Civil society roots for Congolese refugees, condemns violence

The Rwanda Civil Society Platform has called upon all concerned parties to ensure an end to the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo so that refugees can return home.The call was made following their tour of several camps housing Congolese refugees who fled the ongoing conflict in the eastern DRC.“Every day, Congolese children women and men face killings, rapes and displacement as a result of the prevailing conflict. The situation has had a significant spill-over effect on Rwanda and neighbouring countries,” reads a statement signed by Edouard Munyamariza, the spokesperson of the platform.The latest conflict started in April this year following a mutiny by a group of army officers calling themselves M23 who accuse the government of reneging on an earlier agreement. According to the Civil Society, they were also informed by immigration officers during the tour that Rwandans trying to go to Goma are arbitrarily arrested and at times tortured. Reports indicate that they are arrested by individuals believed to be Congolese intelligence operatives who then call their relatives asking for a ransom of $300 for them to be set free. “We are strongly concerned that the Congolese Civil Society and the media are playing an extremely negative role of fuelling and enticing hatred, circulating dehumanising propaganda against the Rwandans living in DRC,” continues the statement.It says that it was similar media hate campaign as one prevailing in Congo that fuelled the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. According to Munyamaliza, they were informed by some refugees at Kigeme that they have been victims of systematic rape, the time they were still in their country. They claimed that members of MONUSCO, the UN stabilisation mission in Congo, were using intermediaries to get them girls to sexually abuse.Munyamaruiza said that the refugees are also facing a problem of insufficient food whereby they are given only 17 kilogrammes of food a month yet it can only last a week.At least 17 children have so far died due to poor nutrition and two women have had miscarriages due to poor living conditions. “The refugees in Kigeme need very urgent humanitarian assistance so that their rights are protected and living conditions improved,” said Munyamariza, adding that most importantly, the situation in Congo should be normalised so that the refugees return home. He disclosed that they had requested the DRC Civil Society Platform to meet with them and discuss the issues, but the latter refused.

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Civil society roots for Congolese refugees, condemns violence