A fight breaks out in a bar in the dark of the night in the town of Fizi, deep in the territory that bears the same name. The argument is between a civilian and a soldier of the 43rd Sector, over a woman. In the resulting melee, the soldier shoots the civilian. This sets off a riot, and an angry crowd lynches the soldier in public.

News of the lynching reaches the troops of the 43rd Sector. To “avenge” their fallen comrade, a group of soldiers descended upon Fizi for a massive campaign of rape and destruction. So far, 50 cases have been confirmed, but as more people return the official number is expected to climb. The real number is probably much higher, since many women will not report that they have been violated.

The 43rd Sector is part of Amani Leo (“Peace Now”), a military operation charged with dealing once and for all with the marauding FDLR rebels who continue to ravage the Kivus. Their commander, Lt. Colonel Kibibi Mutware is a former CNDP rebel who was integrated into the FARDC as the result of a 2009 peace agreement. He commands a group of Kinyarwanda-speaking Banyamulenge troops, often resented because of the role of their ethnic group in the Rwandan invasion of Eastern Congo.
Lt. Col. Kibibi claims that the perpetrators of this mass rape were soldiers disobeying orders to stay on base. However, as the people of Fizi recounted the horror they survived, it became clear that more than a few witnessed Lt. Col. Kibibi urging his soldiers to attack the people of Fizi, directing them in committing unspeakable acts of violence. These accusations were serious enough to be included in a UN report on the Fizi mass rape. Also, it is not the first time that Lt. Col. Kibibi has been accused of human rights abuses.

It is a well-documented phenomenon when FARDC military commanders spur their troops to ravage the very citizens they are sworn to protect, and the latest incident in Fizi is quite possibly another instance of such a sickening perversion.

MONUSCO troops now patrol Fizi town in order to maintain order, and a Congolese military spokesman has stated that all who were responsible for the carnage have been arrested. The Congolese military supposedly has a “zero-tolerance” policy towards human rights abuses, and yet it begs the question why something this massive and atrocious occurred in the first place.

The general apathy of the Congolese government and the international community towards human rights abuses committed by the FARDC is bearing bitter fruit. Human rights training, reprimands, and the removal of some commanders who condone rape have not been extensive enough to cut away the cancer that plagues the Congolese military. Amani Leo is quickly becoming a joke at the expense of the people of Eastern Congo.

When does this end?

Kitagi miyazi, rafiki yangu.  So, I am headed back to the Congo.  After three months of documenting and reporting on the work of several civil society organizations, I left Uvira in August 2009 with a bad case of dysentery.  However, the violence and oppression in Eastern Congo has never been far from my mind.  I have tried to keep track of the human rights situation in the region, and now I am presented with the opportunity to work with SOS Femmes en Danger, a courageous local NGO based in South Kivu province that assists survivors of sexual violence.  Over the summer of 2009 Ned Meerdink and I produced a mini-documentary that showed the importance of SOS FED’s work.  Now, The Advocacy Project, SOS FED, and Zivik are embarking on an ambitious risk-reduction campaign, helping women decrease the probability of attack and enslavement.  Ned Meerdink has been laying down the groundwork for this project for months, and now I will be switching spots with him for about 12 months or so.

Here are some news articles and reports that give some background on the current situation in the Congo:

-UN peacekeepers ‘failed’ DR Congo rape victims

BBC News article on Atul Khare’s report to the UN Security Council on shortcomings of UN peacekeepers in preventing sexual violence committed by the FDLR, highlighted by the August 2010 mass rape in Luvungi.

__________________________________________________________ Read the rest of this entry »

The women at the SOS FED center in Mboko

The women at the SOS FED center in Mboko

SOS Femmes en Dangers (SOS FED) is a local organization in South Kivu whose mission is to help women who have been victims of sexual violence.  On July 29^th Ned and I had the opportunity to visit SOS FED’s refuge center in Mboko, deep in Fizi Territory.  The center is for women who have been victims of sexual violence at the hands of the roving bands of soldiers that infest the jungles of Fizi.  The services that the center provides are simple, but women who go there are given a safe place to recover from the physical and mental trauma of their experience.

In the Congo, soldiers of all affiliations use sexual violence against women to terrorize the population into submission.  After a woman has been violated, she will often find herself ostracized by her community and rejected by her family.  In addition to the obstacles to reintegration, she may often suffer from any number of health problems stemming from physical and sexual abuse, including severe genital mutilation.

Soldiers will also abduct women and hold them as virtual slaves in military camps in “the bush”.  The women are subjected to constant physical and sexual abuse, and may be kept for as long as three years.  If a woman has had children in the bush, they are often killed before she is released.

The SOS FED field center gives women who have been violated a safe place to stay and recover.  When I visited, there were eighteen women living at the center.  One of them had just come out of the bush five days ago; she was only 19, but already had had three children by soldiers.  There are only two big bedrooms at the center, so the women are stacked nine to a room.  Some of the women are bedridden due to illness.  The center is low on food and medicine.

Along with SOS FED staff member Amisi Munga, Ned and I recorded the testimony of four of the women.  We also interviewed the site director, a tall, austere woman named Mariamu “Marie” Bashishibe.  Marie talked at length about the suffering of these women.  Marie told us about the fates of those who cannot stay at the center; the capacity of the center is very small, and therefore it can barely make a dent in helping the hundreds of women who are victimized each year.  These women in Fizi Territory can expect to receive no assistance from the government; in fact, many of them have been victimized by soldiers of their own government, and not just by militia or invading rebels from Rwanda and Burundi.

Despite the suffering they had endured, these women demonstrated enormous strength and courage.  I was moved by the fact that they were very open to telling their stories on camera.  They asked us to take their pictures.  Their hospitality was unparalleled; they prepared for us a large feast of rice, beans, and fish, and before I left Marie presented me with a chicken as a gift from the women.

Right now, we are working on completely translating the interviews with the women from Kibembe so we can get a clearer picture of their experiences.  Today there is no justice for them, but hopefully by giving them a voice, someone out there will listen.

(l-r) Amisi, Walter, Marie, and Karl the chicken

(l-r) Amisi, Walter, Marie, and Karl the chicken

Iledephonse Masumbuko Sangolo teaches a seminar on women's rights at the Makobola Noyaux de Paix

Iledephonse Masumbuko Sangolo teaches a seminar on women's rights at the Makobola Noyaux de Paix

Meet Ildephonse Masumbuko Sangolo.  Mr. Sangolo is the field supervisor for Arche d’Alliance, an NGO based in Uvira that focuses on human rights and building civil society in Eastern Congo.  It is Sangolo’s job to supervise the inqueteurs, or field monitors, in monitoring the human rights situation in remote parts of Uvira and Fizi.  The UN Human Rights Commission is unable to field the staff necessary to monitor the human rights situation of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), repatriating refugees from abroad, and the general civilian population in South Kivu.  Thus, they have formed a partnership with the experienced staff of Arche to go out in the field and report back on the state of human rights.

Sangolo is also is in charge of the Comite de Mediation et Conciliation (CMC) and Noyaux de la Paix (NDLP) projects.

“We promote the respect of human rights to the local authorities,” says Sangolo, “but we also educate the general population on aspects of Congolese law so that they will be able to defend themselves.”

I asked Sangolo why human rights are being violated so massively in the Congo.

“First,” he said, “We have this war that will not end.  Secondly, the state is nearly nonexistent.”

Sangolo explained that since the justice system and those tasked with enforcing it are not paid enough by the Congolese government, people with guns, money, and influence are able to get away with breaking the law and violating basic human rights.  As long as they can pay off the magistrates and police, they can literally get away with murder.

“There are certain judges who do not accept corruption,” says Sangolo, “but there are others to whom money is more important than all else.  For these people who perpetuate corruption, they must be brought to justice.”

Arche has diligently worked in the Congolese justice system, representing those whose human rights have been violated.  Sangolo cited several examples where Arche intervened on behalf of people who would otherwise be ignored: a man whose land was given away by government officials who were either corrupt or inept, a 13 year old girl who was raped, and a woman who was raped by soldiers.  In all these cases, justice was served thanks to Arche’s reporting and advocacy work.

I asked Sangolo about the situation of women’s rights in the Congo.  He told me that women’s rights are being massively violated due to a combination of repressive local traditions and Congolese laws that are unfavorable towards women.  Girls are not sent to school, or even if they are, they are expected to pay their own school fees.  Husbands will tell their wives how to vote, and if a woman expresses herself in a public forum, she may face divorce or even severe physical violence.  Women are often denied the right to inheritance.

“However, this is changing due to new laws that are being written,” says Sangolo, “which will strengthen the rights of women, starting with young girls.  Right now it is a problem of application of these new laws.”

Sangolo explained that since the justice system is still weak, Arche’s work in educating the population on women’s rights is very important, and thus far the feedback has been positive.

“There are now women who can express themselves freely, without fear of retaliation,” he says, “And they are forming associations themselves to defend the rights of other women.  These are the reactions we want: women expressing themselves, women voting their conscience, and women gaining the right to inheritance.”

What does Sangolo want to see in the future for the Congo?

“I want to see a Congo where people can express themselves freely, and without violence,” he says, “For a long time it has been that the only way someone can express themselves is by taking up a gun.  When a man can simply say something to the authorities and they will listen to him; that is what I want in a new Congo.”

Zawadi

Zawadi

When I visited the Luvungi CMC, I had the opportunity to observe the proceedings of a case brought before the local mediation group.  The details of the case highlight some of the problems facing marginalized peoples in Eastern Congo.

A young widow brought the dispute in question to the CMC; we will call her Zawadi.  Zawadi’s family had fled Rwanda in 1994 following the genocide, and at age 19 she had been given in marriage as the second wife to a much older man.  Now, she is 30 and has two children.  However, when her husband died recently, the two sons of her husband by his first wife did not give her enough land to support herself and her two children.  The two brothers maintained that she did not deserve any more land than what she was given, since she was both a second wife and a Rwandan refugee.

Statements had been taken from both parties by the CMC, and the day of my visit both Zawadi and one of the brothers were called before the CMC.  The CMC asked both individuals many questions about exactly how much land was given to the young widow.  Zawadi’s voice trembled a little as she described how her and her children were chased from their home by her husband’s family.  After many questions, the committee collectively shook their heads; the two brothers had indeed given Zawadi very little land to grow enough food for herself and her children.  The CMC told the first wife’s son that he was in the wrong, especially since he did not consider the potential fate of Zawadi’s children.

Zawadi has her case read out before the Luvungi CMC

Zawadi has her case read out before the Luvungi CMC

This case demonstrates just some of the difficulties that marginalized peoples face in Eastern Congo.  As a refugee, a woman, an ethnic minority, and a second wife, Zawadi faces many obstacles in Congolese culture and society.  It would be all too acceptable for her dead husband’s sons to run her off the family property, and she does not have the means to go to Uvira and file a case in court.  The CMC and Arche d’Alliance provide a medium for women like Zawadi to channel their grievances and receive justice before the community.  In addition, since the CMC is made up of important community figures trained in civil rights, it is more likely that the other party will listen to their decision and give Zawadi and her children the means to survive with dignity.

Makobola is a village forming the border between the territories of Uvira and Fizi.  It has often been a hotspot for the war in the Great Lakes Region over the last fifteen years.  On March 15, 1998, the RCD (a group of Banyamulenge rebels) slaughtered over 800 civilians in Makobola as an act of repression and terror.  Today, FARDC soldiers occupy Makobola, but Burundian rebels and Mai-Mai regularly make forays into town to take what they want from the villagers.

In the midst of such an atmosphere and history of fear and violence, Arche d’Alliance is actively working to build civic participation and conflict transformation in the community.  In Makobola and in other towns in South Kivu, Arche d’Alliance has organized a noyaux de  paix (lit. “nut of peace”), a locally-formed group that acts as a medium for providing civic education and peaceful conflict transformation.  In an area that has been torn apart by war, these are very important tools to rebuilding civil society in Eastern Congo.

On the particular day that I visited Makobola, Arche d’Alliance had sent Masumbuko Songolo to give a community seminar on the importance of women’s participation in the electoral process, in pacification, and in development.  Mr. Songolo, the supervisor for the Makobola noyaux de la paix, gave his presentation to a group of 30 people, of which half were women.

Mr. Songolo started out by giving a brief summary of the last election in 2006.  He pointed out that 55% of the people that voted in the last election were women.  He also pointed out that four of the candidates for president were women.  Articles 11-17 of the Congolese Constitution specifically concerned women.  Indeed, the African country of Liberia had elected a woman, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, as their head of state.  However, in Uvira there were no women in provincial leadership, and there was but one woman in provincial leadership in Fizi.  Women did not run for office in these parts, nor did they participate in other forms of community leadership.

Songolo asked why women in Makobola did not participate in local politics. The seminar attendees said that one reason why women did not participate was because they were not educated.  Songolo told them they needed to make it a goal to provide education to women and girls.  Another answer that the participants gave was that it was not part of the local “custom” (la coutume).  Women are expected to work in the fields and fulfill household duties, not participate in community discussion, and certainly not ascend to positions of leadership in the community.  In these parts, women are more often than not intimidated into silence.  However, Songolo explained that enabling women to engage in community leadership and local elections would produce equilibrium and build Makobola’s capacity for development and the promotion of universal human rights.  In other words, Makobola needed to get with the program.  Songolo said that excluding women from the electoral process results in what the DRC suffers from now: bad governance.

If a person is competent enough to hold office, explained Songolo, it should not matter whether the candidate was a man or a woman.  In addition, he encouraged everyone to carefully scrutinize a candidate’s platform, and not give their votes away to empty promises made by pandering politicians.  Perhaps if more women ran for office, the high proportion of women voters could elect a woman that would be able to identify with them and better address their issues.

Because lack of work is a problem all across South Kivu, Songolo suggested that men could volunteer to do housework two days a week; this would allow their wives, daughters, sisters, and mothers time to receive a better education and become more active in elections and in community forums.  This suggestion caused a collective murmur in the room; men do housework?  Women in leadership?  These were concepts that demanded a revision of local customs and norms.  There was quite a bit of discussion, some of the male attendees shaking their heads in disagreement.

In the end, the seminar attendees agreed that women should be given a better education, and that men should give a certain amount of freedom to their wives and daughters to participate in the electoral process.  We all have to start somewhere, I suppose.

Seminars such as this one constitute an important part of Arche d’Alliance’s work in South Kivu.  Since the region has been a battleground for various military forces ever since 1994, the civilian population has had neither the means nor the time to build a good civil society.  Living in constant fear of massacre and banditry has meant continual displacement and a breakdown in trade, healthcare, and agriculture.  Now that the security situation is relatively (albeit tenuously) improved, civic training is necessary to strengthen these communities and give them the means to voice their needs and concerns to Kinshasa, the African community, and the rest of the world.