Killing IDPs in Goma because of their smart-phones by the very soldiers that are supposed to protect them in DRCongo
Killing Internally Displaced Persons in Rusayu Camps because of a Smart-Phone by the Satan Two Military Battalion around IDP Camps in Nyiragongo, North Kivu, the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Look at the picture of people who receive humanitarian aid relief in Rusayu One, this picture was taken today Tuesday July 23th, 2024. A lot of noise is made about helping people in camps but what does the aid do exactly?
On Friday July 5th, 2024, this pregnant IDP woman by the name Francine Rebecca Esther living in Block 41, Zone Two in Rusayu One IDP Camp was shot dead by FARDC Soldiers who wanted her phone. Francine left two children and up to now there is nothing in terms of investigations.
On Sunday July 21st, 2024 another young man by the name of Seraphin Bahati was also sot-dead in the similar situation in Rusayu One IDP Camp.
On Monday July 22nd, 2024 some people were injured by the Army soldiers who fired live bullets, Polau Sadiki a resident of Block 216, Zone 15 number 35 was visited by soldiers in his house and took his smart-phone and his 15,000 CF (6$), they also wounded him on his face, in the same Block 216, Zone 15 a woman by the name of Nyiramabumba Sarafina was wounded on her leg and also lost her property.
Rusayu One, Two and Three Internally Displaced Persons are among the camps that are highly affected by insecurity around Goma. Generally three issues are observed which are firing live bullets at night, extortion of IDPs phones at night into their homes and then assassinations of some IDPs who resist from giving their smart-phones. The perpetrators are soldiers of the Satan Two Battalion and the Wazalengo, Satan Two is generally composed of young soldiers who finished recently military training and were deployed around IDP Camps, some have even already tents in Rusayu IDP Camps. The Wazalendo are also the local militia group supporting the national army in the war, both the Wazalendo and the Satan Two elements seem to use the very guns and bullets not to protect people but to abuse the very people they are supposed to offer security.
Since last week the security situation in Rusayu IDP Camps deteriorated to the point that in the last three days two people were gunshot by elements believed to be from Satan Two, among a pregnant woman who they want to take her smart-phone but she resisted, and a young man also who they wanted to take the smart-phone. This pushed the IDPs in Rusayu to hold a demonstration in camps yesterday Monday July 22nd, 2024 which paralyzed almost all activities in the camps, demonstrators moved in different places looking for soldiers and destroying all the tents where soldiers were visible, this took almost the whole day. In the evening soldiers came and started firing bullets in the air but also wounded various people, the situation came back to normal at around 10pm.
Reaction from the stakeholders
Two months ago the Governor of North Kivu Province issued a circular which instructed all soldiers and armed groups to leave IDP Camps, but this did not yield fruits because no one was responsible for its implementation. Different Humanitarian organizations working in these camps have opted to remain silent in the name of neutrality, actors of the Civil Society have interacted with the military commanders who promised to improve but in vain and various denunciations and alerts have been made to authorities but not much have been done, the Mayor of Goma who has the first obligation to ensure the security of the city is totally silent. The Youth Local Council Committee claimed “please understand the situation, the Wazalendo have guns but they have no food and no salary, so what do you want them to do? Satan Two get their salary once in three months, and as you know soldiers cannot keep money, so once it is finished they go to people. This is an operational zone in a short distance from here there is a frontline, and as you know we have nowhere to put all these soldiers, you are here in Goma, tell us where we should put them. It is impossible for them to cohabit with the civilians, the only option is to end the war”.
For the IDP Camp Leaders the things are different, what they need is to replace the Satan Two and bring either Tiger or infantry soldiers mostly those who are now in old age just to help in the security of the camps.
Background information
More voices in North Kivu continue to believe that the first objective of the current war between the Government of Congo and M23 rebels backed by Rwanda is to create a serious humanitarian crisis in order to claim for humanitarian relief aid, such scenario has happened before, otherwise there is no clear objective of this war. In order to achieve this, Government Army has opted on leaving areas to rebels even without fighting. Recently the famous musician Koffi Olomide argued during an interview on TV “there is no war, we are not at war, they slap us, they take us like kids, and we are not like in Ukraine where the government is also attacking”. Recently the rebels again took Kanyabayonga a week after the European Union announced 99 million Euros for humanitarian activities in DRC, and after than the United States of American announced humanitarian aid of about 450$ million, which was then accompanied by the current humanitarian truce negotiated by the USA, and which aims at helping IDPs to return to their villages and access relief aid. However many IDPs do not want to go back in order to cohabit with the M23 rebels backed by Rwanda.
Some voices tend to argue that Satan Two soldiers aim at creating a difficult condition to people in the camps so that they can decide to go back to their villages, this is also similar with interventions from humanitarian actors who are also in this same direction of creating difficult conditions to IDPs so that they can opt to go back to their villages. Forcing IDPs to return in their villages would benefit M23 backed by Rwanda to show that they are not terrorists and that they can negotiate with the government.
Recommendations
Despite the pretext, despite the objectives Internally Displaced Persons should be guaranteed security and this is the obligation of the DRC Government. All actors including humanitarian relief agencies should engage the government to provide security to IDP Camps,
Despite arguments and reasons, Internally Displaced Persons should be granted relief aid and help them to live in peace and in dignity, this does not take away their legitimate demand to go back to their home villages,
Despite arguments and pretexts, IDPs need urgent aid now and that should not delay, however efforts should be done to ensure that IDPs are helped to engage on resilience and development activities,
With the current situation, human rights defenders engaged in the promotion of IDP rights are threatened and exposed to risks but still less activities are visible to strengthen their struggle for IDP rights,
Kulihoshi Musikami Pecos
Coordinator of COJESKI North Kivu