Press Release on the attack against humanitarian actors in North Kivu DRCongo which claimed the lives of two TearFund Staffs
Goma, July 2nd, 2024 , the French version is here attached ” Communique sur la mort des humanitaires au Nord Kivu
Press release on the attack of humanitarian workers in Lubero North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, dated Sunday June 30, 2024 in which two staff members of TearFund are missing.
We learned with great bitterness of the attack which caused led to the disappearance of humanitarian agents who are staff members of TearFund organization in Lubero North Kivu, the Democratic Republic of Congo, we present our sincere message of solidarity to TearFud and to the families of the victims, we condemn forcefully this human barbarity and ask the Congolese Government to do everything so that the perpetrators are punished by the rigor of the law.
While deploring these excess deaths, we are at the same time very concerned by the death of thousands of Congolese men and women in North Kivu where humanitarian organizations operate and who unfortunately choose to remain silent in the name of neutrality and impartiality. As these two concepts seem to be violated, because several humanitarian organizations this time have denounced this barbarity, as if it is a way of showing that certain human lives are more special than others, contrary to Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Although debates and discussions currently exist on the humanitarian opportunity in North Kivu and especially this category of people who ask questions about the necessity of humanitarian aid and whether humanitarian aid would be the priority of the population which unfortunately humanitarians seem to ignore. We are concerned about the TearFud organization’s choice of strategies to send people called “Mahoro” for operations in Lubero, as well as the strategy of humanitarians in vehicles while thousands of people are walking, Humanitarians in North Kivu who largely reside in Rwanda, and humanitarians who are suspected of being allies of Uganda and Rwanda in this war of aggression, and finally humanitarians who have failed to put in place a campaign against disinformation.
While the humanitarian situation has become more worrying in North Kivu, we continue to observe the indifference of humanitarians towards the security situation, the distance of humanitarians alongside the struggle of Civil Society over authority of the Congolese State, the question of good governance, Democracy, development and the problem of youth. Humanitarians who isolate themselves far from society and whose modus operandi seems more like an organized mafia.
Being a network of youth organizations, we held several monthly meetings where we observed the legitimate demands of young people in North Kivu on employment opportunities, the execution of projects by local associations as well as more sustainable approaches. We are therefore very concerned by the gap in life between the benefiting populations who live in destitution and the humanitarians who live in abundance with a lot to waste for free. In some Cluster meetings here in Goma where we provoked more debate and reflection but some humanitarians did not see this as a threat.
All interventions in North Kivu which would be based on injustice, misappropriation, exploitation of people’s misery to make themselves rich, interventions by people who support Rwanda and Uganda as well as initiatives which do not fit with sustainable peace, security and development would risk suffering from lack of support from the local population, we are afraid that this unfortunate incident in Lubero may not be the last.
An inclusive dialogue with actors at each level would be the only option to sustain humanitarian actions in North Kivu and this is possible if the humanitarian world agrees to be indebted to the community.
COJESKI North Kivu remains available to continue through its advocacy for a safer environment for everyone, “We must not lose our lives when we fight to save another life”.
The coordination
