Reuters AlertNet - DR Congo: Strategies for New Displacement

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DR Congo: Strategies for New Displacement

05 Mar 2009 21:06:00 GMT

Written by: Refugees International

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The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon visited eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) over this past weekend.

His visit comes at a time when the security situation on the ground is quickly changing.

In January, CNDP rebel leader Laurent Nkunda, responsible for the violent upsurge in fighting in the fall that displaced 250,000 people, was arrested in Rwanda. Following his arrest, the Rwandan national army entered North Kivu province to conduct joint operations with the Congolese national army against the FDLR rebel group. The Rwandans, claiming that the operations had been a success, pulled out their troops days before Ban arrived in the DRC.

While Ban brought back a message of hope and peace from his visit the reality is that the arrival of the Rwandan army in eastern DRC and the joint operations against the FDLR rebels have had a serious impact on the civilian population.

I recently visited with displaced communities in both North and South Kivu. In North Kivu, I met with many people who had been displaced several times as a result of fighting between various armed groups. They remained wary of returning home quickly, despite the arrest of Nkunda, and the supposed integration of the CNDP rebel group into the national army.

In South Kivu, I met Congolese people who had recently fled their homes in North Kivu, either because they were scared by the presence of the Rwandan army or because the FDLR rebel group had attacked their communities following the start of the operations.

Given how quickly events unfolded on the ground, it still remains unclear how many people were displaced because of the operations. However, there are serious concerns that civilians will continue to be attacked and forced to flee their homes, particularly if the Congolese army continues operations against the FDLR in South Kivu.

Years of conflict in eastern DRC means that people affected by the ongoing violence are still in serious need of assistance and protection. A military solution to the problems in eastern DRC cannot be the only option. Rather than offering messages of hope and peace, Ban should be pressuring the Congolese and Rwandan governments to uphold previous commitments and work towards a political solution to the FDLR and other armed groups.

-Camilla Olson

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Blogged by Refugees International

Refugees International, a U.S-based aid agency, generates lifesaving humanitarian assistance and protection for displaced people around the world, and works to end the conditions that create displacement. The organisation was founded in 1979.