MJPC urges the Congolese government and its foreign military allies to take into account the duty to protect civilians when conducting military operations. The statement was issued after a new report by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which reports new cases of murder, looting, rape and other violations human rights among the displaced.
The United Nations humanitarian arm reported that according to local Congolese authorities, nearly 90,000 people were uprooted from their homes following a recent military operation launched by the Congolese army (FARDC) against ifighters associated with the Ugandan rebel group known as the Democratic Forces Allied Democratic - National Liberation Army of Uganda (ADF / NALU) in the territory of Beni, North Kivu province. Despite the alarming number of newly displaced people in urgent need of food, shelter, water and health care, the Congolese government has not yet taken concrete measures to provide adequate assistance to internally displaced populations.
For the director of community affairs for MJPC, Makuba Sekombo, "it is imperative to take into account the lives of civilians during the planning of a military operation of this magnitude." The government has the responsibility to protect civilians during military operations, "but often in the Congo instead of protecting and providing humanitarian aid to displaced persons, elements of the army engage in raping of women and children , looting and burning houses and committing other horrible atrocities against displaced civilians, "he said. "It is essential that those responsible are held criminally accountable for their acts, this time."
The Congolese Government has the right and duty to protect its people, but for many years, it has been unable or unwilling to do so for its civilian population of the East. The consequences are well known, the population continues to rely on the UN and international NGOs to provide some form of protection and humanitarian assistance. Despite their remarkable work, the UN and the international NGOs are not accountable to the Congolese people. MJPC considered vitally important for the Congolese government to begin to play a central role in helping the thousands of people displaced by military operations in the region. "Obviously, Congo can not rely on the UN and international NGOs to carry out such permanent obligation forever," said Mr. Sekombo