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Civil Society and the Displaced Persons of Bandundu Pierre Sossou, Boanerges M’Paty and Fulgence Buzika

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Civil Society and the Displaced Persons of Bandundu Pierre Sossou, Boanerges M’Paty and Fulgence Buzika 32 DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO FMR 36 Civil society and the displaced persons of Bandundu Pierre Sossou, Boanerges M’Paty and Fulgence Buzika Local organisations in Bandundu province located in western for the various other civil society DRC are struggling to meet the needs of displaced persons organisations. In pursuing their own ambitions, the majority of these in the absence of government or international assistance. organisations are less inclined to Bandundu province, located adjacent persons in the province. National undertake concrete actions than to to Kinshasa and bordering Angola, authorities and the international spend their energy seeking financial has not suffered the same degree of community have dedicated most of or material aid from governments, conflict as provinces in eastern DRC; their attention to the east of DRC, to which they are supposed to act nevertheless, it has been a hotspot for and the lack of any large-scale as a counterweights. Torn between forced migration. Two factors have initiatives in the west is striking. pursuing their own aims and the triggered population movements It has been left to NGOs and local needs of the population, they have within Bandundu province: the solidarity organisations to try to rarely been able to work together. border situation with Angola provide assistance, as far as their during and in the aftermath of the resources allow. These include, Nevertheless some non-religious civil war there, and the insecurity among others, the Catholic Church, NGOs are also effective in helping surrounding diamond mining on the Church of Christ in Congo, the displaced persons. For example, the Angolan side of the border. Kimbanguist Church, the Church of there is significant support from the the Awakening in Congo, the Église provincial branch of the Collectif des Angola experienced a long and des Noirs en Afrique, mosques, Organisations des Jeunes Solidaires vicious rebellion in the 1980s, fought and various animist movements as du Congo-Kinshasa (COJESKI) by Jonas Savimbi’s UNITA. This well. These churches and religious which was involved in observation conflict led many Angolan officers movements organise money missions on the Angolan border and and citizens to cross the border to collections at their weekly services in alerting the authorities and the rest seek refuge with their Congolese to support an aid programme for of the world to the situation there. neighbours. UNITA’s subsequent displaced persons. The funds raised And displaced persons arriving in cross-border raids to pursue fugitive pay for goods such as foodstuffs, salt, the town of Tembo, for example, find officers created insecurity within palm oil, drinking water, cooking the Association Mamans LISALI Bandundu, one of the results of pots and other kitchen utensils, de Tembo which has raised money which was the eventual deportation clothes and cultivation tools. to pay for the transport costs of of all Angolans who had settled there. certain displaced families who The distribution of goods is done want to return to their homes. The other major factor behind alongside a wide range of other population movements in this actions – the creation of jobs and Recommendations area is the presence of diamonds. provision of healthcare and education The prolonged inaction of the Drawn by the precious stone, the – intended to help displaced persons authorities in Bandundu province has Congolese (Zairians at the time) to become self-sufficient and to fully led to the continual deterioration in often crossed the river Kwango into integrate into their new environment. day-to-day living conditions of the Angola to mine diamonds. But given These initiatives allow them access IDPs, and the forced displacement that the majority of their financing to the forest to gather wood, train there is the basis of the current came from diamond sales, UNITA them to build cooking stoves for sale border crisis between DRC and controlled all mining activities and and teach them how to construct Angola. There needs to be: demanded a special ‘expatriate fee’ latrines. When it comes to health, from non-Angolan mine operators. the traditional practitioners and ■■greater coordination and Those who did not or could not pay resources of the Église des Noirs synergy within civil society were stripped of their belongings guarantee free medical care to and summarily deported. displaced persons. A little cash is ■■recognition of the migration also made available to enable them, problem by the provincial Continuing insecurity on both if necessary, to access modern administrative authorities; sides of the border has triggered healthcare. The religious schools offer efforts in this direction were further displacement within free education to their children. made with a meeting between Bandundu and many of the displaced the Governor of Bandundu face enormous difficulties. Although churches and religious and his opposite number from movements in Bandundu are making Lunda-Norte in Angola in The involvement of civil society great efforts to transcend their 2007 but the initiative needs to Civil society in Bandundu is frail rivalries in working together for the be renewed to make concrete but tries to make a significant well-being of displaced persons, proposals for reconciliation contribution to the care of displaced this is not necessarily the case across the River Kwango DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO 33 FMR 36 ■■a firm commitment from the other NGOs taking interest Pierre Sossou ([email protected]) central governments in Kinshasa in the fate of the IDPs. is Electoral Regional Coordinator, and Luanda to find a solution not MINUSTAH-Port de Paix and formerly only to the local border dispute Coordinated action on a local, Civic Education Officer in the Electoral but above all to the challenges national and international level, Section, MONUC-Bandundu. posed by the presence of displaced including the active participation populations in the provinces of the populations concerned at all Boanerges M’Paty (peredouble2000@ stages, would provide an impetus to yahoo.fr) and Fulgence Buzika ■■a more vigorous reaction from the manage the migration crisis around ([email protected]) are international community with a the River Kwango and would allow respectively Coordinator and view to helping DRC and Angola adequate protection for displaced Accounts Secretary of the BRP- to resolve this thorny issue individuals and families. This shared Bandundu (Provincial Representation involvement is essential, not only to Bureau of the Independent ■■a clear support from the deal with the immediate needs of the Electoral Commission). international community to displaced persons but also to halt a reinforce the capacities of border conflict which is smouldering the religious movements and between Angola and DRC. Congolese women activists in DRC and Belgium Marie Godin and Mado Chideka Congolese women are energetically engaged in peacebuilding, there while more left DRC in search both in DRC and abroad. Their voices – inspired by different of security and better opportunities. Nowadays, the number of asylum experiences and presenting different perspectives – deserve seekers from DRC is still quite high greater recognition. and the proportion of women is more or less equal to that of men. The Democratic Republic of the benefit of society and encouraged Congolese student migration remains Congo has one of the highest many women to mobilise. Four high with a great representation of numbers of women’s organisations of organisations in particular reflect women in comparison to citizens any country in Africa. The economic, Congolese women’s commitment of other African countries. political and social crises of recent to working to improve their living decades inspired the local population conditions: CAFCO (Cadre de As in DRC, female Congolese political to mobilise in order to substitute for concertation de la femme congolaise), mobilisation in Belgium appears to be the absence and faults of the state CONAFED (Comité national des highly dissociated from that of men. in certain sectors such as health, femmes pour le développement), Sexual violence against women in infrastructure and education. The Cause Commune RDC and Caucus DRC has been an important trigger higher education system in then- de Femmes (RDC-Bukavu). for activism by Congolese women; Zaire in the 1970s and early 1980s among several hundred Congolese produced highly skilled graduates Activism in Belgium organisations in Belgium, women’s with few employment prospects The contribution of the Congolese organisations have tended to be more who – seeking to utilise their skills diaspora to the peace process in active and more numerous than their and change Congolese society – DRC is increasingly recognised male counterparts. Among these often created local activist NGOs. by international institutions. DRC are AMUKA (“wake up” in Swahili) was a Belgian colony and many and AFEDE1 (Action des femmes Congolese women have become Congolese fleeing DRC chose to pour le développement), whose strongly mobilised. One striking come to Belgium. The first Congolese main mission is to support and to example is the creation of the citizens to come to Belgium – before raise awareness on women in DRC Congolese Women’s Caucus which the 1990s – were generally from the who are victims of sexual violence gathered together a group of women’s élite, intending to study and then and other forms of discrimination. representatives during the Inter- return to positions of power in their FIREFEC2 (Forum interrégional Congolese Dialogue in 2002 in order country of origin. Within this flow, des femmes congolaises) is another to draw up an official declaration and women either came as students energetic organisation, composed create a plan of action that would themselves or as members of families of women who come from all over contribute to implementing UN of students. Most of them were DRC and supporting a similarly Security Council Resolution 1325. educated and many of them set up wide range of women in DRC to Their work contributed to raising organisations in Belgium.
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