For the last 15 years, Congo has suffered a large conflict, forcing many out of their homes and subjecting them to a life of extreme abuse. The Congolese army (also known as FARDC), a Rwandan militia (also known as FDLR), and the National Congress for the Defense of The People (CNDP) have been the participants in an ongoing battle. In 2008 many people were displaced due to a particularly grueling feud between the FDLR and the CNDP, and by 2010 nearly 1.8 million had been displaced.
As the conflict escalated, the CNDP began taking over, and also murdering and raping innocent citizens. During this time, Congolese forces were extremely abusive to all citizens, submitting them to sexual abuse, labor, and “arbitrary arrests.” Soldiers even went as far as beating or even killing citizens who refused to lug their personal items. Although the fighting continues to escalate, a book ‘Always on the Run” explains that each military is required to obey international humanitarian laws. According to these laws, national armed forces and non-state armed groups must follow article three created at the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the Second Additional Protocol of 1977. These laws were intended to avoid the abuse of citizens, yet the violence still persists. Hence, in the past years, a vast majority of the citizens of Congo have become IDP’s (or internally displaced persons), as they are forced from their homes and stripped of their basic human rights such as health care and education.
The past five years have proven extremely rough with the amount of IDP’s continuously growing. But, Congo has had an overall tumultuous past, specifically with Rwanda. In 2000, allies of Uganda and Rwanda tried to seize Kisangani, a city in Congo, resulting in the death of 700 citizens and asserting attention from the UN. In 2002, Human Rights Watch estimated that 3,000 civilians were killed by military groups in a city called Nyankunde. In 2002-2003, Ituri, another city in Congo also suffered a large period of “ethnic cleansing,” at which point the UN Security Council decided to allow the protection of civilians by force, if necessary. Finally, in 2004, after years of violence, the ICC decided to open a case concerning the numerous crimes in the Congo. But the violence has not subsided. According to Human Rights Watch, in 2007, 200,000 people were forced to leave their homes, and since 1998, 5.4 people have died due to the ongoing conflict.
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