Monthly reports for the DRC
Time line of events and links to Security Council website.
August events DRC
August snapshot:
- On August 1, the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo ( MONUC) reported 67 members of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) rebel group turned in their weapons in eastern DRC.
- Office of the Coordination of Human Affairs (OCHA) report: despite Disarmament , Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) progress, militia resistance is still causing conflicts in Ituri region in northeast DRC.
August 13- UN investigation finds possible sex abuse committed by Indian peacekeepers stationed with MONUC.
August 14- 1,800 Congolese military (FARDC) soldiers finished a 3 month long training course from MONUC staffers.
August 18- Mai-Mai rebels attack military base 60 miles north of Goma, leaving one soldier and four rebels dead.
August 25- MONUC says members of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebel group have been attacking civilians in the provinces of Ituri and Orientale.
UN/Security Council:
The UN continues to express distress at ensuing violence in the DRC. The Secretary General will give his report on the UN’s mission in the DRC (MONUC) on September 30.
[1] http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0808/S00030.htm
[2] http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=79947
[3] http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnBAN325951.html
[4] http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-08/15/content_9332084.htm
[5] http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5i6x_j0Qw_xXUSpOiSxuMWMVyd_fg
[6] http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/13/646367
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July events DRC
July snapshot:
- As of July 18, the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo was waiting on results of MONUC investigation into remarks made by an Indian colonel, Senior peacekeeping officer Sahoha Chand. He allegedly confessed at an event in his honor that he was friendly with Tutsi General Laurent Nkunda and thought his cause a valid and noble one, raising the issue of “duplicity” within peacekeeping forces.
- A Human Rights Watch report released July 21st states troops associated with the armed groups that signed the Goma peace agreement continue to kill civilians and rape women and girls and aide on deterioration of human rights.
- A Congo Advocacy Coalition Report dated July 29, 2008, states 2,200 rape cases reported last month in N. Kivu despite January peace deal.
July 2- The International Criminal Court (ICC) ordered the release of former militia leader Thomas Lubanga who had been charged with recruiting children under 15 years old. On July 7th, they reversed their decision.
July 3- The ICC announced that it had transferred former DRC Vice President, Jean-Pierre Bemba, to the Hague in the Netherlands to stand trial for war crimes committed in 2002-2003 in the Central African Republic.
July 20- A MONUC delegation led by Ross Mountain, UN Humanitarian Coordinator and Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, and Force Commander General Babacar Gaye wrapped up a trip assessing peace efforts in North Kivu.
July 21- MONUC staff members voice concern to the UN regarding the deaths of 26 prisoners from malnutrition at a Mbuji Mayi central prison since February, with ten deaths in July alone.
UN/Security Council:
On July 3, the Secretary General's report on MONUC described the ongoing situation in the DRC as "tenuous." Definitive Security Council action seems unclear, but the Sanctions Committee is exploring further options. The Experts on Sanctions in the DRC are due to report to the committee on August 15.
[1] http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-07/18/content_8569735.htm
[2] http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080721/wl_africa_afp/drcongopoliticsunrestrights_080721132858
[3] http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnBAN945341.html
[4] http://www.securitycouncilreport.org/site/c.glKWLeMTIsG/b.4343539/
June events DRC
June snapshot:
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Ongoing human rights issues are exacerbated by the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) contributing to the degradation of human rights and the police committing rapes and other acts of violence
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Office for the Coordination of Human Affairs (OCHA): there is a flagrant disregard for the civilian nature of internally displaced persons (IDP) camps and an increasing number of attacks on humanitarian workers themselves, not just their cars or other property (e.g. OCHA reported five attacks on aide workers occurred in one week)
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Security issues are rife
June 4- a fight between an armed group of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) rebels and FARDC troops led to the FDLR opening fire on an IDP camp in Kinyandoni, killing several civilians and wounding 20.
June 20- DRC militia General Kifua announced plans to seek out and dispel a faction of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA )rebels from Eastern DRC
June 23- The war-crimes trial against ex-Congolese militia leader Thomas Lubanga Dylio slated for this day was suspened earlier in the month by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
June 25- riots in North Kivu apparently were the result of manipulation of the population via rebel radio broadcasts which encouraged civilians to attack UN peacekeepers and WFP trucks.
June 27- ICC charged DRC militia leaders Germain Katanga and Mathieu Ngudjolo with war crimes
US action:
The US supported and continues to encourage the DRC government’s message of disarmament at the end of May to armed Rwandan groups in the DRC.
UN/Security Council:
Many factions of the UN have been involved in efforts to improve the current conditions in the DRC. The Security Council participated in the first ever Tripartite Technical Working Group on June 11, 2008, with the DRC and Uganda at the request of the government of the DRC. The UN refugee agancy, the UNHCR, aimed to conduct a 3 week protection mission to the Rutushu, home to the most IDPs in the North Kivu area, and focus on civilian protection and displacement. The World Food Programme (WFP) is attempting to deliver food to IDP camps in Rutushu. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is in the process of getting schools back up and running in IDP camps by building new facilities and fixing up old ones.
In July, the Security Council will consider restructuring Mission of the United Nations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) following their trip to Africa in early June. A statement from the Security Council president regarding the DRC is possible as well.
Sources:[1] OCHA Humanitarian Situation Update May 31-June 6
[2] http://allafrica.com/stories/200806190002.html
[3] http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080611/wl_afp/warcrimesdrcongoicclubanga;_ylt=AmjBbPV7eNdywFGIU6wvwZ9vaA8F
[4] http://www.worldpress.org/feed.cfm?http://congoplanet.com/article.jsp?id=45261230
[5] http://uspolicy.belgium.usembassy.gov/Article.asp?ID=2FA1ED8D-3664-4458-9AF6-62ACF68AAE87
[6] http://www.monuc.org/News.aspx?newsID=17585