The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) also referred to as Congo-Kinshasa and formerly known as Zaire is the 12th largest country in the world, and the third largest on the African continent. The population of DRC is estimated at 63 million. The country is located in central Africa, in the Great Lakes region; it borders the Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville) and an angolese enclave (Cabinda) to the west, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania to the east, the Central African Republic and Sudan to the north, and Zambia and Angola to the south.
DRC is a former Belgian colony that received its independence in 1960. The country was governed by President Mobutu Sesse Seko from 1965 to 1997, and later by President Laurent-Désiré Kabila. DRC is now run by elected President Joseph Kabila.
A new constitution was adopted by referendum in 2006. At the administrative level, DRC territory is divided into eleven provinces. Among the eastern provinces are the Oriental Province, North and South Kivu, Oriental Kasai, Maniema and Katanga.
There are as many as 450 different tribes in DRC and an estimated 242 dialects spoken around the country. French is the official language and other national languages are Swahili, used in the East, Kongo, Lingala and Tshiluba. The Ituri territory, in the Oriental Province, contains a great variety of ethnic groups: it is home to the Lendu, who are traditionally farmers, the Hema, who engage in pastoral activities, the Nande, who belong to the shopkeeper ethnic group, the Alur, the Bira, the Nyali, the Ndo-okelo, the Pygmies, the Nlese and the Libaru, a group comprised of various other ethnicities.
DRC is one of the richest countries of Africa in terms of natural resources, such as timber and minerals. The country is also said to be one of the richest in the world. Its subsoil is rich in diamonds, cobalt, copper, manganese, gold, tin, bauxite, iron, as well as coltan, which is in high demand in the high-technology industry. DRC also has abundant energy resources, such as coal, petroleum, methane and tar sands.
DRC is a former Belgian colony that received its independence in 1960. The country was governed by President Mobutu Sesse Seko from 1965 to 1997, and later by President Laurent-Désiré Kabila. DRC is now run by elected President Joseph Kabila.
A new constitution was adopted by referendum in 2006. At the administrative level, DRC territory is divided into eleven provinces. Among the eastern provinces are the Oriental Province, North and South Kivu, Oriental Kasai, Maniema and Katanga.
There are as many as 450 different tribes in DRC and an estimated 242 dialects spoken around the country. French is the official language and other national languages are Swahili, used in the East, Kongo, Lingala and Tshiluba. The Ituri territory, in the Oriental Province, contains a great variety of ethnic groups: it is home to the Lendu, who are traditionally farmers, the Hema, who engage in pastoral activities, the Nande, who belong to the shopkeeper ethnic group, the Alur, the Bira, the Nyali, the Ndo-okelo, the Pygmies, the Nlese and the Libaru, a group comprised of various other ethnicities.
DRC is one of the richest countries of Africa in terms of natural resources, such as timber and minerals. The country is also said to be one of the richest in the world. Its subsoil is rich in diamonds, cobalt, copper, manganese, gold, tin, bauxite, iron, as well as coltan, which is in high demand in the high-technology industry. DRC also has abundant energy resources, such as coal, petroleum, methane and tar sands.
The Conflicts
The conflict in eastern DRC began in 1996 as a result of the creation of the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire (AFDL). The AFDL is a coalition movement created in October 1996 that successfully overthrew the government of Mobutu in 1997 in a military coup backed by neighbouring countries. Laurent-Désiré Kabila, spokesperson for the coalition, came to power. Since 1996, eastern DRC has been torn by civil war.
Following the course of the war in eastern DRC proves extremely difficult given the number of armed groups involved, the changing alliances and the different types of conflict that are raging. In summary, the current conflict may be assessed by looking at the following factors: successive foreign invasions (1996, 1997, and 2000); a civil war between the Congolese national army and the anti-Kabila rebels; a conflict fuelled by interethnic rivalry in Ituri, which was exacerbated by political interests and a conflict linked to the struggle for control over the exploitation of natural resources.
Here are the main elements in the conflict in DRC:
- August 1996: Rwanda invades DRC’s Kivu region to launch an attack against armed Hutus
- October 1996-May 1997: The anti-Mobutu alliance takes over the country with support from Burundi, Uganda and Rwanda. Laurent-Désiré Kabila takes power
- August 1997: Rebellion in eastern DRC in the ranks of the AFDL. Part of the movement rebels against the Laurent-Désiré. Kabila government and forms the Congolese Movement for Democracy.
- August 1998: Opening of the North-Eastern front. The Congolese Movement for Democracy and the Movement for the Liberation of Congo are supported by Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi.
- November 1999: Signing of the Lusaka Peace Agreement between DRC, Angola, Rwanda, Ouganda and Zimbabwe. They foresee a ceasefire, national dialogue, disarmament, the arrest and transfer of criminals to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, establishment of a military inquiry commission to conduct investigations regarding violations of the ceasefire and deployment of a peacekeeping mission.
- 2000: Deployment of the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) (pursuant to the Security Council Resolution 1279 of November 1999).
- January 16, 2001: L.-D. Kabila assassinated by the Masuru armed group.
- July 16-17, 2002: Fighting resumed in Ituri near the town of Bunia. An armed group, the Union of Congolese Patriots, takes over the city of Bunia.
- July 2002: Signing of the Pretoria Peace Agreement on the withdrawal of the Rwandan troops from DRC territory and the dismantling of the Ex-FAR and Interahamwe forces (Hutu militia) in DRC. On September 6, 2002, in Luanda, head of States of DRC and Uganda sign an agreement which allows the withdrawal of Ugandan troops from DRC territory, cooperation and normalization of relations between the two countries. At the political level, Sun City peace talks provide DRC with a transitional government consisting of a president and four vice-presidents, each from a different party
- Since then, fighting has been frequent and recurring in the region. Arms continue to flow and armed groups continue to commit violent crimes against civilian populations. Integration of ex-rebel group members into the national army has not put an end to the violence.
- 2003: Dar El Salam Agreement on the establishment of a pacification commission in Ituri.
- July 28, 2003: The MONUC’s mandate is extended (MONUC II) by the Security Council.
- Joseph Kabila elected president of the DRC.
- Today, fighting and crimes committed against civilian populations in eastern DRC continue, provoking massive displacement of populations
Sexual Violence in the East of DRC
As in many of today's conflicts, 70 per cent sexual of violence victims are civilians, the majority of whom are women and children. Rape and sexual violence are being used as a weapon of war: «Women’s bodies have become the battlefield of those who use terror as a weapon of war: women are raped, abducted, humiliated, and endure forced pregnancy, sexual abuse and sexual slavery».
Sexual violence affects women of all ages, including female children, sometimes as young as five years old. Men are not immune to sexual violence. It can occur anytime. A 2002 report sponsored by UNIFEM states: « From Pweto down near the Zambian border right up to Aru on the Sudan/Uganda border, it’s a black hole where no one is safe and where no outsider goes. Women take a risk when they go out to the fields or on a road to a market. Any day they can be stripped naked, humiliated and raped in public. Many people no longer sleep at home, though sleeping in the bush is equally unsafe. Every night, another village is attacked. It could be any group, no one knows, but they always take away women and girls » [Rehn, E., and Sirleaf Johnson, E., The Independent Experts’ Assessment on the Impact of Armed Conflict on Women and the Role of Women in Peace-building, Progress of the World’s Women, Vol.1, 2002, UNIFEM.
Although exact numbers prove difficult to obtain, NGOs and United Nations institutions in the field in East DRC estimate the total number of rapes at 14 000 in 2005 and 13 000 in 2006. In 2007, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes evaluated the situation of raped victims hospitalized in the South Kivu province in the DRC: he discovered evidence and heard testimony describing «sexual violence so brutal it defies imagination». According to Holmes, «more than 32,000 cases of rape and sexual violence have been registered in South Kivu alone»- but this represents just a fraction of the total number of women who have experienced immense suffering. [John Holmes, «Congo’s Rape War», Los Angeles Times, (October 11th 2007), available on line : <http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-holmes
11oct11,0,6685881.story?coll=la-opinion-center>
Sexual violence affects women of all ages, including female children, sometimes as young as five years old. Men are not immune to sexual violence. It can occur anytime. A 2002 report sponsored by UNIFEM states: « From Pweto down near the Zambian border right up to Aru on the Sudan/Uganda border, it’s a black hole where no one is safe and where no outsider goes. Women take a risk when they go out to the fields or on a road to a market. Any day they can be stripped naked, humiliated and raped in public. Many people no longer sleep at home, though sleeping in the bush is equally unsafe. Every night, another village is attacked. It could be any group, no one knows, but they always take away women and girls » [Rehn, E., and Sirleaf Johnson, E., The Independent Experts’ Assessment on the Impact of Armed Conflict on Women and the Role of Women in Peace-building, Progress of the World’s Women, Vol.1, 2002, UNIFEM.
Although exact numbers prove difficult to obtain, NGOs and United Nations institutions in the field in East DRC estimate the total number of rapes at 14 000 in 2005 and 13 000 in 2006. In 2007, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes evaluated the situation of raped victims hospitalized in the South Kivu province in the DRC: he discovered evidence and heard testimony describing «sexual violence so brutal it defies imagination». According to Holmes, «more than 32,000 cases of rape and sexual violence have been registered in South Kivu alone»- but this represents just a fraction of the total number of women who have experienced immense suffering. [John Holmes, «Congo’s Rape War», Los Angeles Times, (October 11th 2007), available on line : <http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-holmes
11oct11,0,6685881.story?coll=la-opinion-center>
Sexual violence has numerous psychological, physical and social consequences. Such consequences affect not only the immediate victim, but also her family and community. Many women and young girls are raped in front of their family members and fellow villagers, causing them to be ostracized and rejected. The widespread looting, destruction and killing that accompanies sexual violence provokes displacement of populations which exposes displaced people to socio-economical vulnerability. In 2007, fighting in East DRC caused 800 000 people to flee their homes. Sexual violence has a very serious impact on women’s mental and physical health: they are highly exposed to the risk of transmission of sexually transmitted infections, such as HIV/AIDS. Approximately 22% of raped women contract HIV. Their genital organs are often so badly mutilated that surgical intervention is necessary, not to mention that women can also be disfigured, mutilated or assassinated. Many women suffer from the effects of post traumatic stress syndrome, such as anxiety disorders, insomnia and depression.
In addition, unwanted pregnancies have significant psychological and physical effects, including on the well-being of children born of rape. The current climate of impunity fuels the violence and aggravates the situation.
Sexual violence in DRC has reached an unprecedented scale: everyday, 40 women are raped in East DRC. It is time for this to stop!
