Médecins Sans Frontières teams have ”Advocacy on Zaire Reports,” E-mail from Petra installed a dispensary at each camp (one hundred consul- Meyer, MSF Germany Director of Communication tations a day), a therapeutic nutrition centre, latrines, to MSF Holland Press Officer, e-mail from Max and a drinking water supply. Many refugees are suffering Glaser MSF Holland Context Unit to Operation from dysentery. The main problem on these sites remains Directors, 3 June 1997 (in English). the supply of drinking water, access being very difficult. Eighty percent of the refugees are male, and some are Extract: ex-Rwandan militia or army. Although separating militia This is what silent diplomacy can do, greetings Wilna… and army veterans from the refugees was supposed to be a This is just to inform you that after handing over the two priority, no measures to achieve this have yet been taken. reports (Zaire) to the German government, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Klaus Kinkel, yesterday said on the occasion of a meeting of the EU Foreign Ministers in Luxemburg, “I’ve got information that massacres have On 8 and 11 June, the Washington Post published been carried out on the Rwandan Hutu population in details of the massacres, particularly those at Kasese Eastern Zaire.” He also said that aid agencies ought not and Mbandaka, perpetrated by troops loyal to Laurent to be used by the military as a lure in order to trace and Kabila. kill refugees. Kinkel called on Kabila to stop these killings immediately. He announced that next Wednesday (tomorrow) a mission of the EU together with representatives of the USA would present their protests to Kabila’s govern- ’Massacres Became a Weapon in Congo’s Civil ment. War,’ John Pomfret, The Washington Post MSF was not quoted as source of information. This mes- (USA), 11 June 1997 (in English). sage was on the main TV current affairs programmes yesterday evening. Extract: Best regards, Petra This hamlet of straw-thatched mud huts in the heart of Congo’s vast rain forest harbors a dark secret. In mid- April, urged on by military officers loyal to rebel leader Laurent Kabila, its villagers tore through a camp of mostly Some of the refugees at Loukolela in northern Congo- Rwandan Hutu refugees, hacking and spearing groups of Brazzaville (4,800 people) began to be transferred by men, women and children. barge or aircraft to the Bilolo camp near Brazzaville. Armed men among the Hutus fought them off. But a day From 5 June, fighting in the city prevented MSF teams later, Kabila’s rebel forces stepped in and, according to 198 from gaining access to these refugees. survivors and local residents, ravaged the refugee com- Brazzaville as the violence escalated. On 12June,theMSFFranceteamwasevacuatedfrom the rest of thebodiesinto the river,” he said. Cross tocleanupthemess.Theycameandtheypushed And thesoldiersweresocold.ThentheycalledRed anything likethat.Thesmell,alltheblood,crying. “I wasinthewarehouseandsawitall.Wehaveneverseen angled for catfish. barge,” he said recently as he stood by the water and the river.Bodiesfellontoquay.into and shotattheboat,killingeverybody.Bodiesfellinto port withbullets.Allofthesoldiersjustloadedtheirguns “The armycameontothedocksandstartedspraying behind alarge fresco ofMobutu, witnesses said… side town,gunningdownabout15peoplewhohadhidden moved in.Theychasedrefugeesthroughthesmallriver- Killing continuedinMbandakaonMay13asthesoldiers and pusheddozensmorebodiesintothe river, theysaid. In Wenjithatday,RedCrossworkersburied116people others were wounded butalive. woman andherdaughter,about10yearsold,dead.Two directed toapileofwoundedwomen.Hesaidhefound In theafternoon,whenshootingstopped,Ealewas refugees that day.” and dyingpeopleeverywhere,”hesaid.“Theykilledmany went totheriver.Manywerewounded.Therewasblood Wenji. Somewentintotheforest,othersstolecanoesand “Outside therewasariverofpeople,refugees,fleeing Zaire… topple MobutuSeseSeko,thenleaderofwhatwascalled now presidentofCongo,duringhisseven-monthpushto killings ofrefugeescarriedoutbysoldiersloyaltoKabila, The story of Kaseseisjustonenumerous tales ofmass up adirt path thatnowis guarded byKabila’s troops. died. Manyofthemwereburiedinamassgrave500yards The localresidentsandrefugeesurvivorssayhundreds ing spears and machetesagainst the refugees. jungle road.Againlocalvillagersjoinedinthefray,wield- encampment inagroveofpalmtreesstraddlingrutted munity of55,000forsevenhours,firingwildly into the in Brazzaville as soon the situation allows. have remainedinKinshasa,ready tosetupasurgicalunit intense that it cannot treat the injured. Three volunteers evacuated thismorning.Fighting inthecityisnowso The Médecins Sans Frontières team in Brazzaville was Extract: June 1997(in French). Brazzaville,’ ’Briefing onMédecinsSansFrontières,Congo- Press Release,MSFFrance,12 collected from refugees arriving in Congo-Brazzaville. timony, particularly on the massacres at Mbandaka, draft oftherecapitulativereportcontainingnewtes- MSF FrancesentBelgiumandHollandafirst point isgenerally2per10,000day. per 10,000day(Njundu);weestimatethatthecritical 2-8 Juneroseto6.4per10,000day(Loukolela)and8 health. Themortalityrateinthecampsforweekof crossing theCongoRivereveryday.Theyareinverypoor volunteers continuetolookafterthem.Otherrefugeesare Njundu andLoukolela,wheresixMédecinsSansFrontières are still10,000peopleinnorthernCongo,thecampsat the DemocraticRepublicofCongoforseveralmonths.There The refugeesarrivedintheCongoaftertrekkingthrough -Give it to UNHCR, ICRC, DHA, M. Richardson (UN USA lowing distribution: This texthasbeenconceived andworkedonforthefol- detail adjustment). desks isannexed(minortextual changesbutimportant rates remarksfromtheBelgium andFrenchfieldteams dated backtoonemonth15.5.Thefinaltextthatincorpo - evening (11.6).Themassacresrelatedinthedocument The drafttextofthereporthasbeensenttoyouyesterday troubles and massacres are stillgoingon. the pressureoninternationalcommunitythat are ofcentralimportancetomaintaintheawarenessand advocacy andsecurity.Atthismoment,suchtestimonies information. Thisisthebestpossiblecompromisebetween quote MSFnoridentifiethepeopleassourceof The reporthasbeenmadeinsuchawaythatitdoesnot refugees’ testimonies. of informationforsecurityreasons.Soitisnotsimply witnessed theseeventsbutcannotbequotedassource in Congo- Brazzaville. The MSF team in Mbandaka has refugees testimoniesonMbandakamassacrescollected ous agreementbetweenMSFFandMSFB.lhaveadded collected inthefieldbyMSFpeopleaccordingtoaprevi- The reportyouhavereceivedismadeoutoftestimonies Extract: help for a weekbecause of thefighting. Brazzaville. The5,000refugeestherehavereceivedno refugees intheBilolotransitcamp,30kilometresfrom The teamspentseveralweeksassistingtheRwandan French). Holland programme manager, 12June1997(in Between MSFFranceLegalAdviserand ‘Re: Témoignage Text,’E-mailExchanges 199 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

representative), M. Ian Marteen (Great Lakes area UK -To protect the MSF-F expats still present in the Loukolela Government Adviser). and Njundu camps (Congo-Brazzaville). -Hand delivery, to some targeted journalists for briefing -To reduce the intensity of the atrocities currently being (MSF is not mentioned in the report and would not be committed. mentioned as source of the report). Priority would be given to US and UK people and journalists. They would be Will the violence increase before the commission of inqui- given the text six hours or more before the others. ry is set up (20 June)? Perhaps. In any case, the impact of the témoignage cannot be measured. Pierre Mounier [MSF logistician] is briefing some targeted journalists and US and UN people in Washington and New Request from MSF-F: Are there going to be arguments York. As for now the testimonies have not been released. over not releasing the Loukolela testimony? It concerns If we want to maintain this strict line we have to agree Congo-Brazzaville; the testimony comes from the refugees on it quickly. themselves; the source will not be identified. MSF-B The normal process is still the approval of the desks who Any testimony from 913 [name of radio code], Loukolela have previously channelled the appropriate information to and/or Njundu, even when anonymous, would still draw the field teams. Until now, Dominique and Marie-Pierre attention to MSF. There are no multiple sources possible. have agreed on the text and the distribution line that The solution proposed by Marc C. - to invite journalists to is written above. To avoid long discussions, delays, and Congo-Brazzaville - would probably be more acceptable. foreseeable vanishing consensus, l propose that Marie Témoignage would place our 913 staff in danger, chiefly Pierre, Wilna, and Dominique, send their written OK on the Congolese staff (one expatriate). Would this danger be this proposal personal [via] mail reply. Otherwise we will reduced if the testimony did not mention Loukolela? It is have to go to a General Directors meeting again. hard to say, given that we don’t control the possibilities Sincerely Françoise of combining it. …It is agreed that it will be discussed tomorrow between the desks. We like to hear the reasons for the lobby activ- Témoignage requires preparation: A withdrawal of 913 ity- so far I do not see added value. would require at least two weeks. We have approached Wilna the new authorities with a dialogue of “transparency” (cf. Mario). Could we withstand the shock of a second report if there is a leak? (The question goes beyond the risk of expulsion - it concerns the protection of our staff, chiefly national)… After discussions with the MSF France team, the MSF Belgium team in Kinshasa opposed a communications Although the danger of expulsion is not a definitive argu- operation involving the Mbandaka team. The task force ment (there’s not much risk of that, anyway), the MSF-B replied that the report would not be presented as a team in DRC still thinks it has a certain responsibility, public position. given the scale of the programmes. Moreover, the risk of expulsion may be slight but there are other, more administrative, ways to limit our room for manoeuvre. They are already affecting our freedom of movement. Message from the MSF Belgium team in Kinshasa to MSF Belgium, Brussels, 11 June In conclusion: 1997 (in French). -We are not in favour of an MSF témoignage operation. We are against an operation involving 913, for it is impos- Extract: sible to ensure the swift protection of our teams. We We were all impressed by the power of the témoignage request that the case of Loukolela be sub-contracted to [accounts] collected at Loukolela. The horror of these reliable people. We would also like better coordination stories surpasses anything we could have imagined. with bodies possessing similar information to ours. On the However, we were surprised when the possibility of a new one hand, in the interests of accuracy (there aren’t many témoignage operation was raised. We have had a local potential sources but we are not the only one), and on exchange of views on this subject with MSF-F. Here is the other hand, not to [miss] the opportunity to increase what we (MSF-B) consider a summary of our respective our impact. points of view.

MSF-F Témoignage is an activity dictated by the MSF charter. Remaining silent would amount to complicity in the current violence. In this particular case, témoignage should pursue two objectives: 200 occurring. gees intheMbandakaarea,wheremassacreswerestill requests forinformationabouttheplightofrefu - The MSF Belgium desk continued to refuse MSF France’s 5/ 4/ 3/ 2/ 1/ Extract: and MSF-F. within MSF-BASAP.WecaninvitepeoplefromMSF-H therefore beprepared.Thistopicshoulddiscussed us toevacuateatleastpartofourteamsandmust mation agency.Publictestimonywouldprobablyforce distance usfromtheimageofahumanrightsorinfor- value, wouldimprovepublicperception,and ing ourmedicalactionswouldcertainlybeofgreat press conferencewithexperiencedfieldworkersstress- some pointinthefuture-whatformshouldittake?A MSF-B suggeststakingastandonpublictestimonyat (the contents of thereport). tional politiciansontheinformationinourpossession their job.WecanverballybriefCongoleseandinterna- urging themtogointothefieldthemselvesanddo on theatrocitiescommittedinregionasawayof We mayverballyanddiscreetlybriefcertainjournalists without mention of MSF,means releasing it publicly. releasing ittopoliticalauthoritiesorjournalists,even released tothepressorpoliticalauthorities.Infact, pened (and mayyet happen), the report will not be solution. Giventhesecircumstancesandwhathashap- the publicdomain.Moreover,reportsuggestsno expat andlocalMSFteamswillbeatriskifitenters The informationitcontainsisold(13May)andthe in Kinshasa. sion ofinquiry),andPierceGerety,UNRepresentative which canbeusedasdocumentationbythecommis- isations -(UNHumanRightstoconstituteahistory The reportwillonlybegiventohumanrightsorgan- tion withKinshasa. Necessity of constructing a final version in collabora- Process ofDevelopment,” of theReportwithCollectedTestimonyin ”Conclusions oftheTaskForcereDistribution June 1997,(in French). Kigali, Kinshasa,KisanganiandBujumbura,12 Belgium’s TaskForceCongototheTeamsin Message from MSF from Paristo review thisboarddecision and torestore This meansthat weareasking[for]some positivesigns attitude. !!!) tomaketémoignageisnotasignofaninternational teams (fromothersections!!!) issufficientforMSF(France ity onoperationsandthata warningof24hoursonMSF For us,aMSFFboarddecision thattémoignageisaprior- been taken there. of the night of 25th April… and the decisions that have not understandatallthemeaningofyourboardmeeting start oftheunacceptableattitudeParis.ThereforeIdo [about] ourpressbriefingofthe25thApril…before “témoignage”… andIwouldjustliketoremindyou I would like tobeclear, MSFB isin favour ofthe Paris. cacy. ThesehavebrokentheconfidenceweinMSF over thelast6weeks,concerningsecurityrulesandadvo - As youknow,therehavebeenseveralbreachesofrules Hello Marie-Pierre; From MSFB toMSFF-12/6/97 18:30 Extract: Greetings, MP. the head quarter level. freely betweenthedifferentsectionsonfieldandat Lakes is stopped and that all information can circulate black outimposedonwhatishappeningintheGreat main concernforanyone,so,proveit!),Iamaskingthis and forthesecurityofourteams(whichseemstobea In thebestinterestsofrefugees,(ifanybodycares), problems thanrefugees ones (at least sinceafewweeks). because inMSFwespendmoretimediscussinginternal information has been stopped some weeks ago and still is information aboutwhatishappeningthere.Circulationof on DRCongoside,inMbandaka,butwedonothaveany finish theirworkontheotherside.ThereisanMSFteam We fear that these soldiers attemptto cross the river to about it),thatrefugeesarepursuedbytheAFDLsoldiers. massacres arestillgoingon,(evenUSAIDofficialsspeak Mounier who came back last week from Mbandaka, that We know, from the refugees themselves, from Pierre camps. the river,todeliverfood,infusions,andfuel2 There is also a MSF team, coming down from Bangui, on people inthesecamps,deliveringassistancetothem. people inLoukolelaandNjundu)arepresentwiththese there, betweenLoukulelaandNjundu.TwoMSFTeams(6 Congo along the Zaire river and the Ubangi River, stuck Hello; Todaymorethan8,000Rwandanrefugeesarein - 11/6/97 16:09 From MSFF toMSFB Extract: English). programme manager, 11 and 12 June 1997, (in France programme manager andMSF Belgium ’Re: Mbandaka,’E-mailexchangebetweenMSF 201 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

the confidence. Up to now, the Directors meetings of last their families and friends with them and forcibly abducted days have not been successful (as far as I understand). innocent Rwandan citizens, most of them children, girls Therefore, it is not possible for us to feed you with and women” … detailed info from the field in the Great Lakes region and Finally, Mr Gasana pointed to the ”armed refugees, ex- believe it or not, I regret it deeply. FAR and Interahamwe militiamen who fought alongside You might know that this does not mean for us a blockade Mobutu’s soldiers in Zaire.” on Paris… as I am collaborating with Françoise Saulnier on the testimony reports, trying to find an acceptable solution for all of us. The door is still open from our side, waiting for a sign from yours. That same day, the programme managers from MSF Kind regards Belgium, MSF France, and MSF Spain held a meeting and Dominique. decided to release the report to the English language press and key diplomats, and later to the international press. The text was finalised and approved that night by MSF Belgium and MSF France. MSF Holland blocked the release until the next General Directors’ meeting, On 13 June, the Rwandan Foreign Affairs Minister pub- scheduled for two days later. licly named the “six parties” he believed responsible for the plight of the refugees. Laurent-Désiré Kabila was not on the list. Minutes of ‘International Meeting of Great Lakes programme managers,’ 13 June 1997 (in French). ‘Rwanda Names Those Responsible for the Plight of the Refugees,’ AFP (France) Kigali, 13 Extract: June 1997 (in French). The compilation of refugee witness reports from Kisangani and Mbandaka has now been finalised. This meeting was Extract: called to decide what was to be done with it if anything. On Thursday, Anastase Gasana, Rwandan Minister for Amsterdam doesn’t think it can work with this document Foreign Affairs, named the “six parties” responsible for the for various reasons: suffering of the Rwandan refugees who are still trekking - The whole process in Europe is a mess… through the former Zaire. France was at the top of the list. - All the information contained in the report is second However, Mr Gasana exempted Laurent-Désiré Kabila, hand President of the new Democratic Republic of Congo, on - Solely from refugees (none from local population)… the grounds that “Mr Kabila’s priority was not to ensure - The topic is already making the front pages… the security of the refugees” … - Doesn’t understand what is to be gained with this report. “The chief culprit”, said Mr Gasana when he addressed Do you think the refugees should be repatriated?... the diplomatic corps in Kigali, “is the one who created the famous Turquoise Zone in 1994. This allowed the Barcelona: government which had planned and carried out the 1994 - It is part of MSF’s responsibility to speak out on behalf genocide and massacres in Rwanda to literally deport huge of the refugees… numbers of people to Zaire and use them as hostages, as - This report complements all the advocacy we have done a political and military human shield” … before... The second party responsible for the migration of “these tens of thousands of people is composed of actors from Paris feels that it is their duty to pass on what the refu- the international community who were not able or willing gees have told them: to enter the refugee camps and separate innocent refu- - The intention is to distribute it to key political figures gees from the criminals who conducted the genocide and and selected journalists (who will be asked not to men- massacres in Rwanda in 1994” … tion MSF.)… “The third includes those who trafficked arms in former - Would like to distribute the report containing both the eastern Zaire and armed the refugees in the camps; the peo- reports from Kisangani and Mbandaka. The report from ple who transformed refugee camps into military camps.” Mbandaka may cause security problems for local staff. If Fourth on the minister’s list are the former Rwandan poli- this risk is considered to be too great it is agreed that ticians and military leaders and the regime of the ousted they will be taken out of the report… Zairian President Mobutu Sese Seko, who all held refugees hostage for political ends. Brussels does not want the part from Mbandaka to be In fifth place lie “elements of the former Rwandan included: … armed forces (FAR) and Interahamwe militias (Hutu) who - Agrees that the process was a mess, but we can’t just planned and carried out the genocide of a million human stop now 202 lives in Rwanda and who, having decided to flee, took - MSF should advocate on these shocking stories… hours later to other press. English speakingpressandkeydiplomaticpersons24 Barcelona will distribute the report on Monday to the does notwanttobeinvolved.Paris,Brusselsand Director ofOperations],butforthemomentAmsterdam with LexandPim[MSFHollandExecutiveDirector Wilna [MSFHollandDesk]willdiscusstheissueonceagain Conclusion: - - - 3/ 2/ 1/ questions: Therefore we are supposed to answer to the following that action needs tobetaken to stopthis practice. massacred (everyone seems to agree by now) but to insist sion makersthattherefugeesaresystematicallybeing campaign isnottoconvincethepublicopinionanddeci- section sentthedocument,hesaid:Goalofthisadvocacy When Dircom[DirectorofCommunications]fromBelgian Monday 16June,at12:30(number0033149574929). As agreedwithallofyou,lproposeateleconferencenext Extract: meeting of today). Kin[shasa] for the strategyproposed(seeresults ofDesks Pierre Mounier)hasbeenrearranged andapprovedbyMSF Here’s whereweare.TheMbandaka part(testimonyof Extract: Try and meet officials in Kinshasa to discuss the report… hours in advance ofothers… English speakingpressshouldbegiventhereport24 sons… Field agreeswithdistributiontokeydiplomaticper- visits to these people? dition nottobequoted?Dowewantdoitthrough especially inEnglishspeakingcountries,withthecon- Do weagreetodistributeittargetedjournalists, representative at UN, UK governmentadviser? Do weagreetodistributeitUNHCR,ICRC,DHA,US quoted assource of information. Mbandaka haswitnessedtheseevents,MSFcannotbe collected inCongoBrazza[ville].AstheMSFteam people. ItincludestestimoniesonMbandakamassacres by Monday?TestimoniescollectedinthefieldMSF attached document,whosetranslationshouldbeready Is thereanagreementonthefinalversionof 16:16 (inEnglish). France ExecutiveDirectors,13June1997, Secretary toMSFBelgium,Hollandand Kindermans, MSFInternationalGeneral ‘Teleconference,’ 13 June1997, 18:20 (inFrench). Françoise Saulnier,LegalAdviser,MSFFrance, Boutriau, MSFBelgiumprogramme manager to ‘French DraftVersion,’E-mailfromDominique E-mail fromJean-Marie English together with Caroline in Paris. This is on this version that Hui Shia is translating into lages... ismadebyFAZandEx-FAR(seeintroduction). into ahumanitarianorganisation.Thelootingofthevil- (totally?) removed.TheRedCrosshasbeentransformed The “fautesd’orthographes[spellingmistakes]”havebeen refugees in the Congo. France discussedthetestimony concerningRwandan That sameday,theBoards ofMSFBelgiumand Have a good weekend,Wilna the sections on director’slevel. On Mondaythetestimony issue will be discussed between we doadvocatetothedifferentdelegationspassingby. ground in Kivu. We are on top of the UNHR investigation, that lwanttocontinuewiththeadvocacyspeciallyon process apparently and itisunfortunate. l wanttostress rect things),MSFatthemomentcannothandlesucha on themailofDanieldeSchrijverinwhichhestatesincor- added value,noconfidenceintheprocess(51addressees Well l guess itis clear to everybody that I do notagree. No Response from Wilna sources)… and approvedbyMSFKinshasa(inordertoprotectour with theparagraphsccMbandakatestimonyre-written corrected versionsentbyFrançoiseSaulnieryesterday Also, herewiththeLASTFrenchversion,thatis in priority by theFrench media. ing ourcredibilityincasethereportisoncemoretaken bution toEnglishmediaandFrenchavoidloos- We acceptIFthereisatleast24hoursbetweenthedistri- selected journos. Also PierreMouniermakesabriefingOFFtherecordto MSF. done byhandandwithbriefingcctheOFFrecordof make clearthathandingthereporttoJournoshouldbe MSF Bagreeswiththestrategyyoupropose.Wewantto After thephoneconversationwithMariePierreandWilna, Response from Dominique Extract: programe manager, 13June,21:43(inEnglish). manager andWilnaVanArtzen,MSFHolland Dominique Boutriau,MSFBelgiumprogramme Françoise Saulnier,MSFFranceLegalAdviser, ‘Témoignage Text,’E-mail exchange between 203 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

increasing insecurity is having on recruitment. Fewer can- didates are coming forward; some delay their departure in Minutes of the MSF Belgium Board meeting, 13 order to “see what happens”, others resign. Field workers June 1997, (in French). are neither professional mercenaries nor pawns who can be moved around according to circumstance and left to Extract: deal with the fallout from the disastrous communication The same violation of human rights scenario is being strategies devised by operations centres. played out in the Mbandaka, Boende, and Shabunda regions. Squads track down the fleeing refugees, slaughter Anouk Delafortie expresses concern about the “interna- them, and bury the bodies in order to hide the evidence. tional memory”, and particularly the absence of note MSF observers believe Kabila is fully aware of the extreme taking or recording of what is discussed at international violence perpetrated by Alliance soldiers and certain teleconferences. In the circumstances, it is not surprising Rwandan militias, his own son having led such operations that the same problems keep cropping up… in the Kisangani region. The Alliance strategy seems clear: extermination of the Rwandan Hutu refugees. In Rwanda, Eric’s comments on various incidents: since the start of the villages to which refugees have been repatriated are the crisis, MSF has done its best in terms of assistance obviously being targeted for attack. Dominique stresses but has not been efficient in terms of protection. Now, the extraordinary work done by local staff despite the cur- the recent témoignage might not have been done in a very rent obstacles to humanitarian aid. professional manner but it turned out to be very efficient.

Témoignage - here’s a brief recap of recent developments: In any case, it helped to save about 50,000 refugees and The MSF France Board meeting in April unilaterally chal- led to the US finally acknowledging the reality of the mas- lenged, i.e. with no international consultation, the sacres. Several international authorities also took more témoignage security veto that applies to all sections. notice after that report. The Board announced that from now on the security veto would be replaced by a 24-hour security warning to ensure However, what did it cost? MSF admits it made a the safety (in other words the withdrawal) of the teams. huge communications blunder over Kinshasa (Kigali was The IC [International Council] sitting of 1 May refused to informed that the Shabunda report was coming out). It ratify this unilateral abrogation and reaffirmed that the thinks témoignage is more important than the interna- security veto rule still applied. Moreover, the IC asked the tional movement, even if that implies increased insecurity DGs to examine whether a change to the existing rule was and the withdrawal of teams. The IC’s power of arbitration appropriate. In terms of témoignage, the implicit message must be strengthened; the IC will have to adopt a firm and from the Paris Board seems quite counter-productive. The unambiguous position in September. incidents that followed did not help matters at all. The emergence of the Shabunda report and “MSF accuses” splashed all over the front page of Libération (20 May 97) was like a bomb exploding at the centre of MSF. Minutes of the MSF France Board Meeting, 13 June 1997 (in French). The Board’s evaluation of repercussions in the field benefited from the return of Mit Philips (Kinshasa). The teams Extract: first heard the news on local radio stations; the message Philippe B. suggests setting up a workshop in September, “MSF accuses” was repeated every fifteen minutes by RFI conducted on the case study model - the Great Lakes crisis in Kinshasa, which was under attack from the Alliance in this instance - to examine the issue of témoignage and at the time. For Mit Philips, this “clash” is inexcusable. the ways it is approached. The workshop would include The situation is all the more unacceptable because it members from the IC, Boards, Operations Departments and has jeopardised the safety of the teams and destroyed the operations centres of different sections. Its aim would all trust between local staff and the operations centre. be to produce a study. Although MSF sections have the The staff thought that giving the field prior notification same philosophy, there is little room for public testimony in the event of témoignage was an established rule. The in operational terms. field makes a heartfelt plea for the professionalisation of témoignage and its harmonisation with the policy of the Now vital questions should not be ignored. Does international movement, because it is obvious that differ- témoignage endanger the missions? Does it help the ent sections apply different strategies when it comes to political process? Does it endanger populations? Its inte- communication. gration into complex crises like the Great Lakes presents obvious difficulties, but if we are to come to grips with On this topic, Daniel De Schrijver thinks it is important the problematic it might be better to deconstruct the case to stress that the “clash” with Paris is not a “mere” pro- rather than produce theoretical statements or expositions, fessional failing but stems from a far more serious and to work on the material so that we all learn the same les- fundamental problem - a blatant intentionality. sons from it and forge a “common culture”. The MSF group 204 Agnès Delahaie also draws attention to the impact of possesses all the elements necessary for such a debate. We publication led tomajorsecurityproblems. Médecinsdu tions speakout? Marie-Pierredoesnotthink thereport’s What aretheconsequences when humanitarian organisa - not worth doing anymore... that as these massacres are now common knowledge, it is it. Thereisresistancefrom the Dutchsection;theysay political players. We have still not agreed on how to use prepared andwewanttouseitputpressureonmajor testimony ontherefugees’odyssey.Adocumenthasbeen to believethattheywillcontinue...MSFisstillcollecting testimony oflarge-scalemassacresandhaveeveryreason We areworkingonthenortherncamps.havecollected 15,000 must have goneontoCongo-Brazzaville. ent, thereareveryfewrefugeesemergingfromtheforest. mortality rateatKisanganiwas70/10,000/day...Atpres - tried togetbackintothefieldandrepatriatepeople.The the camps and we were afraid we’d find mass graves. We When wewereabletoreturn,therenorefugeesin Congo/Former Zaire: Marie-Pierre Allié [MSF France Desk] and therisks (Françoise)… can’t exempt ourselves from acceptingthe commitment a permanentproblem,factthatcan’tbedisguised.We should dropthepretencesandclichés.Témoignageposes There aremanywaysofapproachingthematter and we tial (Jeroen). those whoweredirectlyaffected by theproblem is essen- participation byMSFfieldworkers(François).Inputfrom If wearetocreateanMSFculture,thereshouldbebroad results? (Alain) témoignage and which of them have produced the best lessons we canlearnfrom it. What methods dowe use for When aproblemarises,weshouldseewhatreactionsand analyses and methodslearn from each other. from caricature.Let’scomparedifferentapproaches, exchange ofviewsandnotbydeclarations.Let’sgetaway cal and cultural.All that can be modified by a periodic Bernard agreesthatthedifferencesareessentiallypoliti- MSF). approaches (perhapswiththehelpofpeoplefromoutside but essentialtoexaminethenatureofthesedifferent another. It thereforeseems pointless to talk of principles and culturalapproachesvarygreatlyfromonesectionto and if such serious conflicts exist, it is because political attraction ofconflict. We allagreeonthemainprinciples process. Odysseasthinksthatweshouldbewaryofthe and wondersifsomanyparticipantsmightnotdilutethe sections. Odile thinks it sounds a bit like a high mass We mustrevitalisethisdebateinternallyandbetween from this crisis with a moremature outlook. us to move forwardtogether so that everyone emerges have practicedtémoignage.Thereisenoughmaterialfor sion forward (re-examination, in-depth analysis) and to are one of the few organisations to have taken the discus- gested strengthening its medical component. conveyed theteam’scommentsonreportandsug- On 15June,theMSFBelgiumCoordinatorinKisangani - noparticular consequences. tion and tensionin the area is very high. On Kisangani There wereattacksbeforeandafterthereport’spublica- way, whenallexistingfactorsaretakenintoaccount. Monde inGomadoesnotseemuchconfirmationeither collected testimony from the villagers? clinics. I know it’s really journalists’ work, but have we chiefs around here and suggesting that you improve their not going to be too keen on shaking hands with the local What isclearthatafterreading thisdocument,you’re to defendour position asimpartial witnesses. that we’redishonest.Asaresult, it’s much moredifficult ership theimpressionthatwe’rejustmessingaboutand the Alliance.Inthisrespect,itcangiveAlliancelead - ating withFAZelementswhoareconductingawaragainst gees arealmostalwayssurroundedbyFARelementsoper - doesn’t take into account at all - the fact that these refu- Finally, thetestimonydoesnotbringout-andreport the Mbandaka region. the refugeesinKisanganiregionandprotectthem and thearmy.Wedon’tunderstandwhyvillagersattack It givesagrosslymisleadingimpressionoftheAlliance this suffering-itdoesnotsufficientlyhighlighttheirrole. sides lookgood-thosewhoaredirectlyresponsibleforall It’s annoyingthatthereportmakesextremists of both Kisesa? Kasese was inKivu. going tokeeponsayingKasese when we’rereferringto One detailwhichappliesnotonlytothereport-arewe of hundreds of people. Ubundu inatrociousconditionsthatledtothedrowning whereas apparentlytherefugeescrossedCongoat it talks of passingUbunduasifnothinghadhappened, Lualaba (anothernamefortheCongo?)Justafterthat when theyarrive100kmfromKis[angani]andcrossthe At thestartofdocument,story’snotveryclear ries…). (description of general events, narration of personal sto- doesn’t help) - leaps in space and time, mixture of genres on theformat(thecapsat[satellitetransmission]form a bitofdownertoread,especiallyonthefactsbutalso -13/ Thereport,muybien,verygoodwork, although it’s Extract: Task Force, 15 June1997(in French). Coordinator inKisanganitoMSFBelgiumCongo Message fromStephanOberreit,MSFBelgium from YearOneafterofMarriage’ ’Stanley theEasternerandBridalCouple 205 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

On 17 June, the Belgian and French programme man- June 1997 speak in a consistent manner of the atrocities agers and Directors of Operations and Communications and massacres that were suffered by the refugees during met in Brussels in an attempt to seek common ground this period. These testimonies are also consistent with on the question of a public position. those collected from the refugees and the local population within Democratic Republic of Congo. A separate group of Rwandan refugees was evacuated to the transit camp in Kisangani after the attack on the refugee camps situated along the Kisangani-Ubundu line, At a meeting in Brussels, Marleen Van Bollaert, between 22 April and 27 April 1997. They were then repa- President of MSF Belgium, as a favour to me and triated to Rwanda. The testimonies collected from some with my agreement, tabled the question, “Who is amongst them retrace the abuses and the massacres car- Jean-Hervé Bradol really working for?” In fact, there was a ried out on this group. Their testimonies also agree with rumour going round Brussels claiming that I worked for the those which have been made public by the humanitarian French secret services, along with Stephen Smith, a journal- organisations present in the region at this time… ist for Libération… There are limits to everything. MSF France had already been expelled from Rwanda following These testimonies bring to light the following facts: accusations of espionage, etc… At the time, I was in charge -AIl along the way, the Zairian population did aIl they of programmes and I often travelled in the Great Lakes could to help the refugees to hide them from the soldiers region. With a reputation like that, I was risking my neck. of the Alliance, to escape, to find food. Moreover, I had just spent the summer of 1996 replacing -Humanitarian workers and the members of the local pop- the coordinator in Burundi. And my colleagues tailored such ulation were on several occasions required by the rebels to a reputation for me that I virtually had a blank cheque to take part in the atrocities (cf Mbandaka, Wendji). get myself killed! It might have been forgotten, but quite a -The refugees were pursued and attacked by Alliance sol- few expats were murdered in Rwanda, Zaire, and Burundi diers to the banks of the Congo River. during those years. Many Rwandans worked closely with -Massacres were carried out by Alliance soldiers targeting MSF. Anyone tainted by a reputation as a spy in the pay of also children (cf Mbandaka) and supposed intellectuals (cf the génocideurs is risking his neck when he is in the field… Mbandaka). So I was quite annoyed and decided to fight back because -Soldiers of the Zairan Armed Forces (FAZ) in disor- I felt that the people who were spreading these rumours derly retreat robbed and committed atrocities when they were putting me in physical danger. encountered refugees (Ubundu, Ikela). -FAZ in disorderly retreat and ex-FAR robbed and com- Dr. Jean-Hervé Bradol, MSF France programme mitted atrocities when they encountered local residents manager then Communication Director (in French). (Mbandaka). -The vulnerable (women, children, sick people), unable to keep up, were abandoned by the refugees all along the way. They died of hunger or of sickness, or were the victims of massacres. The General Directors could not reach agreement on -Every family has been broken up, aIl families are missing releasing the report. The decision was postponed until a child, a brother, a mother... women and children are the next meeting of the International Council’s Executive under-represented in the numbers of refugees arriving Committee on 20 June. Wich decided to release the in Congo-Brazzaville. Men account for 80 percent of the report confidentially to three human rights organisations, population. on condition that MSF was not named as the source.

‘Do Not Use Testimony Report,’ E-mail from Atrocities Against and Massacres of Rwandan Anouk Delafortrie, MSF Belgium Press Officer Refugees in the Territory of Democratic to MSF sections, 17 June 1997 (in English).

Republic of Congo: Refugee Testimonies,’ MSF Report, 18 June 1997 (in English). Extract: Following two teleconferences of the General Directors Extract: yesterday, the testimony report prepared by Paris & The large majority of Rwandan refugees arriving in the Brussels CANNOT be distributed. In the document sent to territory of Congo-Brazzaville at the camps of Njundu, you on 11 June, we informed you that a final decision Loukolela and Liranga in May and June 1997 had taken the had to be taken by the DG’s. In yesterday’s teleconfer- one same route in their flight from the advancing forces ence, no unanimous decision was reached with regard to of the Alliance. Following the attack on Tingi Tingi camp the distribution of the report. The issue will be taken up on 28 February 1997, they went in the direction of Congo- again Friday in a restricted committee of the International Brazzaville, passing Ubundu, Obilo and Ikela. Council. 206 The various testimonies collected from these refugees in in September. and securityforthenextInternational Councilmeeting for -Asks theGeneralDirectorstocomeupwithaproposal process of advocacy. each timeagreeonthecontent,distributionand General Directorstohaveacasebyapproachand, emergency beforetheSeptemberICmeeting,asks -If anotheradvocacyquestioncomesupinacomplex Great Lakes region. nisms forco-operatingonassistanceandadvocacyinthe -Asks theGeneraIDirectorstocomeupwithothermecha - Lakes, especially after the lastRC meeting onMay 1. happened recentlyinourcommunicationsontheGreat -Expresses itsbigconcernandlackofacceptancewhat Finally, the RC: decision. It willbeuptotheExecutiveCommitteetakethis to keepitconfidentialwiththe3previousorganisations. would beasecondstepafterhavingtestedourcapacity ICRC butitislesslikelythatwewillpasstoUNHCR.It In addition,itcouldbedecidedtoreleasethereport Commit-tee that E.Goemaere be incharge. above arerespected.TheRCrecommendstotheExecutive for thisprocessandensurethattheprinciplesrecalled It wasdecidedthatsomebodyinMSFwouldberesponsible UN Commission. make surethattheyarereadytomonitortheworkof Commission. ForAmnestyInternational,wewilltryto political ordiplomaticbody,onthemodelofKibeho functioning, inordertobesureitisnotacoverfor the composition of this commission and its status and make sureitisareliablebody.Wewillespeciallyanalyse the UNCommissionofInquiry,wewillgetinformationto fied asasource.Nevertheless,beforegivingthereportto organisations, withtheconditionthatMSFnotbeidenti- ally to an individual that we know from each of these 3 Each timethisreportwillbegiven,itdoneperson- Amnesty InternationalandtheUNCommissionofInquiry. report tothreeorganisations:HumanRightsWatch, It wasunanimously agreed toreleaseconfidentiallythis to guidethe work oftheUN Commission of inquiry. gees, andnotlettheseeventsremainunknown,aswell it istorespectandtransmitthetémoignageoftheserefu- more ofahumanrightsreport.Theobjectivereleasing Congo-Zaire isnotatypicalMSFtémoignage,butmuch The reportmadeofinformationgivenbyrefugeesin Extract: témoignage ingeneraI,anditslinkswithassistance General, 20 June1997(inEnglish). Marie Kindermans,MSFInternationalSecretary Restricted Committee,’MessagefromJean- ‘Decisions oftheTeleconference cials heretodo aslittlepossibletoaid a UNinvestiga- Congo’s new president, Laurent Kabila, has told local offi- Extract: promise to cooperate. Department remindedtheCongolesePresidentofhis tions ofmasskillingsineasternCongo,theUSState tion oftheUNCommissioninvestigatingallega- that Laurent-DésiréKabilahadorderedtheobstruc- On 19June,followingclaimsinTheWashingtonPost beginning of July. begin identifyingandquestioningwitnessesuntilthe Inquiry arrivedintheCongobutwasnotauthorisedto refugees hadbeenmassacred.TheUNCommissionof On 20June,Laurent-DésiréKabilapubliclydeniedthat overthrow of theMobuturegime. 1994. Inexchange,thetwogovernmentssupportedhis massacre RwandanHuturefugeeswhohadfledtoZairein inquiry becausetheyforcedhimtoallowtheirtroops pressure fromRwandaandUgandatoobstructtheUN The WashingtonPostclaimsthatMrKabilaisunderintense issued lastweekatameetinginBukavu(easternCongo). western andCongolesesources,theinstructionswere According toTheWashingtonPost,whichquotesboth orders issued to localofficials by Mr Kabila. “no informationfromanindependentsource”concerning assist UN investigators, Mr Dinger insisted that there was Kabila hadinstructedCongoleselocalofficialsnotto When askedaboutTheWashingtonPostclaimthatMr on thisissue. “full cooperation”fromtheRwandanandUgandanleaders Dinger madeitclearthat the UnitedStatesalsoexpects UN inquiry…Wehavenoreasontobelievehewon’t.”Mr Mr Kabilatokeephiswordandcooperatefullywiththe Department SpokesmanJohnDingeradded,“Weexpect Richardson andUNSecretary-GeneralKofiAnnan,State Citing Mr.Kabila’sassurancestoAmericanEnvoyBill into themassacres of Rwandan Huturefugees. of hispromisetoassisttheUNCommissionIinquiry the DemocraticRepublicofCongo(DRC,formerZaire), Désiré Kabila,theformerrebelleaderandnowPresidentof On Thursday,TheStateDepartmentremindedLaurent- Extract: 1997 (inEnglish). Probers,’ ’John Pomfret:CongoLeader BarsHelpingUN Washington, 19 June1997(inFrench). to CooperatewiththeUN,’AFP(France) ’Washington RemindsMrKabilaofhisPromise The Washington Post(USA),June19, 207 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

tion into alleged refugee massacres by his troops, Western army [Hutu troops loyal to the late Rwandan president] to and Congolese sources said. this country,” he claimed. This army, “massacred Tutsis At an unusual meeting here last weekend, Kabila and in North Kivu [eastern Congo]. It is common knowledge. other representatives of his Alliance of Democratic Forces They were not refugees.” “They are trying to shift the for the Liberation of Congo warned government officials blame onto someone else. These massacres [of Hutu refu- from Kivu Province, on Congo’s eastern border with gees] never took place,” said the former rebel leader. Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi, not to direct human rights A preliminary team from the UN Commission of Inquiry investigators to any mass grave sites or potential wit- arrived in Kinshasa on Friday morning. The investigation nesses, the sources said. will not begin until 7 July, when a second and final team The sources said Kabila and his new government are under of investigators arrives in the capital. intense pressure from Rwandan and Ugandan security officials to stymie the UN probe. Rwandan and Ugandan security forces formed an important part of Kabila’s armed uprising against President Mobutu Sese Seko, who fled At the end of June, MSF Belgium’s Head of Human into exile May 16. Resources produced an internal document designed to In exchange for help in toppling Mobutu, Kabila was clarify MSF’s practice of témoignage. forced to give those units a free hand in gunning down thousands of Hutu refugees, who had been living in what was then Zaire since 1994, the sources said. The refugees came mostly from Rwanda after radical Hutu leaders mas- ‘MSF Témoignage in Crisis?’ Internal document, terminded the killing of an estimated 500,000 Tutsis in Coordination Alex Parisel, June 1997 (in Rwanda. A Tutsi-led Rwandan uprising drove them out of French). Rwanda. The officials, both Congolese and Western, said Kabila Extract: held the government meeting in Bukavu because it is the MSF has experienced some stormy weather in terms of capital of Kivu Province, where many of the massacres are témoignage in recent months, including a series of denun- alleged to have taken place. A team of UN investigators is ciations and accusations over the tragic plight of Hutu due to arrive in Congo on Friday and scheduled to begin refugees in the former Zaire. We cannot ignore the flood work on July 7... of frustration, bitterness and accusation, nor everybody’s Over the last six months, UN aid teams have travelled incessant questioning: what MSF témoignage? What is it across Congo looking for refugees, although they were for? Who is it addressed to? What methods do we use? barred from some areas by Kabila’s military units. Since What is its relevance? What causes us to do it and what April 27, about 50,000 Hutu refugees have returned to stops us from doing it? And what about security?? Rwanda from Congo in a UN airlift. But the UN refugee agency says between 200,000 and 250,000 refugees are MSF practices three forms of témoignage: still missing in Congo. Some US officials have said those - Information explaining the delivery of aid in a critical numbers are inflated… situation (MSF is dealing with malnutrition). On Sunday, Alliance-run radio called all Alliance party - Denunciation (malnutrition is due to the displacement members to another meeting in the centre of town. There of populations). the party members were also instructed that they were - Accusation (these displacements are caused by the not to help the UN team find gravesites or witnesses. “We authorities in charge). were told to do as little as possible,” said one participant. It is this last form that often causes problems (and which “We were told to stall the UN team and make everything will be chiefly dealt with below), particularly when it is go very, very slowly.” public and jeopardises action in the field (limitation of the humanitarian space) and the security of the teams. I am suggesting several reference points, taken from our original position and International Council texts, so that ‘President Kabila: “There Were No Massacres of we can initiate a discussion that should result in a better Refugees,’ AFP (France) Kinshasa, 20 June 1997 definition of témoignage, as well as better coordination (in French). between HQ and the field in this respect. The subject concerns us all, whether through our respon- Extract: sibilities or our sensibilities, whether we work in the […] When questioned on Kinshasa television about accu- field, the capital or the operations centre, whether we sations in the American daily The Washington Post that he are medical staff, sanitation specialists or work in human had ordered the obstruction of the UN investigation into resources. the massacres, President Kabila replied, “These are lies.” The main idea behind this document is the protection of “In the first place, there aren’t any more Rwandan refu- témoignage, which remains one of our most relevant and gees, most of them have gone home. There were no massa- original modes of action, as long as we do not abuse it or cres. The international community wants to distance itself divert it from its original objectives. 208 from the fact that it helped France to bring Habyarimana’s It is a broad domain and the present document is certainly crimes committed by Mobutu. inquiry. Italsodemandedthattheinquirycover mandated bytheHumanRightsCommission,from UN toremoveRobertGarreton,theSpecialReporter On 5 July, the new Congolesegovernment forced the story against onesection or the other. are going to present this because you can only rewrite the which didalotofharm.Iamverycurioustoseehowyou documents. Ithinktherewasakindoflosscontrolthere, Belgian version.OK,butI’mtalkingaboutinternational been obscured.Peoplewillsaythatofcoursethat’sthe taking process,hehadmadeamistake,etc…thatdata Pécoul acknowledgedthatatsomepointinthedecision- Committee andtheteleconferencesindossier.Bernard analysis. IincludedthedecisionstakenatExecutive asked the Heads of Mission for their views and did a fresh that peoplecouldsaywhattheyfeltandnotrepressit.I head ofHumanResourcestoengineerakindcatharsisso their deepestbeliefshadbeenattacked.Itwasmydutyas France, withtémoignage,trust.Thosepeoplefeltthat in tears. To some of them, it represented a break with MSF the endof August ‘97. informed comments.SenditalltoThierryCoppensbefore Give yourcriticalfaculties free reinandlet’shaveyour and English; a translation is planned. and Edouard Vercruysse (editing). The texts are inFrench Sabine Vanhuysse(documentresearch),Monia(typing) riedly, asalways,withthehelpofBrigitteGaignageand management committee.Ithasbeenputtogetherhur- This instalmentistheresultofadecisiontakenatMay policy for mid-October‘97. organising aseminarandworkshopsonMSF’stémoignage note thatThierryCoppens,HeadofResearchatMSF-B,is International CouncildebateinSeptember.Weshouldalso should resultina(re)definitionoftémoignageatan The secondistoinitiateanin-depthexaminationwhich few months and thefallout from the“Libération episode”. a breathingspaceafterourmediaexposureoverthelast not exhaustive. It has two purposes. The first is to create Alex Parisel, MSF Belgium, Human Resources Director from MSFBelgium,peoplelikeDominiqueBoutriau, resources hereandIwassodisgustedtoseepeople I hadjustbeenappointeddirectorofhuman (in French) the overthrow of PresidentMobutuSeseSeko inneighbor- acknowledged for thefirsttimehiscountry’s keyrolein Rwanda’s powerfulDefense Minister, PaulKagame,has Extract: operations in eastern Zaire. edged forthefirsttime,planningandsupportingAFDL Rwandan Vice-PresidentPaulKagame,publiclyacknowl - On 9 July, in an interview for hidden andtakealltheblameourselves,” warns MrMbaya. the violenceperpetratedduringMobuturegimetobe events occurringafterSeptember1996.“Wedon’twant Front (RPF). At present, the mission’s mandate only covers (in 1990and1993)bytheTutsiofRwandanPatriotic does notgobackasfartheinvasionsofcountry perpetrated byHutuextremistsinRwanda1994,but 1993 toMay1997,whichencompassesthegenocide gation. HeisinsistingthatitcoverstheperiodfromMarch Mr Mbayaalsodisputestheperiodcoveredbyinvesti- expert.… UN isresignedtotheremovalofitsChileanhumanrights but MrKabila’sforceshadputastoptotheirwork.The conduct investigationsintheKivuregionearlyMay, on hisreturntoGeneva.Heandteamhadtried a devastatingreportconcerningmassacresofrefugees Garreton visitedtheCongoinlateMarchandsubmitted and will not be granted a visa, said the minister. Mr Rights Commission,hasbeendeclaredpersonanongrata Roberto Garreton,thereporter,mandatedbyHuman [...] It isnot in apositiontoanswer our questions” … was supposedtoprovideuswithareport.Itdidnotdoso. the preparatorymissionforblockage.“The told the press that disagreements had arisen and blamed Emergency Plan-ning,wholiaiseswiththeUNemissaries, July, EtienneMbaya,MinisterforReconstru-ctionand team toKinshasaon20June.However,Thursday3 planned. Thecommissionsentaseven-strongpreparatory Rights Commission,willnotbeginitsworkon7July,as Zaire, set up at the beginning of April by the UN Human The inquiry into the massacres of refugees in the former Extract: (USA), 9 July 1997(inEnglish). Anti-Mobutu Drive,’TheWashingtonPost Defense MinisterSaysArms,TroopsSuppliedfor John Pomfret ‘RwandansLedRevoltinCongo, French). Refugees,’ Investigation intotheMassacresofHutu Danielle Rouard ‘MrKabila’sRegimeBlocksthe Le Monde(France),5July1997(in The Washington Post , 209 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

ing Congo, saying that the Rwandan government planned would be known as the Alliance of Democratic Forces for and directed the rebellion that toppled the long-time the Liberation of Congo began to take shape… dictator and that Rwandan troops and officers led the “These are some of the things we had to do,” Kagame rebel forces. Rwandan forces participated in the capture said, summing up the war he planned. “They may not be of at least four cities - the Congolese capital, Kinshasa; popular, but we are more interested in the results than the southern copper-mining town of Lubumbashi; the key with the stories about the results.” western crossroads of Kenge; and the diamond centre of Kisangani, which fell on March 15 in what was considered the key battle of the war, Kagame said in an interview here Monday. He added that Rwandan “mid-level commanders” led Congolese rebel forces through out the The MSF movement focused its efforts on thinking and successful rebellion and that Rwanda provided training communicating about the repatriation of refugees to and arms for those forces even before the campaign to Rwanda. overthrow Mobutu began last October. Kagame, a Tutsi, also responded to allegations that Tutsi officers of the Rwandan army ordered massacres of Rwandan Hutu refugees inside Congo… Rwandan officers ‘Rwanda: Mission report, 23-28 June 1997,’ interviewed in Congo said the Tutsis were given a free Dominique Boutriau, programme manager, MSF hand by the Congolese rebels to attack the Rwandan Hutus Belgium, 28 June 1997 (in French). - many of whom were former Rwandan soldiers and militiamen who participated in the 1994 genocide - in exchange Extract: for backing the war against Mobutu. While not denying Following the repatriation of over one million refugees from the possibility of individual atrocities, Kagame accused Zaire and Tanzania between November ‘96 and March ‘97, UN officials who have levelled massacre charges against more than 50,000 refugees were flown back from Kisangani Rwandan army and Congolese rebel forces of fallaciously and Mbandaka in May and June ‘97. These 50,000 people trying to equate their behavior with the genocide that returned in a deplorable state of health and nutrition Hutu extremists carried out in Rwanda. “It is my strong after being hunted through eastern Zaire for nearly six belief that the United Nations people are trying to deflect months. In Zaire, they had been constantly surrounded the blame for failures of their own making onto us,” he by former FAR soldiers and their stooges. As no screen- said. “Their failure to act in eastern Zaire directly caused ing took place before the repatriation (about 100,000 of these problems, and when things blew up in their faces the 150,000 refugees who fled Tingi Tingi spontaneously they blamed us. These are people who want to be judges decided to return), the Rwandan authorities have reason to and nobody can judge them.” suspect the recently repatriated of hiding former FAR and Kagame, who holds the titles of Vice President and Interahamwe members. Defense Minister and is Rwanda’s most powerful leader, We won’t go back over the strong suspicions that Rwandan said that months before war erupted, he warned the militias were involved in the waves of massacres that United States that Rwanda would take military action occurred in Kisangani, Shabunda, Mbandaka and other loca- against Mobutu’s regime and the refugee camps in eastern tions. There is no doubt that the refugee populations in the Congo that were being used as a base by the Hutu troops Congo have been deliberately cut off from humanitarian Kagame had defeated. As many as 1.1 million Hutus were assistance, although it is available, and that non-voluntary housed by late 1996 in camps in eastern Congo. repatriation amounts to a de facto evacuation of popula- While Kagame said he was unaware of any American mili- tions. After the massacres at Kisangani, for example, we can tary support for the rebellion, he commended the United understand why the refugees are desperate to be evacuated States for “taking the right decisions to let it proceed” … from the Congo and sent back to Rwanda (because they In early August 1996, Kagame travelled to New York and have no choice?). Despite the Rwandan government’s fears Washington, where he said he met with State Department that the transit camps are again serving as sanctuaries for officials and “other people” in the Clinton administration. Hutu extremists, it is unacceptable in humanitarian terms “I was looking for a solution for them,” he said. “They that as soon as the repatriated arrive in the Rwandan tran- didn’t come up with any answers, not even suggestions.” sit camps, they are put under constant pressure to return Kagame said he returned home sensing that war was to their communes immediately. Most of these communes inevitable [a State Department official said Tuesday that are in insecure zones, where international organisations Kagame told officials during his visit that the camps had cannot directly monitor distribution of aid. In addition, it to be dismantled and that if the United Nations would is obvious that the precarious nutritional state of the most not remove them somebody else would have to do it, staff recent arrivals (25% ‘visible’ malnutrition), and the absence writer Thomas W. Lippman reported from Washington]. of any serious nutritional programme in most Rwandan The Rwandan army had already begun training Tutsis from communes, will further weaken these people. The Rwandan Congo who had been the target of attacks by Congolese authorities’ attitude to treating the sick and injured in the Hutus for more than three years. Meanwhile, Rwandan transit camps can only accelerate the decline in the return- agents started making contact with other Congolese rebel ees’ health and it is hard to believe the authorities are not 210 forces opposed to Mobutu. Slowly, the organisation that aware of this! objective factsandundertakenwiththegreatestcaution. etc.). MSF’s hindering thework(expatscomingfortwomonthsonly, for MSFtosetupprojects-administrativedifficultiesare schizophrenic projects are hard to identify!!! It is hard like an emergency intervention. Potential donors for such tion intwoofthedistrictswhereMSFisworkingmore Projects stillneedlong-termplanning,whilethesitua- issue haveyettobeprepared.ThereisaroleforMSFhere. in themonthstocome,whilenationalprotocolsonthat ICRC), nutritionwillprobablybeoneofthebigproblems hazard!!! 50%ofrecentarrestsarereturnees,accordingto is notmonitored.Apartfromtheirprotection(veryhap- rampant insecurity. Their reintegration intothe communes The latestwavesofreturneesarenostrangerstothis to the accessible health centres. be abletoplayarolethroughsurgicalactionsandsupport development inthesituationRwanda.MSFwillprobably The insecurityin the northern prefectures is a disturbing [...] repatriated are beingdelayed at governmentlevel… the righttoemployment.Decisionsaboutemploying particularly thosewhoarrivedthisyear,stilldonothave ups. Moreover,thoserepatriatedinNovember‘96and country: 60,000inprisonsandtherestcommunallock- Finally, we note that there are 115,000 detainees in the occur there. is relativelysecure,althoughincidentsarebeginningto prefectures, northofthearea.InGisenyi,onlytown operations whichendedupasinmassacresthetwo operations” afewhoursaftertheyhaveleftthevicinity, ups. ItappearsthattheRPAconducts“cordonandsearch targeting militarypositions and certaincommunal lock- believe amounttoaround25,000men,arecurrently tions replenish their supplies. These bands, which some circulate in groups of 300 and demand that local popula- axis. Accordingtovariouslocalsources,armedbands armed bands(ex-FARandmilitias)onthisnorth-south Gitarama, Kibuye,Gikongorobecauseofinfiltrations have occurredintheprefecturesofGisenyi,Ruhengheri, Moreover, it is a fact that serious security incidents [...] tory… great episodes of hostage taking in humanitarian his- fronted with a new dilemma with direct parallels to the the organisation has faced in recent years. We are con - Rwandan refugeesisprobably oneofthemostcomplex The issueofourparticipation intherepatriationof Extract: July 1997 (inFrench). n°48 (MSFBelgiuminternalpublication), June- ten 18 June 1997 and published in Goemaere, GeneralDirector,MSFBelgium,writ- ‘What is our Position on Repatriation?’ Eric témoignage activity will have to be limited to Contact 2. 1. A. Repatriation In practice, what operational position canweadopt? Eric Goemaere, 18/06/97 10. D. Collaboration with the Commission ofInquiry 9. - - 8. 7. C. For the refugeesstill dispersed 6. 5. 4. 3. B. Inthe regrouping centres Kinshasa, they havealreadyinterviewed30 to35people all thismight beverytheoretical.Whilst theywerein However, there is nothing signed yet and they recognised are insistingonindividual and confidentialinterviews. We asked about witness protection and they said they 1. Meeting with UNHuman Rights Department. Extract: Katshungu. On the Bukavu-Shabunda axis: Shabunda, Lulinga, Lubutu, Opala, Ikela,Boendé. On theKisangani-Mbandakaaxis:Kesese,Biaro,Obilo, an MSFexpat team. out decisions[shouldbe]entirelytheresponsibilityof tions toavoidtransportingthoseclosedeath:inand Adapt thepaceofthisrepatriationtomedicalcondi- and prolongtheprocedureforaminimumof3months. Aid the repatriation of those who indicate a desire for it conditions outlined above aremet. Ensure that no regrouping centre is set up unless the strategy): means oftransfer(lightaircraft)toKisangani(passive possibility ofmedicalcare,initialregistration,and coupled withexistinghealthstructuresthatofferthe Do notactivelysearchbutestablishreceptioncentres and refugee concentration points. as wellsatellitereceptioncentresinthemaintowns reference, registration,classification,andprotection, Maintain amaintransitcentreatKisanganitoensure individual choice. the securitysituationinRwandaordertofacilitate Insist thatUNHCRprovides‘objective’informationon Rwanda andBurundi. 3, includingthosewhocannotreturntowarzonesin Push forapoliticallobbytoseekasylumcategory ing procedures in ordertodistinguish the categories. those unsuitableforreturnandsetsupadhocscreen- fidential registration(atleastanexpatriateteam)of Ensure thatUNHCR proceeds toanindividualandcon- and written agreements from the government. sites: ThepresenceofexpatUNHCRprotectionofficers Ask foractiveprotectionintheregroupingandtransit ing theprotection of witnesses are respected. and previouslyunderstoodconditionschieflyconcern- commission ofinquiryispossible,providedthatstrict Maintain, inprinciple,thatcollaborationwiththe July 1997, 10July1997(in English). ”Update onMSFMeetingsinGeneva8thof 211 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

in their office. They suggested we send our “witness” now, before the inquiry actually starts, because they feel now less under scrutiny. Mr Fenish is the permanent person in Minutes of the MSF Belgium Board meeting, 11 Kinshasa. They believe the inquiry could start very soon July 1997 (in French). (within a week) and would take months (mentioned 6). Extract: On the whole they gave an impression of not being at all Some figures from UNHCR: In ‘96, there were about “ready on the practical aspects of the inquiry (protection 1.1 million refugees. 600,000 returned in November ‘96, of witness, where the refugees are, logistical problems, 54,000 have been flown back in recent months (80% from ...). We said we would wait to see the protocol d’accord Kisangani). The further one goes from Kisangani, the less signed and the security condition before we suggested to the refugees desire to return to Rwanda. We must respect our staff to testify. We also suggested to do a lot of vol- their choice but what about their status? 180,000 returned ume in terms of interviews (like all the humanitarian staff by road, which gives a total of 834,000. Of the remaining that worked in the areas of massacre) rather than seeing refugees, we have located 26,000 people. About 1,700 just the volunteers. of these are in the Lola transit camp. They don’t want to return; the situation is deadlocked. We know practically They insisted on the fact that if the inquiry had gone this nothing about the refugees dispersed in the forest. The far (!), it was a lot thanks to all the efforts, lobby, and position of MSF and UNHCR is not to search for them in the information MSF has provided. In conclusion and after forest anymore because it’s their last form of protection. talking with UNHCR and ICRC, the Kibeho syndrome is We estimate there are about 20,000 refugees in Congo- very strong... Brazzaville; barely 300 of these have expressed a desire to return to Rwanda. Thus, according to UNHCR estimates, 2. Meeting with UNHCR 230,000 people are unaccounted for… […] At present, ex-FAR and génocideurs are mixed with innocent They recognise that they have very little information on people. MSF made it clear at a recent press conference that what is happening in the collines [hills]. Agree on the as long as those sought by the Arusha Tribunal are not sepa- feeling of clear worsening of the situation. However, rated, the situation will remain blocked - no country wants the arbitrage [ruling] for them still in favour of pursuing to accept the génocideurs. the “repatriation” because they will still be safer than in Tension in Rwanda is reaching dangerous levels: the entire Congo. In Congo they recognise they are unable to protect eastern part of the country is currently inaccessible to MSF the refugees. “It’s a rescue, evacuation operation.” teams and foreign observers, including UNHCR, which constitutes a serious infringement of the requirement to moni- UNHCR will not oppose the arrest of returnees (can alI be tor the returnees. The government has been asked to allow “legitimate”), but recognised the “terrible state of the the establishment of humanitarian corridors and let military justice system.” The prisons are in a distressing situation observers into this zone. The mortality rates are frightening: and someone (?) needs to attract attention to them. at the hospital in Kigali, for example, it is 24.9%. RCN [Rwanda Citizen Network] has temporarily suspended In DR Congo, UNHCR operations are planned until end of its work in Rwanda: it supports structural efforts, which are ‘97. There should be 5 to 6 expats remaining in Kisangani. not achievable under present circumstances. It received a They will re-evaluate in September for 98. Cc our worry request from the Ministry of Justice to resume training but on protection, registration, and triage [screening] of the RCN is reluctant to train people (many have gone into exile refugees: and asked for asylum in Europe) as long as the judiciary “Yes there will soon be a protection officer in Kisangani.” remains subservient to the military. For the registration, they still have 3 major problems: What is MSF doing in this heightened crisis? It presents -Lack of human resources (MSF offered legal experts if that the press with testimony. It informs as many people as was the only problem ...). possible. It meets the authorities (Eric went to Geneva two -Registration needs to be done with government officials, days ago) because we have to act at the highest level now. and they have not yet reached an agreement in DRC. It is a dramatic situation for Alex but MSF, which has never -In Congo-Brazza, they do not know who to talk to; in been so active (témoignage, raising awareness, maintaining Central African Rep., it should be OK. teams, meeting politicians and high-level authorities), has perhaps gone as far as it can go and, if nothing happens, should perhaps admit it has failed. Concerning témoignage, we should “mark the occasion” at the lC of 19 September next by presenting it with our At the beginning of July, UNHCR estimated that thoughts so far. To this end, Alex has already done some 230,000 refugees had still not been located. In basic research (what methods? For what objectives?) and Rwanda, a quarter of the returnees who had required is writing an internal ‘white paper’ on the subject. UNHCR hospitalisation had died, half of them in the 48 hours should also take a position on this issue. Janek also thinks following their arrival. UNHCR could not protect those we should approach Mary Robinson, the new UN High 212 who returned to the communes. Commissioner for Human Rights. hard enough…?). give itthescope foranotherpolicy(perhaps itdoesn’tpush is. UNHCRisawareofthedilemma; thememberstatesdon’t -UNHCR’s major blunders. We should be sure who the enemy insofar asitwouldbetorecognise theirguilt. -The insecurity,whichhasadirect bearingontherefugees -The communal lock-upsandprisons- no first-hand info. friends Kagame,Kabilaand others -The directresponsibilityoftheRwandansandour To beavoided: principles is essential. - Anapproachthatdisplaysrathermorerespectforthe absence of support; feeding UNHCR disinformation. - Thereisacritiqueofthestateswhocoulddomore: actively orpassivelyguaranteeingthecycleofimpunity. ing thelogicofimpunity;transparencyinformation;stop up; allstatesinvolvedinthecrisisshouldfocusonbreak - ThejudicialprocessinRwandaandtheregionishurried properly it: The commission ofinquiry will be able to complete its job impunity that isthe region’s greatest scourge. identified andactiontakeninordertobreakthecycleof Democratic RepublicofCongo;thatthoseresponsibleare -That lightbecastonthemassacrescommittedin nutritional situation. provide basicmonitoringofthereturnees’medicaland -Sufficient securityconditionsinRwandasothatwecan ficiently informedabouttheseoptions. between repatriationandasylumthattheyaresuf -That genuinerefugeesareofferedachoice since ‘94beginsassoonpossible. -That thescreeningofrefugeeswehavebeencallingfor MSF requests: message, particularly NewYork… its position.Ideally,theothersectionsshouldtakeupthis (UNHCR, UNHR,ICRC),itseemsimportantthatMSFclarifies Lakes region and the recent meetings with our partners Given thedevelopmentofrefugeesituationinGreat planning and setting in motion of “genocide”. advised theirsuccessorstoinvestigatetheprobable could bedescribedas“crimesagainsthumanity”.They to itsauthors,thekillingscommittedineasternZaire on themassacreofrefugeesineasternZaire.According the UNHumanRightsCommissionreleaseditsreport tions tookthemessageto the media. That sameday, and givennoguaranteeofprotection.Theothersec- forcibly repatriatedtoRwandainappalling conditions denounced theplightofrefugeeswhohadbeen On 11July,MSFBelgiumgaveapressconferenceand Extract: (in French). 11 July1997,MSFBelgiuminternaldocument ’Info For the Field’ - Note on the Press Briefing, - - shield formore thanthreeyears.Nothing isbeingdone criminals, but have beenusedcontinuously asahuman of thattheinnocenthavenever beenseparatedfromthe clear informationontheinsecure situationthere.Ontop being putontotheplane to Rwanda, they receiveno The refugeesarenotregistered, notprotectedandbefore choice giventotherefugees. It isahumanitariantrap. Kisangani says:“I’mshockedbythetotalabsenceof Stéphan Oberreit,MSFFieldCoordinatorbackfrom communes. of therefugeesoncetheyhavereturnedtotheirhome sible tomonitorthenutritionalandmedicalsituation insecurity. Duetothisinsecurity,itiscurrentlyimpos - taken toRwanda,wherethereisacontinuingclimateof are either to stay in Congo and hide in the forests or be offered tothosewhorefusereturn.Theironlychoices more than two months ago, no alternative has been Since thebeginningofrefugeerepatriationstoRwanda another country of asylum. repatriated toRwanda,canapplyforrefugeestatusin take place,northatinnocentrefugeeswhorefusetobe promise. Todatetherearenosignsthatseparationwill that therehasnotbeenanyattempttoimplementthis Brazzaville (Loukolela,Njundu,Liranga)areconcerned Congo (Mbandaka,Kisangani,Shabunda)andin teams onthegroundinDemocraticRepublicof tion wouldshortlybegin,havebeendisappointed.MSF Commissioner forRefugees,announcedthatsepara- June inKinshasawhenVieiradeMello,AssistantHigh the 1994genocide.Thehopesthatwereraisedon14 be separated from former militia and perpetrators of of impunityberesolvedandthatinnocentcivilians Community hasdonelittletoensurethatthequestion refugee problemisaspressingever.TheInternational Three years after the mass exodus to Goma, the Rwandan never surface. go ahead.AsthingsstandMSFfearsthatthetruthmay investigate alleged mass killings of refugees is allowed to it possiblycantoensurethataneutralUNmission appeals totheinternationalcommunitydoeverything with theopportunitytoaskforasylum.Finally,MSF against humanityduringthe1994genocidebeprovided also requests that those refugees not suspected of crimes refugees andaprotectionagainstphysicalviolence.MSF protection, such as the systematic registration of all authorities andUNHCRtorespectminimalstandardsof not being addressed. Therefore, MSF calls onthe relevant the protectionofrefugeesandasylumrightsarecurrently Brazzaville isatriskofdeadlock.Essentialissuessuchas behind intheDemocraticRepublicofCongoand The situationoftheRwandanrefugeeswhohavestayed Extract: Release Question of Impunity Unresolved,’ Press No Protection,RightToAsylumandthe /Rwanda: FundamentalRefugeeRightsViolated: ‘Democratic RepublicCongo/CongoBrazzaville MSF Belgium,11July1997(inEnglish). 213 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

that might encourage them to feel more optimistic about considered guilty, whereas the majority are innocent and their future.” held hostage by the others.” In order to break the cycle of collective stigmatisation, The solution? For Eric Goemaere, Head of MSF-Belgium, it is vital that all individuals suspected of crimes against “The United Nations High Commission for Refugees must humanity are tried by the International Tribunal in Arusha. forge agreements with the Congo and finally come to grips Finally, MSF fears that further postponement of the UN with a problem that has been devastating the region for investigation into the alleged massacres of refugees by the last three years. On the basis of the list drawn up local populations and AFDL soldiers will prevent the truth by the Arusha international tribunal, those believed to from surfacing. As long as those suspected of such acts are be responsible for the genocide should be identified and not brought to trial, there is no guarantee whatsoever for arrested. The others will thus be relieved of the reputation the safety of the remaining Rwandan refugees, whether in of guilt they have been dragging like a chain and could the camps or still hiding in the dense forests. obtain, if they wanted, proper political asylum in the Since the beginning of the repatriation operation at the Congo or elsewhere.” end of April an estimated 54,000 refugees have been Eric Goemaere, just back from Rwanda, says the situa- taken back to Rwanda by air. In the Democratic Republic tion of the repatriated refugees is far from simple. “MSF of Congo, MSF teams continue to work in reception had been charged by the government with managing the centres in Mbandaka and Kisangani. In the latter, fewer medical facilities in several transit camps. A quarter of than 1,500 refugees remain, including 400 hospitalized the people who had to be hospitalised have died, half patients. In the region of Mbandaka, small groups seek of them within 48 hours of their arrival. The government refuge in the reception centre. has already closed some of these transit centres: we think In Congo Brazzaville, MSF teams are dispensing medi- they should stay open to receive the new arrivals. Those cal care and distributing food to approximately 8,000 who have found their way home face many problems: their refugees gathered in Loukolela, Njundu and Liranga. Small houses and fields have been taken over by others and groups of refugees still continue to arrive from Congo they have no resources. UNHCR is supposed to monitor Kinshasa. They are in a very poor condition as a result of the returnees for a year in order to help them overcome malnourishment dehydration and exhaustion. Some refu- these classic problems. However, insecurity due to the gees seem to be fleeing further afield to Cameroon and actions of Hutu guerrillas, who are gaining strength in the Gabon, in order to avoid repatriation to Rwanda. Since a west, the region most of the refugees come from; makes few days about 260 have been sent back to Rwanda. this impossible. Former refugees are also endangered by In none of the above locations are civilians separated the retaliations conducted by the army. The international from militant criminals, nor is any systematic registration community does not have the right to abandon these carried out as a minimal protection guarantee, nor are people to their fate.” alternatives to repatriation proposed.

’Report Condemns Kabila - Three Experts ‘The Rwandan Refugees Tragedy Drags On,’ Denounce Crimes Against Humanity in the Véronique Kiesel, Interview with Eric Goemaere, Former Zaire,’ Marie-Laure Colson, Libération General Director, MSF Belgium, Le Soir (France), 12-13 July 1997 (in French). (Belgium),12 July 1997 (in French). Extract: Extract: Crimes against humanity, see genocide. The report of the Médecins Sans Frontières has been present since the begin UN team which, in early May, investigated the disappear- of this massive population displacement, particularly at ance of some 200,000 Rwandan refugees in the former times of crisis, and has often tried to alert the public to Zaire between September 1996 and May 1997, accuses the situation. On Friday, MSF Belgium drew attention to President Laurent-Désiré Kabila’s regime of deliberately the fate of these almost forgotten refugees. massacring thousands of Hutu refugees and abandoning thousands of others to their fate. Oral, photographic, and THE TRAP video testimony collected from refugees who returned According to Stéphan Oberreit, a Field Coordinator who to Rwanda reveals evidence of massacres and common has just returned from Kisangani, “All the refugees in graves. Although the reliability of the work carried out the Congo are trapped. Yes, we offer them flights back to by the three reporters - Roberto Garreton (Chile), Special Rwanda, but they have no alternative. They are neither Reporter on Human Rights in the Democratic Republic registered nor protected and are given no clear informa- of Congo (DRC, the former Zaire), Bacre Waly Ndiaye tion about the insecurity in Rwanda. Now most of them (Senegal), Special Reporter on Extrajudicial, Summary and do not want to stay. This is a dangerous time, we are Arbitrary Executions and Jonas Foli (Ghana), member of approaching the end of a repatriation operation and the the working group on forced or involuntary disappear- international community is losing interest in the problem. ances - cannot be challenged, Kinshasa denied the inves- Those who remain face grave difficulties as there are tigators access to the field. 214 officials and génocideurs among the refugees, everyone is A new UN mission should soon be able to visit the actual Human Rights Watch,andAmnestyInternational. also sent to the United Nations Commission of Inquiry, published underthenameofMédecinsduMonde.Itwas MSF fromrefugeesatKisangani13to31May,was collection, togetherwiththetestimoniescollectedby June followingdisagreementsbetweensections.The MSF hadcancelledpublicationofthesetestimoniesin and adoctorsecondedtoMSFfromMédecinsduMonde. Njundu andLoukolelabytheMSFFrancePressOfficer Monde containedtestimoniescollectedfromrefugeesat The 13-14JulyweekendeditionoftheFrenchdailyLe so exhausted they resemble the livingdead. the forest,peoplewhoclimbaboardaircraftare Kisangani, speakingfromBrussels.Aftersixmonthsin ing”, saysStéphanOberreit,MSFMissionCoordinatorat describes as disastrous. “The mortality rates are frighten- airlifted toRwandainconditionsMédecinsSansFrontières refugees from Kisangani and Mbandaka continue to be ough andindependent”inquiriesintheDRC.Meanwhile, urgency ofestablishingthetruththroughother“thor- Rwandan andBurundianarmies.TheReportersstressthe surrounded the refugees, Serbian mercenaries, and the the formerZairianarmy,armedHutumilitiaswho Besides Kabila’s forces, the testimony also implicates of thesecrimes,theyqualifyascrimesagainsthumanity.” found that,“Giventhelarge-scaleandsystematicnature many womenandchildrenamongthevictims.Theteam a detailedbreakdownbutindicatethatthereweregreat starvation anddisease.Theinvestigatorsdonotprovide of humanitarianaid,whichcondemnedthemtodeathby their hidingplacesintheforests,ordeliberatelydeprived were killedinthecamps,afterbeingluredoutof means wereemployedtoeliminatetherefugees.They released inNewYorkyesterday,claimsthatallavailable a devastatingindictmentofKabila’sforces.Thereport, UN toexcludeGarreton,whoseAprilreportcontained given theiragreementbuthaveexertedpressureonthe sites ofthedisappearances.TheDRCauthoritieshave the Congo.Below, wepublishsomeoftheir accountsof In June, he talked to Rwandan refugees in the camps in Brazzaville aspartofaMédecins SansFrontièresmission. mony from the survivors. Guy Mérineau worked in Congo- Monde Bureau Chief in Central Africa, has collected testi- of thosefleeingontheroads. GuyMérineau,Médecinsdu including attacks on Hutu refugee camps and massacres Kabila’s rebelshasresultedinconsiderablecarnage, The conquestoftheformerZairebyLaurent-Désiré Extract: (in French). Central Africa,LeMonde(France),12July1997 Mérineau, MédecinsduMondeBureauChiefin ‘Scenes of Massacres inthe Former Zaire,’ Guy Representatives by the Pentagon on19 August. ity inRwandasince1994’suppliedtotheHouseof in a‘ChronologicalsummaryofRwandanmilitaryactiv - tured inareportpublishedthatsamedaybyPHRand with technicalassistance.Thisinformationalsofea - Rwandan army,whichsupportedLaurent-DésiréKabila, Rights (PHR)accusedtheUSarmyofproviding the humanrightsorganisationPhysiciansforHuman At aUSHouseofRepresentativeshearingon16July, found ablanket, a Bible,and a handkerchief.” us totheCongo.Wepaidwithablanket.InforestI children. Therebelshadgone.Wefoundacanoetotake people hadbeenshotdead,almostallofthemwomenand down theriver,thenwereturnedtoseeWendji.About20 refugee camp.Ifledtotheriver.AnoldZairiantookus soldiers in threevehicles. They fired Kalashnikovs into the Mid-May: therebelsarrived.Therewere75heavilyarmed of]. We had nomoneysowe waited fora free boat. cross LakeTumbaandgodirectlytotheCongo[Republic us thatKabilawascoming.Somepeopleturnedback to went backintotheforestagain.AtWendji,apastortold that thosewhotooktheBoenderoadwerekilledandI er hadmalariaandstayedbythesideofroad.Iheard Rwanda. Wewentinadifferentdirection.Myotherbroth- decided togoKisanganisotheycouldberepatriated to in acanoe.Onegroup,includingmy father andbrother, We hadtogiveapairoftrousersgetacrossriver We keptwalking.Peoplediedofsicknessandhunger. I putmy wife onmy back andforded the river. and drowned.Ilostthebundlewascarryingonmyhead. When thebridgeopened,somepeoplefellinwater we movedon.Onenight,stoppedatLubutuBridge. my father,twosistersandabrotheratTingiTingi.Then thousand peopleweremassacredatShambusha. I found the pillagingwerekilled.Welivedonplants.Fivetosix dressed incivilianclothes.Abouttenpeoplewhoresisted 30,000 others.WewereheldhostagebyZairiansoldiers mud, withoutsleeping.Thenwekepttoaroadwith dollars. WewalkedintoKahuzi-Begaforest,throughthe gun fire.Wehadalittlecorn,someclothes,andtwelve Inera forestwerekilled.Thencametheshellsandmachine attacked InSeptember96.Thepeoplecuttingwoodinthe “I gotmarriedintheKashusacamp1995.Itwas Male, student, aged28. the former Zaire). their trekacrosstheDemocraticRepublicofCongo(DRC, Human rightsinvestigators toldaCongressional Committee Extract: English). Times Civilians inCongo,NeilA.Lewis, ’TheNewYork ‘Rights GroupBlamesRwandan InAttackson (USA), Washington 17 July 1997 (in 215 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

today that Rwandan troops were responsible for most of shebang. Our local staff saw them stealing our cars at the atrocities in the eastern half of Congo over the Lubumbashi. They were based in Zambia, a military base last several months. The investigators from the group, just nearby. They had sided with Kabila; they had sided with Physicians for Human Rights, based in Boston, said they Kagame; there was no question of them changing their had incontrovertible evidence that the widespread atroci- minds. This was the “new African order” the Americans had ties directed against both Rwandan refugees and local decided to establish. You might say that they were mistak- Congolese civilians are continuing. en, denounce this or that… It was good that the American Dr Jennifer Leaning, a professor at the Harvard Medical media knew, but the de facto impact was not enough. School who led a three-week investigation in the Central African region, told the House International Relations Dr. Dominique Boutriau, MSF Belgium programme Committee that soldiers from the Rwandan Army are com- manager (in French). mitting murder, rape, and robbery every day. She estimated that more than 2,000 people have been killed in the last few months by the Rwandan forces. Dr Leaning said her conclusions were based on interviews with witnesses and with international aid workers who Someone - I won’t tell you who, but someone who said they could not press their complaints because they had a friend in the CIA - showed me an intelligence wanted to remain in the field to distribute food and other report his friend had forwarded him that talked forms of aid. Dr Leaning’s account comes on top of numer- about 10,000 Hutu fleeing to the Angola border and heli- ous accounts that similar atrocities occurred throughout copters came and dropped off Tutsis before and after them the year-long military campaign of Laurent Kabila, the and sandwiched them. rebel leader, to seize control of Congo... Another investigator for the physicians’ group, Kathi James Fraser, MSF Holland Shabunda explo team, Austin, said the Rwandan troops who she said were 26 March to 3 Avril 1997 (in English). responsible for the atrocities had received intensive training by United States forces in counter-insurgency. But two senior State Department officials who testified earlier, said the training of Rwandan troops was limited to teaching military justice, the role of the army in a democracy, and an appreciation of human rights. One official, William THE RETROSPECTIVE REPORTS P. Twaddell, acting Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, denied the United States is engaged in counter- insurgency training.

At the request of MSF France, a representative of the Epicentre Office of Epidemiological Studies conducted In fact, it will emerge that the Americans were a study in Njundu camp between 17 and 20 July. The directly involved in the operation. Congolese doctors object was to reconstruct the travel history of the working for MSF spotted American military personnel refugees who had left the camps in eastern Zaire nine in the Kisangani area. I saw planes; disguised with civilian months earlier, through a study of retrospective mor- markings but with American pilots, take charge of all the tality. logistics of Kabila’s operation. It is clear that the Americans had planned this operation a long time ago; they had ensured its logistics and had no desire to see any kind of UN troops in the field. They applied enormous pressure in order ‘History of the Rwandan Refugees who Fled the to conceal operational mistakes. Kivu Camps in Zaire, September 1996 to June 1997 - Results of an Investigation Conducted Dr. Éric Goemaere, MSF Belgium General Director among the Survivors of the Njundu Camp in the (in French). Congo,’ Dr Pierre Nabeth, Dr Camille Ndayambaje, Dr Alice Croisier, Mirdad Pédari, September 1997 (in French).

Extract: The Americans had decided to turn a blind eye. […] Methodology The US Ambassador was perfectly aware, we told him This survey was conducted by random sampling under- as well. But politically, they had decided it was bet- taken from 17 to 21 July 1997 in Njundu, Congo. The ter not to know. Worse still, the Americans were at Kabila’s sample-base was drawn up from the list of families who side when he invaded. They were right there in the forests were on the register for general food distribution, i.e. 216 with all the necessary equipment - infra-red gear, the whole around 1,650 families. period andfor each monthoftheirpassage. Thecompari- rates and theinfant-juvenile mortality rates for the entire peared orwerekilled.Wecalculated thecrudemortality was attacked,andtheproportion ofpeoplewhodisap- people whopassedthrough, thedatewhenthatlocation the way,weestimatedwaiting period,thenumberof and theirarrivalinNjundu.For eachimportantstopalong ance) whichoccurredbetweentheKivurefugeecamps death, repatriation,spontaneousreturn,anddisappear - calculated thenumberofincidents(differentcauses Using thereconstructedfamiliesasdenomiator,we in theKivu camps atthe time oftheir attack. -We reconstructed the routes taken by the people present refuge in eastern DRC tion bysex,age,andtheoriginalcampwheretheytook -For thosewhodidnotarriveintheCongo:theirdistribu - -Their distribution bysex, age, andprefecture of origin -The proportion of refugees who reachedtheCongo We calculated: Analysis were not being includedtwice. all questioning, we were careful to ensure that people the western definition of immediate members only. Before the morefamiliarconceptofextendedfamilyratherthan being interviewedwereregisteredassuch.Weconsidered Only deaths personally witnessed by the family member their family member -Disappeared -theintervieweedidnotknowfateof -Spontaneous return to Rwanda -Repatriated to Rwanda -Killed, death fromaccident, or illness egories: Events documentedweredividedintothefollowingcat- explain what happened toeachone. -Which membersofyourfamilywerenotwithyou- which date? -Which membersofyourfamilywerestillwithyouandon few days, we asked: For eachplaceonthejourneywheretheystoppedfora -What date did youleavethe camp? family background/ties. Kivu? Givedetailsoftheirsex,age,professioninRwanda, -How manyfamilymemberswereresidentinthecamp -Which camp in Kivuwereyou staying at? from? -From whichprefectureinRwandadoyouoriginallycome asked the following questions: sometimes forseveralweeks.Eachpersonsampledwas Rwandan refugeesstoppedinmanyplacesalongtheway, and theirarrivalinCongoaroundMay-June1997,the Between theirflightfromtheKivucampsinOctober1996 Methods interviewed. This person was chosenatrandom. 266 families.One person from each extended family was Size ofthe sample dialogue between thesections. activity inCentralAfricafacilitatedtheresumptionof On 30July,aninternationalmeetingtoassessMSF and analysed with EpiInfosoftware (WHO, CDC). rates andestimatedproportions.Thedatawerecollected ables. Confidenceintervalsof95%werecalculatedforthe and a variance comparison testfor the quantitative vari- made witha“comparisontestforthequalitativevariables sons betweenthesampleandoriginalpopulationwere took years to mount under Mobutu’s regime. Given that levels ofpriority. Thesearecomplexprogrammes, which - DRC: Our strategy in the former Zaire involves three our principles. endangered populationsinRwanda, giventhecontextand what themovementasawhole canandshoulddofor Belgians” -apresenceinthis messisvital-buttodecide on RwandaisnonethelessURGENT,notto“forceoutthe sity ofagreeingonoperationalcriteria.Aninternaldebate There is an effective consensus on the inevitable neces- (William) [Claus, coordinateur MSF B]. of time as long as it has not been previously clarified” Discussing this or trying anything is absurd and a waste ria; thesearenotthesamefromonesectiontoanother. as elsewhere, the problem stems from operational crite- - Rwanda:“WewillstayinRwandaatallcosts!In the national strategies established in ‘96,namely: think thataregionalapproachisnecessaryandpursues ited giventheevolutionofcontext.Brusselsdoesnot programmes are therefore secondary andincreasingly lim- plight ofsometheregion’spopulations.Development Amsterdam, Barcelona,andParisfocusonthedesperate b) Thedilemma over the urgency-development debate: duty and action oftémoignage”atinternational level. therefore urgentthatwedebatewhatmeanby“MSF’s pret itinthesamewaytermsofformorcontent.Itis sic partofouractivity,butthatwedon’tinevitablyinter- We are all agreed on the fact that a) The enormous malaise surrounding “témoignage”: expand it so wecanemerge from ourimpasse… to act. I hope we continue this dialogue and above all the diagnosis has been made, we have the responsibility achieved itsgoalsandwetookastepforward.Nowthat situation andactivitiesinCentralAfrica.Themeeting dialogue, examinecontextual changes, and review our inventory, nodecisiontaking”.Theaimwastoresume This meetinghadalimitedobjective:“identification, Extract: France, 1 August 1997(inFrench). 1997. StephanOberreit,Foundation,MSF Meeting onCentralAfricainBrussels’,30July MemoFollowingtheInternational ‘Draft témoignage is an intrin- 217 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

Kabila’s regime is, for the moment, more or less the same, the strategy does not need to be reviewed: 1. Support to the health zones ‘History of the Rwandan Refugees who Fled the 2. AIDS and Trypanosomiasis Kivu Camps in Zaire, September 1996 to June 3. Emergencies of all kinds 1997 - Results of an Investigation Conducted The Rwandan refugees are therefore in 3. (Vincent) among the Survivors of the Njundu Camp in the [Janssen, Kisangani Coordinator]. Congo,’ Dr Pierre Nabeth, Dr Camille Ndayambaje, Some participants feel that this strategy poses an enor- Dr Alice Croisier, Mirdad Pédari, September mous fundamental problem and should be re-examined as 1997 (in French). soon as possible. There is no opposition in principle to the long-term programmes in the region, but they have Extract: to take into account the context and constraints, which The Kivu region in Zaire has sheltered over one million are currently not sufficiently clear - always these infamous Rwandan refugees since 1994. Half of them returned to operational criteria. Rwanda in October and November 1996, following the onset of a rebel offensive against the government in Kinshasa. The remainder fled westward, deeper into the Zairian interior. In May 1997, some of these refugees reached the Congo, particularly the village of Ndjundu, On 26 August, the UN Commission of Inquiry, which where Médecins Sans Frontières tried to treat them. They had been given no guarantees concerning freedom of claimed they had been pursued by rebel troops and had movement or the confidentiality of collected testi- escaped the many massacres perpetrated by the latter. We mony, began investigating the violence perpetrated then decided to conduct an epidemiological study, with in eastern DRC (former Zaire). It took March 1993 as the aim of documenting the events they had lived through its starting point, rather than the launch of the AFDL since their departure from the camps in Kivu. offensive in autumn 1996. Principal findings A total of 266 families were questioned, which corresponds to a sample of 530 people present at Njundu and 3,121 ‘A UN Mission Will Again Attempt to Investigate people initially present in the Kivu camps. Only 17.5% of the Massacres of Hutu in the Former Zaire,’ Le the family members initially present at Kivu had reached Monde (France) 28 August 1997 (in French). the Congo. At Njundu, the M/F sex ratio was 2.6%. The median age was 24 years. The proportion of children under Extract: five was 7.9%. Distribution of the events that occurred Uncertainty over working conditions continues to impede during the flight was as follows: disappeared 59.5%; mur- the International Commission of Inquiry, eight of whose dered 19.7%; other 3.3%. Most of the disappearances and 23 members are in Kinshasa. It still has to negotiate deaths occurred at Sake, Shanje, Obiro, Tingi Tingi and guarantees concerning freedom of movement and the Wenji. From 1 October 1996 to 31 May 1997, the crude confidentiality of collected testimony with Mr Kabila’s mortality rate (CMR) and comparative infant-juvenile government. Kinshasa is insisting that its own patholo- (CIJ) averages were respectively 15.5 per 10,000 per gists accompany the investigators to the mass graves. day and 18.2 per 10,000 per day. The highest rates were Athough officially they are now awaiting the “green light” reported in November ‘96 (TCM=34.6/10,000/d), March 97 to begin work, the investigators have yet to travel to the (TCM=26.4/10,000/d) and May ‘97 (TCM=60.7/10,000/d). eastern provinces of Kivu and the Kisangani region, where […] the killings took place. Discussion A small proportion of the Rwandan refugees who fled the camps in Kivu reached the Congo. Most of them disappeared during the numerous attacks perpetrated by the “rebel” soldiers who were pursuing them. The disappear- At the beginning of September, the retrospective mor- ance rates increased synchronically with the mortality tality survey drawn up by Epicentre at the request of rates, which indicates that many of the missing may be MSF France was finalised. Some sections disputed its dead. The mortality rates, murder being a major causal reliability and its release was postponed. factor, were probably under-estimated, for only the deaths actually noted by the interviewee were recorded as such. However, they were extremely high. The study therefore confirms that the Rwandan refugees who fled the camps in Kivu, Zaire, were subjected to extreme violence.

218 investigative team. new Congolese regime had placed in the path of its On 4 September, the UN denounced the obstacles the refugees. humanitarian organisations,anddenialoffreeaccessto the persistentkillingofrefugees,attacksonmembers DRC, MrsO’Toolecitedtheattacksonrefugeecamps, Among theviolationsofhumanitarianprinciplesin ing toUNHCR. traumatised by the atrocities they had witnessed, accord- and children,whilethemajorityofothershadbeen Thursday. Mostoftherefugees(586people)werewomen Kisangani, intheeasternpartofformerZaire,on expulsion of779RwandanandBurundianrefugeesfrom Mrs O’ToolecriticisedtheDRCforitsarmy’s“scandalous” ciples, said spokeswoman Pamela O’Toole… recent seriesofseriousviolationshumanitarianprin- Republic ofCongo(DRC)onThursday,thelatestina 700 RwandanandBurundianrefugeesfromtheDemocratic UNHCR was examining its options after the expulsion of Extract: intervene. Kisangani campasUNHCRstoodby,powerlessto tion ofthelastfewhundredRwandan refugees inthe On 5September,MSFcondemnedtheforcedrepatria- Republic of Congo (DRC). its investigationbythegovernmentofDemocratic former Zairedenouncedthepersistent“obstruction”of tigating allegedmassacresofRwandanrefugeesinthe On Thursdaynight,theUNmissionchargedwithinves- Extract: The international medical aid agencyMédecins Sans Extract: (in French). Refugee Crisis,’AFP(France),5September1997 ’Ogata WillAlerttheSecurityCouncilto French). (France) Kinshasa, 4September1997(in of its Investigation into the Refugees’. ’The UNdenouncesthePersistentObstruction English). Press Release,MSFUK5September1997 (in Refugee ExpulsionfromDRC -FormerZaire,’ ‘MSF SupportsUNHCR’sCondemnation of AFP human rights mission isabout to investigate. the countryinrecentmonths,andwhichaUnitedNations the killingsthathaveallegedlytakenplaceineastof refugees stillonDRCterritoryarepotentialwitnessesto from otherpartsofDRC,”Kindermansaddedtoday.Many ing precedent may pave the way for further expulsions of greatandurgentconcern.“Wefearthatthisappall- the Burundian refugees now in Rwanda is also a matter area, whichisinavirtualstateofcivilwar.Thefate of refugees,particularlythoseoriginallyfromtheGisenyi MSF isextremelyconcernedaboutthesafetyofthisgroup and systematicerosionofinternationallaw in theregion.” of refugee conventions, in order to counter the continuing biguous initsjointcondemnationofthislatestviolation essential thattheentirehumanitariancommunitybeunam law inthelastmonthsandyears.Webelievethatitis most appallingabusesofhumanrightsandhumanitarian the mostbasicrefugeerightsinaregionthathasseen Kindermans supportedUNHCR‘s“braveattempttodefend ln alettertoMrsOgata,MSFSecretaryGeneralJean-Marie as a“blatant breach ofinternational refugee treaties.” the pre-dawnexpulsionoperationbyDRCtroopsyesterday Democratic RepublicofCongo(DRC).UNHCRdenounced and Burundianrefugeesasylumseekersfromthe condemnation of theforcible repatriation of Rwandan Commissioner MrsSadakoOgatafollowingUNHCR’sstrong Frontières (MSF)sentamessageofsupporttodaytoHigh its work. larly astheUNCommission of Inquiryisabouttobegin in otherlocalitieswhererefugees aretobefound,particu- the statements made by local authorities, will be repeated yesterday’s events,whichcould havebeenpredictedgiven were forciblyrepatriated.There isastrongpossibilitythat in theDemocraticRepublicofCongo,aswellthosewho MSF isconcernedforthefateofrefugeeswhoarestill solution be foundforthemany Burundian refugees. afflicted bycivilwar.Moreover,itisimperativethata refugees willbesenttowesternRwanda,azonecurrently 526 refugees arrived in Kigali. Most of the Rwandan condemnation of yesterday’s events. no protectionwhatsoever.MSFsupportsUNHCR’sformal UNHCR wasunabletofulfil its mandate, thesepeoplehad their unwillingnesstoreturnRwandaorBurundi.As forced repatriationofrefugeeswhohadclearlyindicated Humanitarian organisationswerepowerlesstopreventthe Refugees. the protection of the United Nations High Commission for flown toKigali.Thesepeopleweresupposedbeunder camp yesterday.Theywereforcedontoseveralaircraftand Burundian refugeeswereexpelledfromtheKisangani Brussels, 05/09/97-Morethan600Rwandanand Extract: (in French). Press Release,MSFBelgium,5September1997 ‘Fundamental RightsofRefugeesIgnored,’ -

219 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

On 12 September, the Boards of MSF Belgium, MSF From 7 October, all MSF sections began discussing a France and MSF Holland met to discuss the movement’s public response to the Congolese government’s expul- public response. sion of UNHCR’s mission in Goma in early September. On 8 October, two human rights organisations, Human Rights Watch and the Fédération Internationale des Ligues des Droits de l’Homme (FIDH), confirmed, with “Médecins Sans Frontières, Summary of the supporting testimony, the violence committed in east- Board Meeting,” 12 and 13 September 1997 (in ern Zaire by the rebel troops currently in power and French). their Rwandan and Ugandan allies. They claimed that the United States had been informed of Rwandan plans Extract: to attack the camps and that American military person- The differences between sections were discussed. Although nel had accompanied the Rwandan army into Congolese fundamental differences were not stressed, the discus- territory. V23 sion brought to light differences over the philosophy of témoignage. MSF-F is inclined to give it greater priority because of its publicity value. Moreover, intervention criteria in contexts of crisis do not appear to stem from ‘Washington Denies HRW and FIDH Accusations,’ the same logic. AFP (France), 9 October 1997 (in French). MSF-B tends to focus on delivering aid directly to the Extract: victims and maintaining a presence in order to exploit On Wednesday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the any change in the situation. On the other hand, MSF-F Fédération Internationale des Droits de l’Homme (FIDH) will be particularly careful to avoid an inadmissible situa- claimed that the United States “knew Rwanda intended tion. Moreover, MSF-B places great emphasis on long-term to attack refugee camps in eastern Zaire” and called on preventive measures. That is why, unlike other sections, Washington to suspend its military aid to Rwanda. The accu- we were active and had a strong presence in the Congo sations appear in a 40-page report made public in New York. ten years before the crisis. The US government “received no advance warning of this hideous violence,” said State Department Spokesman The unilateral decision to remove the “security veto” taken James Rubin, who also described the organisations’ alle- at the French Board Meeting of April 97 was discussed. gations as “completely false”. The administrators insist on the fact that external com- However, when pressed, he did not exclude the possibility munication is a separate issue. That decision was taken in that Washington might have known, possibly through its order to allow MSF to continue its work of denunciation. satellites, of Rwandan troop movements in the vicinity of The Board was aware of deliberately jeopardising the rules the camps. But he denied that Washington had “given the of the international movement, so that the movement green light”. could fall back on other, more appropriate rules. The United States condemned the massacres of refugees and was striving to resolve the situation, said Mr Rubin. However, Marleen stresses that field workers are aware He also insisted that the United States “had not provided that they are risking their lives. She therefore finds MSF- deadly weapons” to the Rwandan armed forces and that F’s decision incomprehensible, because it erodes both its military aid was confined to training the Rwandan their trust and security. She can’t see anything positive army in humanitarian operations like clearing mines in the emerging from such a decision. Françoise Saive, returning Rwandan interior. The United States had stopped training from the field, also stresses that such a decision reveals the Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA); the last session had a lack of trust in the field. The field is willing to engage ended in August, he added. in témoignage, but cannot be forced to do so to the detri- The United States “has not played a secret role in this ment of its security. affair”, the spokesman repeated, and dismissed any suggestions that it might have as “ridiculous”. The massacres In conclusion, Jean-Marie Kindermans stresses the impor- denounced by HRW and the FIDH took place during the tance of dialogue between the sections - daily, non- successful offensive against the regime of Mobutu Sese hierarchical discussions - and of restoring trust between Seko conducted by forces loyal to Laurent-Désiré Kabila, Boards, field-posts and Operations Centres. Inter-section who took power on 17 May. thinking on témoignage and the need to professionalise it “Credible witnesses have claimed that American military should continue. personnel trained and provided assistance to the RPA on Congolese territory,” according to the report. The two The meeting took note of immediate projects in this organisations have asked the Pentagon “to make public domain: workshops in Brussels in October and a vote at the nature of American engagement” in its aid to the December’s IC for a new international “Code of Conduct” various forces that operated in the Congo. They have also for témoignage. called on Washington to suspend all “tactical support, assistance in the field or provision of arms to Rwanda 220 immediately”. spective mortality report the following week. date. However,theydiddecidetoreleasetheretro- but postponedtakingapublicpositionuntillater sion ofUNHCRfromGomaatthebeginningOctober, to confronttheCongoleseauthoritiesoverexpul- the situationinGreatLakesregion.Theydecided Directors fromtheOperationalCentresmettodiscuss On 13 October, the General Directors and Operations camps by sex, age and relationship to the interviewee. describe allfamily membersthathadbeen present inKivu family was interviewed. Each interviewee was asked to list ofrefugeefamiliespresent inNjundu.Onepersonper tory of the refugees. We randomly sampled families in the epidemiological survey in order to assess the recent his- Between July 17 and July 21, 1997, we conducted an Extract: among Rwandan refugees in theCongo July. based ontheretrospectivemortalitystudyconducted journal At thebeginningofOctober,Britishmedical 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. Extract: to orchestrate MSF action according toscenario B. when Hamelarrives.TheExecutiveGrouphasdecided be submittedtotheteamsfordiscussion,especially The scenariosdescribedintheAmsterdamanalysiswill Watch, Oxfam, etc.) will beactivated. The informaljointworkinggroup(withHumanRights tate analysis and synthesis of theregional situation. maintain aflowofinformationfromthefieldandfacili- The teamsinthefieldwillbestrengthenedorderto Dircom. A letter has also beensenttoThe Lancet. accordance with the methods already decided by The Epicentrereportwillbereleasednextweek,in defined. the defence of principles but its form remains to be A publicstatementwillprobablybeissuedlaterre. response totheauthoritiesinKinshasaandGoma. a defenceofhumanitarianspacebyconveyingour Following theexpulsionofUNHCR,wewillmount The Lancetpublished an Epicentre/MSF article Lancet, October 1997 (inEnglish). Epicentre, andMédecinsSansFrontières,The Croisier, MirdadPedari,Jean-HervéBradol, Rwandan Refugees?’PierreNabeth,Alice ‘Were ActsofViolenceCommittedAgainst October 1997(in French). Situation in the Great Lakes” - Brussels, 13 “’Decisions oftheExecutiveGroupre. From oursurvey,onlyalowproportionoftheRwandanrefu families in Kivu.September ‘96-June ‘97. interviewed inNjunduCongocomparedtotheirinitial Distribution bysexandageofthesamplerefugees fled Kivu camps inZaire. were committedagainstgroupsofRwandanrefugeeswho camps. However, the study suggests that acts of violence to alltherefugeepopulationsthatwerepresentinKivu sources. Theresultscanprobablynotbeextrapolated declared inoursurveycorrespondtothosegivenbyother tion. Nonetheless,theplacesanddatesoftransitthey Refugee interviewsmighthavegivenmisleadinginforma- such. Nonetheless,theywereextremelyhigh. under-estimated asonlyobserveddeathswererecorded rates, andproportionofdeathsduetokillingwereprobably may haveincludedrepatriationorkilling.Thus,mortality conducted againstthem.Possiblecausesofdisappearance Most ofthemdisappearedduringthenumerousattacks gees whofledKivucampsinZairehavereachedtheCongo. ‘97 (CMR=60.7/10,000/d). 34.6/10,000/d), March‘97(CMR=26.4/10,000/j)andMay day. ThehighestrateswereseeninNovember96(CMR= were 15.5per10,000dayand18.2 mortality rate(CMR)andtheunder-5 October 1,1996andMay31,1997,theaveragecrude in Sake,Shanje,Obilo,TingiandWenji.Between metre trip.Mostdisappearancesanddeathstookplace reached Njundu in May-June 1997, after a 1,500 kilo- killed, 59.6%disappearedduringtheflightand17.5% present inKivuSeptember1996,19.7%werereported According to our survey, of the 3,121 family members aged less than 5yearswas 7.9% (seefigure below). median agewas24yearsandtheproportionofchildren persons inthesample,sex-ratioM/Fwas2.6, present inNjunduatthetimeofsurvey.Of530 persons previouslypresentinKivucamps,530ofwhom A total of 266 families were selected, representing 3,121 calculated as well crude andunder-5mortality rates. and placewereindicated.Proportionsofeachevent by killing,accidentorillness,disappearance),thedate had happened(repatriationorreturntoRwanda,death travelled throughwererequested.Whenaparticularevent For eachfamilymember,thedatesandplaceshe/shehad - 221 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

During the days that followed, field teams and sample of refugees, and reconstructed the size and history Operational Centres discussed opportunities to publish of the original group. the retrospective mortality study. On 3 November, The survey shows that, of every five people from the origi- the study was finally made public when MSF appeared nal group who left the Kivu camps in October 1996, only before the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs one arrived in Congo Republic; one did not survive repeat- Committee. ed military actions; and three could not be accounted for. Of those reported killed, 95% were the result of violence, and 5% died from disease. These figures cannot be extrapolated to all of the refu- ‘Statement of Doctors Without Borders For the gee population, particularly because the group contained Hearing at the House of Representatives House especially high numbers of armed former militia members. Committee on International Relations,’ deliv- Yet it is interesting to note that the proportion of deaths ered by Marcel Van Soest, Epidemiologist, was the same for children under age five as for the entire November 5, 1997 (in English). population, and 41% of deaths by attack were of women. These figures also confirm the experience of our field Extract: teams, who in May 1997 reported on attacks on refugee Confronted this past year with severe impediments to pro- camps in areas where this group and other refugee groups viding assistance to both local and refugee populations in had briefly settled, the presence of mass graves in these areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo (Congo) and in areas, and “catastrophic” rates of mortality from disease Rwanda, we have also been vocal in expressing our con- and malnutrition (‘Forced Flight’)… cerns about security and protection of civilians, especially It is our firm belief that one of your first recommendations in light of: to the Administration should be to make use of our pres- -Attacks on civilians in Congo, which prompted the UN ence in the region, and the degree of access and flexibility Human Rights Commission investigations, of movement generally offered to relief organisations, as -Attacks on civilians and relief workers in Rwanda and an early-warning indicator of humanitarian conditions. Of Burundi, course we, relief workers, cannot protect populations from -Severe restriction of movement imposed on relief teams in genocides or massacres: that was amply proved in April eastern Congo and western Rwanda, 1994. But lack of access and other obstacles to provid- -And, even the recent announcement of an imminent ing assistance are signals of serious developments in the expulsion of the UNHCR from Goma. region… I need not repeat - since it was stated in this forum in a previous hearing - the damaging impact of statements by CONCLUSION the US representative in Kigali almost one year ago deny- I have been candid in exposing our concerns and explor- ing the existence of more than 300,000 refugees fleeing ing opportunities for a more effective policy in Central westward from the Rwandan refugee camps under attack. Africa, one that upholds both principle and pragmatism. In our ‘Forced Flight’,report of May 16, 1997, we docu- New approaches are needed that will address adequately mented the fate of the refugee groups trekking across the the state of war in eastern Congo and western Rwanda, the Congo and shed some light on the complex situation in plight of civilians in the region, and the need for a halt to the North-Kivu/Masisi area. The latter has been a site of the ongoing impunity that has pervaded in the region for ongoing ethnic violence since 1993, still provoking attacks more than four years has been a significant factor in the on and displacement of the local Congolese population. explosion of various “epidemics” of violence. As a medical organisation, Doctors Without Borders believes As we stand before the US government once again, telling that all humanitarian efforts should be aimed at stabilizing you what we’ve seen, we cannot deny our frustration that the health status of populations so as to reduce mortal- our past efforts in this regard have been made without ity and minimize risk for diseases and epidemics. Since response. In fact, humanitarian agencies are often asked November 1996, despite numerous appeals to the parties to put ourselves on the line - not only in the field, but at to the conflict, to the UN, and to the US Administration, home - to tell governments about massacres, health catas- which maintain de facto foreign diplomatic leadership in trophes, and the general state of threatened populations. the region, our teams have been prevented from having Respectfully, we ask you for an official and systematic way continued access to the refugee and local populations in to address conflict together so that our hard-won informa- need and in danger… tion does not fall on deaf ears. Doctors Without Borders conducted a retrospective mor- As long as politicians do not take the first line of respon- tality survey among a group of refugees last July in a sibility for establishing the truth, both at-risk populations refugee camp in Congo Republic (‘Epidemiological Survey and humanitarian actors remain endangered. Lack of impu- of Rwandan Refugees in Camp, Congo, July 1997’). Those nity has a price, whether paid in political terms or human refugees had fled the attacked camps in Kivu Province life. But the pursuit of truth is not the sole province of and had undertaken a forced march over a distance of humanitarian agencies. Given the choice, we would prefer some 1,500 km under the control of elements from the old to be in the field saving lives and providing medical care to Rwandan army (FAR) and various militia-men. The study people rather than compiling reports and speaking about 222 was conducted through individual interviews of a random them, even before such an esteemed audience. We look will save livesinthefuture. forward toyour leadership in theregion,which we are sure how it unfolded andwho was responsible for it. dated toshedlight ontheexactextentof persecution, inquiry proceedsfromthese grave suspicionsandisman- these werefrequentandwidespread. TheUNmissionof and spontaneous acts of vengeance or violence, although we aredealingwithgenocidal killingandnot“mistakes” apart fromtheethnicorigin ofthevictims.Therefore, refugees wasorganised,systematicandindiscriminate - with figuresinsupport,thatthepersecutionofHutu the personal accounts allows the MSF inquiry to confirm, Genocidal killing.However,thefreshdataemergingfrom […] the MSFinvestigation is designed to combat. the victimstoabanalstatistic-theirsecondburialthat Eye-witness testimony. It is precisely this reduction of all corpses are equal. is thesameasanotherandin“massacrecountry”all indistinguishable fromothers.”Ineffect,onemassgrave of Hututhathistroopsareaccusedwouldbecome that hadoccurredintheregionsince1993,slaughter ligent attitude.Bypermittingacensusofthemassacres source, “RichardsonadvisedKabilatoadoptamoreintel- since its arrival on 24 August. According to one American mission, whichhadbeenpreventedfromdoingitswork claims tohavepersuadedKabilastopblockingthe [com]mission ofInquiry’sworkingconditions.Richardson Nations, hadjustbeentoKinshasarenegotiatetheUN Richardson, theAmericanAmbassadortoUnited NGO Human Rights Watch and came at a time when Bill criticisms weresimilartothoseadvancedbytheAmerican “had fledto the west when the camps were attacked”. The denied lastautumnthatatleast300,000Huturefugees dor toRwandaof“deliberatedisinformation”forhaving administration. HealsoaccusedtheAmericanambassa- rights violationswasan“embarrassment”fortheClinton sion” thattheinvestigationoftheselarge-scalehuman of this“post-morteminquiry”.Heconveyedthe“impres- doctor MarcelVanSoestunveiledthefundamentaldata Affairs Committee hearing inWashington, the Dutch of allMSFsectionsataHouseRepresentativesForeign […] Post-mortem inquiry. Yesterday, speaking on behalf detail. the scaleofpersecutioncanbecalculatedinprecise able. Althoughthestudycoversarelatively small group, September 1996 and July 1997 isno longer unquantifi- of RwandanHuturefugees in the former Zaire between study intothecausesofdeath,horrifyingpersecution Thanks toaMédecinsSansFrontières(MSF)scientific Extract: 7 November 1997 (inFrench). Massacres,’ StephenSmithLibération ‘Former Zaire:MSFQuantifiestheExtentof (France), testimony. its freedomofmovementandtheconfidentiality tigative teamhadencounteredtoomanyobstaclesto investigate the massacres in eastern Zaire. The inves- General announcedtheabandonmentofalleffortsto On 17April1998,TheUnitedNationsSecretary Tragedy in SouthKivu.’ Congress Over their Lack of Reaction to the Humanitarian an articlein viewed byLibération’sWashingtoncorrespondent.Hewrote ists fromthenationalandinternationalpress.Iwasinter- public domain.” I went with Marcel. There were 80 journal- the minutesofproceedingsinCongress;itis situation… ”Assoonasanhearingstarts,itisrecordedin of ‘96 instead asking us in late ‘97 what we think of the have preferredyoutobealotmorereceptiveattheend listen.” And even at this stage, we are saying, “We would you sinceNovember1996andhaveonlyjustbegunto exchanged, and saying, “We have been constantly warning have had with the US government, and the letters we have their practice.Wearesummarisingthemanydiscussionswe are pointingtothedifferencebetweentheirdiscourseand Sese Seko last May… sliding back into repression since the overthrow of Mobutu country that human rights groups say has been steadily efforts toconductthorough, on-siteinvestigationsina next dayortwo,wouldeffectively endayearofabortive The decisiontopullout,expected tobeannouncedinthe and photocopiedhis documents. last weekafterCongoofficialsdetainedoneinvestigator Congo, theformerZaire.Theinvestigationwassuspended 1997 bytroopsloyaltoLaurentKabila,nowPresidentof sands ofRwandanrefugeesweremassacredin1996and Congolese hasbeenlookingintoreportsthattensofthou - The teamof26foreignexpertsandatleastasmany officials here saidtoday. after monthsofharassmentandobstructiontheirwork, of United Nations human rights investigators out of Congo Secretary General Kofi Annan has decided to pull a team Extract: of its participation in humanitarianaid, etc… We are askingthe US governmenttoclarify the extent We aretalkingaboutbothNorthandSouthKivu. April 1998(in English). Withdrawn’, ’UN InvestigatorsofCongoKillingstobe Antoine Gérard, MSF USAHead of Programmes Libération titled: ‘MSF Confronts the US The NewYorkTimes(USA), 16 Department (in French). 223 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

Reliable information on the extent of the Congo killings A senior Rwandan official: and identification of the victims rests on exhumation of “NGOs serve interest. They are not doctors, but intelli- graves, forensic examination, and interviews with witness- gence gatherers… We have not the slightest confidence es. The United Nations team’s expertise became a threat in the NGOs. They can’t be neutral. It is impossible. There to Congolese officials who did not want a full accounting has not been a single NGO that has been impartial… There of the deaths, human rights groups say. are those who are paid to serve other interests. MSF is a vehicle for the French government.“ The team faced its biggest problems trying to excavate Nick Gowing adds: “In private, however, Rwandan offi- a mass grave-site in Mbandaka, north of Kinshasa in last cials do not make the same connection. They pay tribute December and again in March this year. Organised crowds to MSF’s engagement with the RPF in the early ‘90s and turned the investigators back with threatening demonstra- MSF’s swift recognition of the genocide against the Tutsis tions, and forensic evidence could not be collected. in 1994. They also acknowledge the very limited French backing for MSF.” But investigators have been able, since last August, to interview many Congolese witnesses, representatives of local and international relief agencies, and diplomats and military attaches at many embassies in Kinshasa. We compromised our impartiality too much. We were United Nations officials have approached governments always there where people wanted us to be for a very with influence in the region to ask them to urge restraint specific motive: to control populations, confine on Mr Kabila so the team can be withdrawn safely with populations. We were always walking into some kind of trap. their evidence intact. Officials are concerned about the We have a kind of cult of access - we are humanitarians, dangers facing witnesses who talked to the investigators therefore we must have access. Now in the Great Lakes and who could have been identified in documents seized region, everything came down to manipulation and displace- from the team member detained last week, Christopher ment of populations, to regrouping, purification, screening, Harland, a Canadian. separation of populations, etc. We did what they told us to do. I think we always found it too difficult to say no. I believe that MSF Belgium’s persistence in wanting to stay in Rwanda, to accompany the repatriated, etc., was too obvious and the Rwandan government found that very easy to In April 1998, the journalist Nick Gowing interviewed manipulate. They knew that MSF was too interested in stay- Paul Kagame, the Vice-President and Defense Minister ing for operational reasons, institutional, and sentimental of Rwanda, who admitted to having planned and led reasons. They knew that we would not leave, that they could an information war in eastern Zaire. Gowing conducted make us swallow all the lies, that they could keep us waiting another interview in which a Rwandan political official as long as they liked, denying us access for much of the claimed that NGO volunteers were intelligence gather- time, then letting us in when they felt like it - we were ready ers and that MSF spied for the French government. to swallow anything.

Dr. Philippe Biberson, MSF France President (in French).

‘Dispatches from Disaster Zones - New Challenges and Problems for Information Management in Complex Emergencies - Ominous Lessons from the Great Lakes and Eastern Zaire in Late 1996 On 29 June 1998, the report of the investigative team and Early 1997,’ Report from Nick Gowing, May created by the UN Secretary General in July 1997 was 1998 (in English). sent to the Security Council, which made it public. It described the “killings perpetrated by the AFDL and its Extract: allies” as crimes against humanity. [Paul Kagame] “We used communication and information warfare better than anyone. We have found a new way of doing this… I learned from the field that the media and NGOs would ‘Letter from the Secretary General addressed to be a problem. For a specific amount of time these people the President of the Security Council of the have to be kept out. We managed to keep them out. They United Nations,’ 29 June 1998 (in English). leaked information. They were very damaging… They are not neutral, as many claim to be. To allow a free hand will Extract: not bring (us the Rwandans) the best results.” It is a source of deep regret that, between its first deployment in August 1997 and its withdrawal in April 1998, the 224 […] Team was not allowed to carry out its mission fully and member states to thisend. punish the guilty. It requested the cooperation of all and Rwandangovernmentstoinvestigatethem atrocities committedintheDRCandcalledon On 13July,theUNSecurityCouncilcondemned investigation of thosecrimes and oftheir motivation. genocide, dependingontheirintent,andcallforfurther the teambelievethatsomeofkillingsmayconstitute ian assistance to Rwandan Hutu refugees. The members of crimes againsthumanity,asdoesthedenialofhumanitar- ing elementsoftheRwandanPatrioticArmy,constitute second isthatthekillingsbyAFDLanditsallies,includ- of humanrightsorinternationalhumanitarianlaw.The od underconsiderationhavecommittedseriousviolations Zaire, andespeciallyitseasternprovinces,duringtheperi- The firstisthatallthepartiestoviolenceracked dence. Two of theseconclusions stand out. number ofconclusionsthataresupportedbystrongevi- ties outlinedinthereport,Teamwasabletoreacha without hindrance.Nevertheless,inspiteofthedifficul- independent and impartial judicialsystems… Republic oftheCongoandRwanda inthedevelopmentof tance, asrequested,totheGovernments oftheDemocratic cies to provide the necessary technical and other assis- Nations bodiesandagencies and otherinternationalagen- The SecurityCouncilurgesMember States,relevantUnited investigation and prosecutionof these persons… Democratic RepublicoftheCongoandRwandain Member StatestocooperatewiththeGovernmentsof foster lastingpeaceandstabilityintheregion.Iturges importance inhelpingtobringanendimpunityand alleged massacres(S/1998/582).Suchactionisofgreat its nationalswhoareguiltyoforwereimplicatedinthe of theDemocraticRepublicCongototryany takes noteofthestatedwillingnessGovernment violations ofinternationalhumanitarianlaw.TheCouncil been involvedintheseorothermassacres,atrocitiesand Team andtobringjusticeanypersonsfoundhave allegations containedinthereportofInvestigative tigate withoutdelay,intheirrespectivecountries,the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda to inves- of justice.TheCouncilcallsontheGovernments responsible. Itdeploresthedelayinadministration of internationalhumanitarianlawandtoprosecutethose gate furtherthemassacres,otheratrocitiesandviolations The SecurityCouncilrecognizesthenecessitytoinvesti- Extract: Council,’ 13 July 1998(inEnglish). ‘Statement bythePresidentofSecurity received no support. the relevanceofremindingthatattimeMSFhad ted by most of the other sections. They questioned judicial actions.Thispressreleasewasnotdistribu- situations butwouldnotengageinpresentorfuture It statedthatitwouldcarryonraisingalertinserious the timewordofthosewhoalertedwasdoubted. MSF [France]issued a press release reminding that at of theevents. MSF reportsthattheorganisationreleasedattime tors consultedover1,500documents,amongthem14 the DRCfromMarch1993toJune2003.Theinvestiga- report ontheviolationsofhumanrightscommittedin Commissioner for Human Rights published a mapping On 1 ÉPILOGUE the organisation cannot be perceived as a witness for the ating with the armed factions present. In order to do this, MSF’s essentialroleistogain accesstovictimsbynegoti- Congo with ceaseless violenceagainstthe population. War continuesintheeastof theDemocratic Republic of these events. absence of support to aidorganisationswho were facing it iscrucialtoanalyse the reasonsfor this denial andthe sacres wasdoubted.Whatevertheimpactofthisreport, who alertedtheinternationalcommunityonthesemas - At thetime,andforyearslater,wordofthoselikeMSF raise a public alert. ity: itisthehumanitarianactor’sdirectresponsibilityto remain silentwouldhavebeensynonymous with complic- gee populations.Intheseexceptionalcircumstances,to locate, grouptogetherandmassacrecivilianrefu - 1998. Humanitarianaidwasusedbyarmedfactionsto humanitarian activities,particularlybetween1996and region, the MSF reports denounced the criminal use of attacks ontherefugeeandcivilianpopulationsin Beyond denouncing the violence and non-discriminate facing these types ofevents. would liketoclarifyitspositionasahumanitarianactor tions were committed (see www.msf.fr/publications). MSF lished byMédecinsSansFrontières at thetimeviola- This documentrefers,amongstothers,toreportspub- and 2003will be madepublicon 1 October2010. the DemocraticRepublicofCongo(DRC)between1993 documenting the most serious human rights violations in Commissioner forHumanRightsontheMappingExercise The reportpublishedbytheUnitedNations’High st October 2010, the United Nations High 2010 (inFrench - inEnglish). MSF [France]PressRelease,29September ted inZaire:MSFreaffirmsitsdutytoalert” “United Nations’reportonthecrimescommit- 225 The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo 1996 - 1997 MSF Speaks Out

prosecution in legal proceedings as this would endanger examination. The information available today points to its actions and team members. the significant role of other countries in the First Congo MSF will, therefore, continue to raise immediate alerts in War and their direct implication in the war, which led serious situations, but refuses involvement in present or to the overthrow of the Mobutu regime.18 At the start future judicial actions. of the period, serious violations were committed against Tutsi and Banyamulenge civilians,19 principally in South Kivu. This period was then characterised by the apparently relentless pursuit and mass killing (104 reported “UN Mapping report - Talking points & Q&A” incidents) of Hutu refugees, members of the former Armed MSF International, 30 September 2010 (in Forces of Rwanda (later “ex-FAR”) and militias implicated English). in the genocide of 1994 (Interahamwe), allegedly by the Alliance des forces démocratiques pour la libération du Extract: Congo-Zaïre (AFDL). A proportion of the AFDL’s troops, arms and logistics were apparently supplied by the Armée 2. What does MSF not want to say? patriotique rwandaise (APR), the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) and by the Forces armées burundaises (FAB) MSF does not: throughout the Congolese territory. Hutu refugees, who it appears were often rounded up and used by the ex-FAR/ - Comment in any way on judicial processes Interahamwe as human shields during their flight, began - Qualify crimes (war crimes, crimes against humanity, a long trek across the country from east to west towards genocide) Angola, the Central African Republic or the Republic of - Comment on the role of Rwanda in DRC during the period the Congo. This period was also marked by serious attacks described in the report nor speculate on any current on other civilian populations in all provinces without involvement today. We will not discuss Paul Kagame or the exception, in particular allegedly by the Forces armées current DRC government zaïroises (FAZ) retreating towards Kinshasa, the ex-FAR/ - Comment on quality and or timing of the report Interahamwe driven back by the AFDL/APR and the Mayi- - Call for justice / end of impunity Mayi.[…]

There is disagreement among OCs [Operational Centers] NGO reports […] on whether we should elaborate on the fact that MSF and MSF (Médecins Sans Frontières) other’s alerts were questioned and on the lack of support - Populations en danger au Zaïre, rapport MSF, 1995 to aid organisations at that time (see OCP press release) - Ethnic cleansing rears its head in Zaire, 1 November 1996 - Traque et massacre des Rwandais au Zaïre-Congo, 1996- 1997 - Unofficial translation from French original Report of the Mapping Exercise documenting - Forced flight – A brutal strategy of elimination in eastern the most serious violations of human rights and Zaire, 30 April 1997 international humanitarian law committed - Histoire des réfugiés rwandais ayant fui les camps du Kivu, within the territory of the Democratic Republic Zaïre, de September 1996 à June 1997, September 1997 of the Congo between March 1993 and June - International Activity Report, 2001 2003, August 2010, published on 1st October - Special Report - Confronting catastrophe in the DRC, 30 2010 by the Office of the United Nations High November 2001 Commissioner for Human Rights (in French - - La guerre me suivait, 2002 unofficial translation into English by UNOHCHR). - Giving voice to untold human suffering, 2002 - Quiet, we are dying, 2002 Extract: - Report on the DRC 1992-2002, 2002 […] - I have no joy, no peace of mind; Medical, psychosocial and socio-economic consequences of sexual violences in eastern I. Inventory of the most serious violations of human DRC, 2004 rights and international humanitarian law committed - International activity report: DRC I took my children and on the territory of the DRC between March 1993 and fled, 2003 June 2003 […] - Ituri – Unkept promises, 2003 B. July 1996–July 1998: First Congo War and the Alliance des forces démocratiques pour la libération du Congo-Zaire (AFDL) regime 18. The second period concerns violations allegedly committed during the First Congo War and the first year of the regime established by President Laurent-Désiré Kabila. With 238 listed incidents, this period has the greatest 226 number of incidents in the whole of the decade under