Appeal E-Mail: [email protected]

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Appeal E-Mail: Act@Act-Intl.Org 150 route de Ferney, P.O. Box 2100 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland Tel: 41 22 791 6033 Fax: 41 22 791 6506 Appeal e-mail: [email protected] Coordinating Office Democratic Republic of the Congo Relief & Rehabilitation – AFDC - 41 Appeal Target: US$ 1,517,566 Geneva, 2 February 2004 Dear Colleagues, The year 2003 was a very hopeful year for the people of the DRC as they saw the creation of a transitional government with all parties to the conflict being included. Acceptance of entry visas issued in Kinshasa by the authorities in the eastern DRC was a sign of good things to come although the air of mistrust is still strong, especially in the two Kivus. The UN also strengthened their presence in the eastern part of the country where the conflict has been most intense over the years. This allowed access to some of the remote areas where previously people could not be reached with humanitarian assistance due to the insecurity that had prevailed. The new development also opens a window of opportunity for recovery and rehabilitation activities in the secure areas of the country. However, despite the positive political developments that have taken place in the last year, most areas in the eastern DRC remain highly insecure with a high rate of human rights abuses by various fighting factions and militias. There is total break down of law and order and the power of the gun still rules. Looting, murder and rape of women are daily occurrences especially in the eastern part of the country. Health and education facilities hardly exist for the majority of the population leading to very high mortality rates from treatable diseases and a high level of illiteracy among the young population. The programs in this appeal will try to address some of the pressing issues facing the people of the eastern DRC through providing assistance to sexually abused women, shelter, water and sanitation, relief and rehabilitation assistance to the internally displaced people and returnees, educational facilities for children, and also capacity building for church humanitarian workers. The ACT implementing members working in the Eastern DRC are requesting US$ 1,517,566 for humanitarian activities in the provinces of North and South Kivu, and Maniema. The ACT Co-ordinating Office in Geneva is also requesting USD10,000 to cover costs for communications and field monitoring trips to the DRC during the year. ACT is a worldwide network of churches and related agencies meeting human need through coordinated emergency response. The ACT Coordinating Office is based with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Switzerland. DRC – Relief & Rehabilitation 2 AFDC-41 Appeal Project Completion Date: CAID - 31 January 2005 ECC S Kivu - 31 January 2005 ECC N Kivu - 31 January 2005 BOAD - 31 January 2005 EELC Kivu & Maniema - 31 January 2005 Summary of Appeal Targets, Pledges/Contributions Received and Balance Requested CAID ECC ECC BOAD EELC ACT CO Total S Kivu N Kivu Monitoring Target US$ Appeal Targets 727,340 144,464 214,920 284,705 136,137 10,000 1,517,566 Less: Pledges/Contr Recd 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Balance Requested from 727,340 144,464 214,920 284,705 136,137 10,000 1,517,566 ACT Alliance Please kindly send your contributions to the following ACT bank account: Account Number – 240-432629.60A (USD) Account Name: ACT - Action by Churches Together UBS AG 8, rue du Rhône P.O. Box 2600 1211 Geneva 4 SWITZERLAND Swift address: UBSW CHZH12A Please also inform the Finance Officer Jessie Kgoroeadira (direct tel. +4122/791.60.38, e-mail address [email protected]) of all pledges/contributions and transfers, including funds sent direct to the implementers, now that the Pledge Form is no longer attached to the Appeal. We would appreciate being informed of any intent to submit applications for EU, USAID and/or other back donor funding and the subsequent results. We thank you in advance for your kind cooperation. For further information please contact: ACT Director, Thor-Arne Prois (phone +41 22 791 6033 or mobile phone + 41 79 203 6055) or ACT Appeals Officer, John Nduna (phone +41 22 791 6040 or mobile phone +41 79 433 0592) ACT Web Site address: http://www.act-intl.org John Nduna Acting Director, Act Co-ordinating Office DRC – Relief & Rehabilitation 3 AFDC-41 Appeal GENERAL DESCRIPTION of the SITUATION The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a country, which is trying to get out of a seven-year devastating war. This war, more intensive in the East of the DRC, has been one of the deadliest, especially in the rural areas, which moreover are the production points of subsistence crops for the majority of the population. These rural areas have mainly been targeted by the rebellion on the pretext that they shelter the rebel forces. The conflicts between rival forces were abusively exploited by the rebel movements or their allies to set some areas ablaze especially the Ituri (Eastern Province), the Masisi (North-Kivu), Uvira (South- Kivu), ect. The eastern part of the DRC includes the following provinces; The Eastern province, Maniema, North Kivu and South-Kivu. It represents 32.40% of the national territory and is inhabited by 37.30 % of the national population, with 87% of the internally displaced populations, estimated at 3,044,000 people. In the east, it is the peasant population that has mainly been displaced during the wars. Out of a population of 18,652,185 people, 2, 647,000 are displaced (14.19 %). These figures are of July 2003 and were issued by the UNOCHA (United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs) in August 2003 in its Humanitarian Information Leaflet for the East of the DRC. Indicators of vulnerability in the East of the DRC (source OCHA August 2003) N° Indicator Eastern Maniema South- North Kivu province Kivu 1 Internally displaced (nbr) 791 000 234 000 413 700 1 209 000 2 Infantile mortality 14.3% 12.2% 14.7% 14% 3 Infant-juvenile mortality 24.1% 20.5% 24.9% 23.7% 4 Chronic global malnutrition 12.9% 11.2% 17.5% 16.8% 5 Severe chronic malnutrition 5.3% 5.1% 9.8% 10.5% 6 Food insecurity 32.5% 47.4% 65.9% 15.1% 7 Non access to drinking water 83.6% 98.2% 82.7% 86.6% 8 Non access to hygienic sanitary 49.9% 87.6% 42.6% 53.3% facilities 9 IHV 12% 8- 12% 10 Homeless families (nbr) ± 2 500 ± 1 500 6 000 11 Women sexually abused (nbr) 1589 ± 5 000 4 000 Figures in this table are minimum since all the displaced have not possibly been reached, especially those hiding in the forest and the ones living in areas under control of armed groups, which do not fully co-operate with the humanitarian community. North Kivu has many more displaced because it hosts most of the displaced from the Ituri / Bunia. The rate of infection by HIV has rapidly grown (1-5 % end 2001, and 20-22 % presently) because of frequent rape against women, children and even against men by armed groups and rebels. Raped women are regularly hospitalised at the DOCS hospital in Goma (1,400 women already) for specialised intervention. Lots of women, however, do not declare that they have been raped for fear of stigmatisation. The system of communication has improved since May 2003 because of private communication networks and especially mobile phone networks. It is now relatively easy to communicate by phone from the towns all over the country with email also being much more accessible. DRC – Relief & Rehabilitation 4 AFDC-41 Appeal With the gradual reunification of the country the displaced populations are little by little returning to the villages where peace is restored. Others are opting to remain or even settle where they have been hosted during the conflict because insecurity still prevails in their home villages. ***************** I. REQUESTING ACT MEMBER Christian Aid (CA) Bukavu II. REQUESTING & IMPLEMENTING PARTNER INFORMATION The Christian Aid Field Office in Bukavu, Eastern DRC, was established in February 1996 to support long-term development projects initiated by its church and NGO partners. Presently, CA works in partnership with 27 local organisations in the following sectors: food security, peace promotion and human rights, emergency relief, micro-credit, capacity building and HIV/AIDS. Humanitarian relief activities commenced in 1997, with support to large seed and tool projects. In 1997/98 distribution of agricultural inputs, food and non-food items to internally displaced people, food and non- food items to displaced in host families and, more recently, to the Goma volcano disaster victims hosted in families in Bukavu town and surrounding areas. Another programme for returnees based on micro-credit is on-going in Goma town. Under AFDC 21 CAID supported displaced Burhinyi people in 2002/03, funded a relief project in Kindu/Maniema Province and agro-pastoral rehabilitation in South-Kivu. CA is one of the two ACT members in South Kivu or Maniema. In November/December 2002, CA assisted with food and non-food items to the Kindu population whose town had been isolated by Mai-Mai taking position in the surroundings and blocking all access to the fields Implementing Partners South Kivu Action Sociale et d Organisation Paysanne (ASOP). A large local NGO consisting of a network of 156 mainly agricultural co-operatives throughout most of the Province. ASOP has been a partner of Christian Aid in South Kivu for more than 5 years. Communauté Baptiste en Afrique Centrale (CBCA). The Baptist Church of South Kivu has been a CA partner since 1985 through implementing a medical project.
Recommended publications
  • History, Archaeology and Memory of the Swahili-Arab in the Maniema
    Antiquity 2020 Vol. 94 (375): e18, 1–7 https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2020.86 Project Gallery History, archaeology and memory of the Swahili-Arab in the Maniema, Democratic Republic of Congo Noemie Arazi1,*, Suzanne Bigohe2, Olivier Mulumbwa Luna3, Clément Mambu4, Igor Matonda2, Georges Senga5 & Alexandre Livingstone Smith6 1 Groundworks and Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium 2 Université de Kinshasa, Kinshasa, DRC 3 Université de Lubumbashi, Lubumbashi, DRC 4 Institut des Musées Nationaux de Congo, Kinshasa, DRC 5 Picha Association, Lubumbashi, DRC 6 Royal Museum of Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium * Author for correspondence: ✉ [email protected] A research project focused on the cultural heritage of the Swahili-Arab in the Democratic Republic of Congo has confirmed the location of their former settlement in Kasongo, one of the westernmost trading entrepôts in a network of settlements connecting Central Africa with Zanzibar. This project represents the first time arch- aeological investigations, combined with oral history and archival data, have been used to understand the Swa- hili-Arab legacy in the DRC. Keywords: DRC, Kasongo, nineteenth century, Swahili-Arab, oral history, colonialism Introduction During the nineteenth century, merchants from the coastal Swahili city-states developed a vast commercial network across Eastern Central Africa. These merchants, generally referred to as Swahili-Arab, were mainly trading in slaves and ivory destined for the Sultanate of Zan- zibar as well as the Indian Ocean trade ports (Vernet 2009). The network consisted of caravan tracks connecting Central Africa with the East African coast, and included a series of strong- holds, settlements and markets. As a result of this network, the populations of Eastern Cen- tral Africa adopted the customs of the coast such as the Swahili language, coastal dress and the practice of Islam, as well as new agricultural crops and farming techniques.
    [Show full text]
  • The International Response to Conflict and Genocide:Lessom from the Rwanda Experience
    The International Response to Conflict and Genocide: Lessons from the Rwanda Experience March 1996 Published by: Steering Committee of the Joint Evaluation of Emergency Assistance to Rwanda Editor: David Millwood Cover illustrations: Kiure F. Msangi Graphic design: Designgrafik, Copenhagen Prepress: Dansk Klich‚, Copenhagen Printing: Strandberg Grafisk, Odense ISBN: 87-7265-335-3 (Synthesis Report) ISBN: 87-7265-331-0 (1. Historical Perspective: Some Explanatory Factors) ISBN: 87-7265-332-9 (2. Early Warning and Conflict Management) ISBN: 87-7265-333-7 (3. Humanitarian Aid and Effects) ISBN: 87-7265-334-5 (4. Rebuilding Post-War Rwanda) This publication may be reproduced for free distribution and may be quoted provided the source - Joint Evaluation of Emergency Assistance to Rwanda - is mentioned. The report is printed on G-print Matt, a wood-free, medium-coated paper. G-print is manufactured without the use of chlorine and marked with the Nordic Swan, licence-no. 304 022. 2 The International Response to Conflict and Genocide: Lessons from the Rwanda Experience Study 2 Early Warning and Conflict Management by Howard Adelman York University Toronto, Canada Astri Suhrke Chr. Michelsen Institute Bergen, Norway with contributions by Bruce Jones London School of Economics, U.K. Joint Evaluation of Emergency Assistance to Rwanda 3 Contents Preface 5 Executive Summary 8 Acknowledgements 11 Introduction 12 Chapter 1: The Festering Refugee Problem 17 Chapter 2: Civil War, Civil Violence and International Response 20 (1 October 1990 - 4 August
    [Show full text]
  • UN Security Council, Children and Armed Conflict in the DRC, Report of the Secretary General, October
    United Nations S/2020/1030 Security Council Distr.: General 19 October 2020 Original: English Children and armed conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Report of the Secretary-General Summary The present report, submitted pursuant to Security Council resolution 1612 (2005) and subsequent resolutions, is the seventh report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It covers the period from 1 January 2018 to 31 March 2020 and the information provided focuses on the six grave violations committed against children, the perpetrators thereof and the context in which the violations took place. The report sets out the trends and patterns of grave violations against children by all parties to the conflict and provides details on progress made in addressing grave violations against children, including through action plan implementation. The report concludes with a series of recommendations to end and prevent grave violations against children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and improve the protection of children. 20-13818 (E) 171120 *2013818* S/2020/1030 I. Introduction 1. The present report, submitted pursuant to Security Council resolution 1612 (2005) and subsequent resolutions, is the seventh report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and covers the period from 1 January 2018 to 31 March 2020. It contains information on the trends and patterns of grave violations against children since the previous report (S/2018/502) and an outline of the progress and challenges since the adoption by the Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict of its conclusions on children and armed conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in July 2018 (S/AC.51/2018/2).
    [Show full text]
  • Who Belongs Where? Conflict, Displacement, Land and Identity in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo
    Who Belongs Where? Conflict, Displacement, Land and Identity in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo CITIZENSHIP AND DISPLACEMENT IN THE GREAT LAKES REGION WORKING PAPER NO. 3 MARCH 2010 International Refugee Social Science Rights Initiative Research Council C ITIZENSHIP AND D ISPLACEMENT IN THE G REAT L AKES W ORKING P APER NO. 3 Background to the Paper This paper is the result of a co-ordinated effort between staff from the International Refugee Rights Initiative (IRRI) and the Social Science Research Council (SSRC). The field research was carried out by Joseph Okumu and Kibukila Ben Bonome, and the paper was drafted by Lucy Hovil of IRRI. Deirdre Clancy and Olivia Bueno of IRRI, Josh DeWind of SSRC, and Bronwen Manby of AfriMAP, the Africa Governance Monitoring and Advocacy Project of the Open Society Institute, reviewed and edited the material. The field research team would like to express its gratitude to all those who participated in the study, in particular those displaced by the conflict. Citizenship and Displacement in the Great Lakes Region Working Paper Series The paper is the third in a series of working papers that form part of a collaborative project between the International Refugee Rights Initiative, the Social Science Research Council, and civil society and academic partners in the Great Lakes region. The project seeks to gain a deeper understanding of the linkages between conflicts over citizenship and belonging in the Great Lakes region, and forced displacement. It employs social science research under a human rights framework in order to illuminate how identity affects the experience of the displaced before, during, and after their displacement.
    [Show full text]
  • Humanitarian Action in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Weekly Report, 13 November 2009
    Humanitarian Action in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Weekly Report, 13 November 2009 Headlines • Approximately 22,000 people flee the Equateur Province due to intercommunal clashes • Humanitarian access hampered in Baraka area, South Kivu, due to the unstable security situation • Approximately 18,000 new households displaced in Geti, Province Orientale, due to abuses by armed groups • Humanitarian activities temporarily suspended in Lubero, North Kivu Overall Developments Protection of Civilians • Protection of civilians remains a high concern in many areas of North Kivu. Armed groups continue to loot villages and to destroy crops, and cases of amputations of limbs have also been reported. This particularly effects the Territories of Masisi and Rutshuru. • In Province Orientale, attacks and human rights abuses against civilians also continue to cause displacement. At the present time, an estimated 456,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) are present in the province, this figure being 7,500 higher than that recorded at the end of August. Humanitarian Access • During a demonstration organised by members of the local population on 31 October in Lubero, North Kivu, stones have been thrown against offices and vehicles of some humanitarian organizations. This has led to the transfer of humanitarian staff to Beni, as a precautionary measure. • In North Kivu, two vehicles of the NGO Save the Children – UK have been unable to reach the area of Vitshumbi, in the Rutshuru Territory. They had been blocked by armed elements, who have demanded the transport of their dependants. • Following a deterioration of the security situation in the areas of Baraka and Fizi, in South Kivu, caused by clashes between armed groups, some international NGOs have decided to relocate their staff to Uvira.
    [Show full text]
  • Kitona Operations: Rwanda's Gamble to Capture Kinshasa and The
    Courtesy of Author Courtesy of Author of Courtesy Rwandan Patriotic Army soldiers during 1998 Congo war and insurgency Rwandan Patriotic Army soldiers guard refugees streaming toward collection point near Rwerere during Rwanda insurgency, 1998 The Kitona Operation RWANDA’S GAMBLE TO CAPTURE KINSHASA AND THE MIsrEADING OF An “ALLY” By JAMES STEJSKAL One who is not acquainted with the designs of his neighbors should not enter into alliances with them. —SUN TZU James Stejskal is a Consultant on International Political and Security Affairs and a Military Historian. He was present at the U.S. Embassy in Kigali, Rwanda, from 1997 to 2000, and witnessed the events of the Second Congo War. He is a retired Foreign Service Officer (Political Officer) and retired from the U.S. Army as a Special Forces Warrant Officer in 1996. He is currently working as a Consulting Historian for the Namib Battlefield Heritage Project. ndupress.ndu.edu issue 68, 1 st quarter 2013 / JFQ 99 RECALL | The Kitona Operation n early August 1998, a white Boeing remain hurdles that must be confronted by Uganda, DRC in 1998 remained a safe haven 727 commercial airliner touched down U.S. planners and decisionmakers when for rebels who represented a threat to their unannounced and without warning considering military operations in today’s respective nations. Angola had shared this at the Kitona military airbase in Africa. Rwanda’s foray into DRC in 1998 also concern in 1996, and its dominant security I illustrates the consequences of a failure to imperative remained an ongoing civil war the southwestern Bas Congo region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
    [Show full text]
  • Country Fact Sheet, Democratic Republic of the Congo
    Issue Papers, Extended Responses and Country Fact Sheets file:///C:/Documents and Settings/brendelt/Desktop/temp rir/Country Fact... Français Home Contact Us Help Search canada.gc.ca Issue Papers, Extended Responses and Country Fact Sheets Home Country Fact Sheet DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO April 2007 Disclaimer This document was prepared by the Research Directorate of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada on the basis of publicly available information, analysis and comment. All sources are cited. This document is not, and does not purport to be, either exhaustive with regard to conditions in the country surveyed or conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. For further information on current developments, please contact the Research Directorate. Table of Contents 1. GENERAL INFORMATION 2. POLITICAL BACKGROUND 3. POLITICAL PARTIES 4. ARMED GROUPS AND OTHER NON-STATE ACTORS 5. FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS ENDNOTES REFERENCES 1. GENERAL INFORMATION Official name Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Geography The Democratic Republic of the Congo is located in Central Africa. It borders the Central African Republic and Sudan to the north; Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and Tanzania to the east; Zambia and Angola to the south; and the Republic of the Congo to the northwest. The country has access to the 1 of 26 9/16/2013 4:16 PM Issue Papers, Extended Responses and Country Fact Sheets file:///C:/Documents and Settings/brendelt/Desktop/temp rir/Country Fact... Atlantic Ocean through the mouth of the Congo River in the west. The total area of the DRC is 2,345,410 km².
    [Show full text]
  • Faith Based Organizations and Public Goods in Africa: Islamic Associations in the Education Sector of the Democratic Republic of Congo
    FAITH BASED ORGANIZATIONS AND PUBLIC GOODS IN AFRICA: ISLAMIC ASSOCIATIONS IN THE EDUCATION SECTOR OF THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO By ASHLEY ELIZABETH LEINWEBER A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2011 1 © 2011 Ashley Elizabeth Leinweber 2 In memory of Donald McCloud Leinweber, my beloved grandfather, and in honor and gratitude to the resilient people of the Congo. 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The research for this dissertation was made possible by the generous funding in the form of a Dissertation Research Grant from the African Power and Politics Program (APPP), through the Center for African Studies at the University of Florida. APPP is a consortium research program funded by the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID), with additional support from Irish Aid, for the benefit of developing countries. The views expressed here are solely my own and not necessarily those of DFID, Irish Aid or the APPP as a whole. I would also like to thank the Department of Political Science at the University of Florida for granting me a Dissertation Research Travel Award for fieldwork in 2008. I am also grateful for assistance during the writing phase in the form of a Dissertation Writing Fellowship from the APPP for fall semester 2009 and by a Delores A. Auzenne Doctoral Dissertation Award through the Graduate School of the University of Florida for spring semester 2011. In addition to financial assistance, this dissertation would not have been possible without the endless encouragement and guidance of several communities.
    [Show full text]
  • CR 2005/7 Cour Internationale International Court De Justice Of
    CR 2005/7 Cour internationale International Court de Justice of Justice LA HAYE THE HAGUE ANNÉE 2005 Audience publique tenue le lundi 18 avril 2005, à 10 heures, au Palais de la Paix, sous la présidence de M. Shi, président, en l’affaire des Activités armées sur le territoire du Congo (République démocratique du Congo c. Ouganda) ________________ COMPTE RENDU ________________ YEAR 2005 Public sitting held on Monday 18 April 2005, at 10 a.m., at the Peace Palace, President Shi presiding, in the case concerning Armed Activities on the Territory of the Congo (Democratic Republic of the Congo v. Uganda) ____________________ VERBATIM RECORD ____________________ - 2 - Présents : M. Shi, président M. Ranjeva, vice-président MM. Koroma Vereshchetin Mme Higgins MM. Parra-Aranguren Kooijmans Rezek Al-Khasawneh Owada Simma Tomka Abraham, juges MM. Verhoeven, Kateka, juges ad hoc M. Couvreur, greffier ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ - 3 - Present: President Shi Vice-President Ranjeva Judges Koroma Vereshchetin Higgins Parra-Aranguren Kooijmans Rezek Al-Khasawneh Owada Simma Tomka Abraham Judges ad hoc Verhoeven Kateka Registrar Couvreur ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ - 4 - Le Gouvernement de la République du Congo est représenté par : S. Exc. M. Honorius Kisimba Ngoy Ndalewe, ministre de la justice et garde des sceaux de la République démocratique du Congo, comme chef de la délégation; S. Exc. M. Jacques Masangu-a-Mwanza, ambassadeur extraordinaire et plénipotentiaire auprès du Royaume des Pays-Bas, comme agent; M. Tshibangu Kalala, avocat aux barreaux de Kinshasa et de Bruxelles, comme coagent et avocat; M. Olivier Corten, professeur de droit international à l’Université libre de Bruxelles, M. Pierre Klein, professeur de droit international, directeur du centre de droit international de l’Université libre de Bruxelles, M.
    [Show full text]
  • The Banyamulenge Tutsi Survivors of the Gatumba Refugee Camp Massacre
    © 2007 Center for Applied Linguistics The contents of this publication were developed under an agreement nanced by the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, United States Department of State, but do not necessarily represent the policy of that agency and should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. The U.S. Department of State reserves a royalty-free, nonexclusive, and irrevocable right to reproduce, publish, or otherwise use, and to authorize others to use, this work for Government purposes. The Banyamulenge Tutsi Survivors of the Gatumba Refugee Camp Massacre Lubumbashi, and other Congolese cities were attacked, killed, and later imprisoned (in some cases for their own The Need for Resettlement safety). From 1999 to 2000, the United States accepted for in the United States resettlement some of these imprisoned families, who had The resettlement of the Gatumba massacre survivors is, in been referred to U.S. refugee officials by the United Nations essence, a humanitarian rescue mission of a group of people High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). These individuals for whom there are no other good options. became the core of the current Banyamulenge community in There are three internationally accepted solutions to a refu- America. gee situation. The first and best solution is for the refugees to After the peace agreement in 2003 between the various return to their own homes, safely and voluntarily. The second- rebel movements and the Congolese government, Congolese best solution is for them to integrate into the communities Tutsi hoped that they would no longer be discriminated where they have fled; these are often places that are familiar against and subject to violence.
    [Show full text]
  • Violence and Instability in Ituri
    Violence and Instability in Ituri DJUGU’S MYSTIC CRISIS AND THE CAMOUFLAGE OF ETHNIC CONFLICT Amir Sungura, Limbo Kitonga, Bernard van Soest and Ndakasi Ndeze INSECURE LIVELIHOODS SERIES / JULY 2020 Photo cover: Internally displaced people in Drodro, Ituri ©️ John Wessels Violence and Instability in Ituri DJUGU’S MYSTIC CRISIS AND THE CAMOUFLAGE OF ETHNIC CONFLICT Amir Sungura, Limbo Kitonga, Bernard van Soest and Ndakasi Ndeze Executive summary This report analyses the string of attacks in and around Djugu territory in Ituri since late 2017. Based on both historical and recent conflict analysis, it finds recent and concrete triggers of the ongoing crisis, nonetheless rooted in protracted tension over land, livelihood and territory, often framed in ethnic binaries. Situated in a geopolitically strategic – but contested – area and shaped by eastern Congo’s broader security challenges, the Djugu crisis quickly escalated, with hundreds killed and half a million displaced. While the bulk of the violence seem to be driven by CODECO, an opaque mystico- armed movement, the government-led response rather com- plicated than attenuated violence. This report demonstrates that peace­ building in Djugu depends on deeper understanding of conflict dynamics and requires addressing political manipulation. Stabilisation efforts thus need to be embedded in broad strategies to address long­standing tension over land and identity. VIOLENCE AND INSTABILITY IN ITURI 4 Table of Contents 1 | INTRODUCTION 6 2 | BACKGROUND TO THE CURRENT CONFLICT 8 2.1 Ituri in
    [Show full text]
  • Writenet Democratic Republic of The
    writenet is a network of researchers and writers on human rights, forced migration, ethnic and political conflict WRITENET writenet is the resource base of practical management (uk) e-mail: [email protected] independent analysis DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO: PROSPECTS FOR PEACE AND NORMALITY A Writenet Report by François Misser commissioned by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Emergency and Security Services March 2006 Caveat: Writenet papers are prepared mainly on the basis of publicly available information, analysis and comment. The papers are not, and do not purport to be, either exhaustive with regard to conditions in the country surveyed, or conclusive as to the merits of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. The views expressed in the paper are those of the author and are not necessarily those of Writenet or Practical Management. TABLE OF CONTENTS Acronyms ................................................................................................... i Executive Summary ................................................................................. ii 1 Introduction........................................................................................1 2 Recent Developments.........................................................................1 2.1 Political Developments.................................................................................1 2.2 Humanitarian and Security Developments ...............................................2 3 Overview of Political and Security Risk Factors
    [Show full text]