War refugees in the Democratic Republic of Congo are exposed to shelling and abuse

“The displaced people find themselves in a similar situation today as they were when they originally fled.”

A man walks through the Bulengo refugee camp on the outskirts of Goma. Aid organizations and displaced people report that the camps are overcrowded and lack basic services. Arlette Bashizi/TNH.

GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo

Residents of refugee camps in Goma, the largest city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, say they live in constant fear after their homes were hit by deadly artillery attacks last month and there were sexual violence and robberies in the camps.

On May 3, 35 civilians were killed when Shelling hit two camps They offer protection to people who have lost their homes as a result of the two-year-long conflict between the M23 rebel group, supported by neighbouring Rwanda, and the army of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which in turn is supported by local militias, Burundian soldiers and troops from southern Africa.

The M23 and the Rwandan Army were accused for the attack, but residents say the Congolese military is also responsible, operating with heavy weapons from positions around the camps. Many of these camps are located on the outskirts of the city and near M23 positions in the surrounding hills.

“To destroy the heavy weapons, the rebels are shooting at the population displaced by the war,” said Éric Chiza, an internally displaced person from CEPAC camp 8, which is located on the grounds of a local church and is one of the two sites hit last month.

Chiza said his brother was seriously injured, several of his friends were killed and his house was destroyed by the artillery attack. He said residents had called on authorities to move their weapons and positions away from the population.

The M23 is led by Congolese Tutsi who say they are fighting because the government has broken a 2013 peace agreement with the group and because Tutsi on the ground are under threat from local militias. But Rwanda is widely believed to be pulling the strings and using the group to gain influence in eastern DRC.

About 1.5 million people have been displaced by the still escalating conflict, including 700,000 who have sought refuge in Goma, either with guest families or in camps that The New Humanitarian reported on extensively during The conflict.

The residents of Goma have numerous humanitarian And Cultural initiatives International aid organizations are also providing support to help the people in the camps. However, the camps are still overcrowded and lack basic facilities.

The camps and the city itself are also becoming increasingly militarized as pro-government forces – including the army, private security contractors and local militias known as Wazalendo (“patriots” in Swahili) – try to stop the M23’s advance.

Chiara Maugeri, MSF mission coordinator in Goma, said the presence of armed men in and around the camps had exposed residents to “very high levels of violence”, including sexual violence.

“The displaced people are in a similar situation today as when they fled,” Maugeri told The New Humanitarian. “They are still in total insecurity and have no way to escape.”

Rashidi Myanitse, who also lives in CEPAC camp 8, said his family had been struggling even before the deadly artillery attack last month. He said finding food was a “headache” and sleeping in tents was “very complicated,” especially when it rains.

Myanitse, who fled his village of Kimoka in February, said he could not put into words his daily feelings since the attack. He said the artillery attack seriously injured his older sister and killed three of her children.

“At home, I lived well and ate well, but since I fled the war to live in this camp, I have suffered with my family,” Myanitse said, adding: “This is not the first time (that there have been attacks) and it will not be the last. These rebels continue to drop bombs to this day.”

Kanari Osse, another resident of CEPAC Camp 8, said he lost his brother in the attack. He said he only survived because he worked as a day laborer in the city.

“Since that day, I have lived in fear,” said Osse, who also arrived at the camp in February. “I spend my time worrying because I know that another bomb could explode at any moment.”

Christophe Muissa, a human rights defender and activist with Filimbi, a citizens’ movement that works to promote and protect human rights, said his group had recommended that authorities relocate the camps or army positions, but those suggestions have not been implemented.

Muissa said he even wondered whether the Congolese army was deliberately exposing the population as part of a “military strategy” to cast the M23 in a bad light and make the state appear stronger in the eyes of the international community.

“The fear is still there because there are no measures to protect this population (and to lift the order) to hold these positions around the camps,” Muissa said. “The displaced are still the target and this danger has not yet been eliminated.”

MSF’s Maugeri said it was “really important” that the warring parties respect international humanitarian law and “ensure the protection of civilians in urban areas and refugee camps”.

“It is clear that if fighting and clashes near the sites do not stop, civilians and displaced people could again be hit by these attacks and bombs,” she said.

Displaced people reported that armed men belonging to either the Congolese army or the Wazalendo also caused major problems in the camps, ranging from attacks on women and girls to robberies and extortion.

Given the risks posed by both sides of the conflict, Osse, who lost his brother in the attack in May, said the displaced people are currently facing a “double threat”.

“In this camp we have patriots and armed people, (and) there are some among them who are taking advantage of the situation, making the camp unsafe and even extorting goods from certain displaced people,” he said.

Residents of the nearby Lushagala refugee camp, which was also hit by an artillery attack last month but resulted in no fatalities, face similar insecurity, according to camp president François Batege Ndayambaje.

Ndayambaje said the Lushagala camp was set up near the main road from Goma to Sake, which is on the front line of the conflict. He said the military and its allies regularly use this road when travelling to the front.

Ndayambaje said residents of the camp had asked the government to deploy well-trained police officers to secure the camp. He said their protection should not be left to armed soldiers, whose presence “instills a certain fear” among residents.

According to Maugeri of MSF, displaced people in the camps are often afraid to move because they fear being attacked or raped. Aid organizations such as MSF are also affected by the insecurity and have had to temporarily suspend their activities, says Maugeri.

Maugeri said MSF is working in eight camps around Goma and described the humanitarian conditions there as “deplorable”. She said displaced people lack access to sanitation infrastructure, drinking water, food and shelter.

Muissa, the human rights defender and activist from Filimbi, called on the state to take “responsibility” for the safety of people in the camps and to provide for their basic needs.

“No serious measures have yet been taken to protect the displaced people, who are victims and do not pose a threat in this war,” he said. “They are neither protagonists nor warring parties. They are simply innocents in search of peace and security.”

Ndayambaje, the president of Lushagala camp, said he was trying to encourage people not to despair and to persevere, but acknowledged that this was difficult given the conditions and regular artillery shelling.

“This fear cannot simply disappear,” he told The New Humanitarian. “The fear will disappear when we have peace and when we are asked to return to our homes where we were before.”

Edited by Philip Kleinfeld.

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