Human Rights Research League

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Research. Education. Advocacy. Development. (R.E.A.D.)

Congo (DRC)

 

The human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which, for decades, has been particularly concerning, especially in the Eastern part of the country, reached a new level of tension since the recent occupation of the cities of Bukavu and Goma by the armed group M23.

 

The conflict between the armed forces of the DRC (FARDC) and various armed groups, has led anew to massive displacements and grave violations of international human rights and humanitarian law.

 

While the recent signing of a peace agreement between the DRC and Rwanda may seem to point in the right direction, the popolations the most exposed, even after the signing of a peace agreement, are those forced to flee their home. Among the principle challenges when it comes to the protection of displaced persons is the lack of legal documents and access to land, which often hinder successful return of displaced persons, even after a conflict.

 

These and other challenges we regularly put on the agenda, including when we organized an international conference in Kinshasa, DRC, on durable solutions to forced displacement, and successfully advocated, along with partners, for the ratification of the African Union (AU) Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa (Kampala Convention) by the DRC government.

 

At the UN Human Rights Council, we frequently intervene on these and other issues concerning the situation of human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and participate in public discourse in the form of academic conferences, seminars, and lectures. 

 

 

 

At the 62nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Human Rights Research League (HRRL) delivered an oral statement during the Enhanced Interactive Dialogue with the Independent Commission of Inquiry on the situation of human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). In his intervention, HRRL Chairman Tom Syring emphasized that the situation in the eastern DRC remained particularly challenging, especially since the occupation of the cities of Bukavu and Goma by the M23, which again led to massive displacements and grave violations of human rights, even further worsened by the latest Ebola epidemic in the region. 

 

HRRL welcomes efforts leading up to a peace agreement between the DRC and Rwanda, but, having the recent intensification of fighting in mind, cautions against premature optimism. HRRL also underlines that the most vulnerable populations even after a peace agreement are the ones who have been forcibly displaced. Among the major challenges of protection are the lack of documents or legal title to land of those displaced, which represent serious obstacles to any return, even after a conflict has ended. 

 

These and other challenges were also the topic of an international conference in Kinshasa on durable solutions to forced displacement, which Human Rights Research League organized along with UNHCR and ICRC several years ago, and HRRL asks the DRC government to implement the recommendations of the conference which the government had accepted at the time, in particular by finally adopting a law on the protection of internally displaced persons. 

 

For the full statement (in French only), pleas see the video of the Oral Statement.