DRC Government official burial of 200 dead IDPs in the GenoCost Cemetery in Goma: Until when?
Massive burial of 200 IDPs who died in various IDP Camps around Goma, North Kivu, the Democratic Republic of Congo on Monday September 2nd, 2024 due to the current war by M23/RDF: These are human beings we are shocked
At the Unity Stadium in Goma, DRC on Monday September 2nd, 2024 where the 200 dead bodies were exposed to the public. When will IDPs in Camps be fully protected and supported to save their lives?
In line with the GenoCost in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Goma witnessed the massive burial of 200 IDP who died in different camps in Goma for the last few months. The ceremony was organized by the Governor of North Kivu and was attended a heavy delegation from the Central Government in Kinshasa headed by the Minister of Human Rights, the ceremony started with various speeches and testimonies from the families of the victims and testimonies of the victims included those of 1996 up to now among them those whose relatives were killed and do not where they were buried, those whose relatives did not get a descent burial, those who relatives went missing up to now and lastly those who lost their relatives in different situations in IDP Camps in Goma: Gunshot, hunger, diseases, and road accidents among others, the burial activities were organized at the Unity Stadium in Goma and later the burial took place in the GenoCost Cemetery located in Nyiragongo Territory, all activities were opened to the public.
The victims
The DRC could not protect them in their villages, they came Goma but still the same DRC Government could not protect them in Goma, and now it is time for their burial officially.
The victims mainly the dead were IDPs who died in different circumstances in their camps generally of hunger, sickness and diseases but also of gunshots in area which is under the Government control. Yes they were forced to leave their villages in order to stay in inhuman conditions in IDP Camps, however their rights especially the right to life was not observed.
Memorial
The ideal is to work for a memorial for all Congolese who died since 1996 up today due to the war either directly or indirectly which is a good thing to do. It is believed that more than 12million Congolese and refugees have died since 1996 when they wars started, some areas have memorial sites, others especially in North Kivu there is nothing at all, this seems to be a positive move to trace back the history.
DRC Government failure to protect civilians
With hunger which affects IDPs, we could also think about the budget put in place for this activity, how many IDPs could we feed for a while as they wait for the next day.
In April 2022 the rebels of M23 backed by Rwanda and Uganda started the war in Bunagana North Kivu, it is almost three years and they keep on progressing without resistance from the National Army which put in place the strategy of withdrawal from areas once the rebels are nearby. As consequence of that Government strategy, more than 7 million are living in deplorable conditions in IDP Camps where they lack everything. The current DRC approach is centered on Diplomacy and political deals.
How can we understand this move?
There is no much debate in DRC that since 1996 up to now Rwanda, Uganda and other countries have been involved in various wars in DRC causing so many damages including massacres against civilians in looting natural resources which is now called GenoCost meaning the Genocide in DRC due to looting minerals. There is no debate also in DRC about the memorial and for justice among others. This is important for history purpose and for the current legal actions taken by the government of DRC.
However we are more concerned that such a move it taken when the victims are not protected, they are regularly attacked by the very same rebels, the GenoCost cemetery itself is located just a some few kilometers from the frontline in Nyiragongo and is highy at risk of being demolished by the rebels. The dead already were not protected by the Government in their villages and even in IDP Camps the Government has failed to protect them, some and the dead were killed either by Government soldiers or by armed groups associated to the government, even now the government has failed to restore security and order in IDP camps.
How many times will this government organize massive burial of people who should be protected, why should the burial be considered as a priority than doing all that it takes to save lives, are those who are still alive safe and protected now? What are the guarantee from the DRC Government that this will never happen again? How many do we want to die so that we can now say it is enough?
