The European Union (EU) says it is gravely concerned by the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo, DRC), which recently led to an immediate system-wide scale-up by the United Nations of humanitarian operations in the eastern part of the country. In a statement Friday by its High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, the EU also expressed outrage at the levels of violence and atrocities that continue to be perpetrated by armed groups with impunity against civilians.
The EU called upon all armed groups – including FDLR forces, the CODECO armed group, the rebel M23 force, ADF rebels, and Zaire militants - to immediately cease all hostilities and attacks against civilians, lay down their weapons, withdraw from the areas they are occupying, and participate in the relevant disarmament, demobilization and reintegration processes.
The statement said the EU was “appalled by reports of sexual violence against women and girls on a massive scale, including the sexual exploitation of displaced women and girls, as well as the recruitment of children.”
The supranational organization condemned these atrocities and called on all armed groups to stop its unlawful killings, rape and other alleged war crimes.
“All those responsible for violations of human rights and international humanitarian law must be brought to justice and full accountability must be ensured”, the European Union stressed.
The EU also firmly condemned the continued support and assistance to armed groups by state actors, including Rwanda’s support to M23 and Rwanda’s military presence in eastern Congo, and DRC’s support and cooperation with FDLR and other local and foreign armed groups.
“The root causes of regional instability, including the unlawful exploitation and smuggling of natural resources, must be addressed. Natural resources should become a driver for sustainable development”, the EU statement said.
“All States and stakeholders in the region and beyond must intensify the fight against trafficking of natural resources within and from the DRC as well as money laundering benefitting armed groups and criminal networks.”
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is facing one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the world, and the situation in the country is one of the most neglected displacement crises globally. For decades, the country has endured multiple, overlapping emergencies driven mainly by conflict and forced displacement. The UN estimates that 26.4 million require humanitarian assistance in the country this year.
The DRC already suffers the largest internal displacement crisis in Africa due to the ongoing violence. 7.5 million people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been forced to flee their homes. Among them are 6.2 internally displaced person (IDPs) and 1.3 million refugees, that have sought safety in neighboring countries.
In 2023, the humanitarian situation in the eastern provinces of the DR Congo reached devastating levels, as cyclical violence perpetrated by armed groups and subsequent displacement continues to impact millions of vulnerable civilians. Eastern DRC is home to multiple armed groups, including the rebel Mouvement du 23 mars (M23) force, the CODECO armed group, Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels, and Zaire militants.
On June 16, the world’s top relief officials announced a system-wide scale-up that will allow humanitarian organizations to increase their operations in eastern DRC following months of relentless violence and rising humanitarian needs.
The scale-up focuses on the scarcity of food, protection from gender-based violence, and the spread of treatable diseases in the provinces of Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu. Since the decision, United Nations agencies have deployed teams to the eastern part of the country and secured additional funding, to significantly increase their response.
On Friday, the World Food Programme (WFP) announced it would increase its cash distributions in July to reach 1.1 million people in IDP camps, collective sites and host families, across Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu, as part of WFP’s scale-up plan to reach 1.7 million people with food and cash this month. The UN agency will progressively increase the number of people reached with life-saving food and cash assistance over the next six months.
The scale-up responds to the unrelenting cycle of violence which forced some 2.8 million people into displacement since March 2022, when clashes between armed groups – mainly rebels from the M23 - and government forces reignited. More than a million people have been forced to leave their homes in eastern DRC since January 2023.
Women and children are often the worst affected by large-scale displacement crises. Humanitarian organizations on the ground are deeply alarmed by the increase in gender-based violence against women and girls in overcrowded displacement sites.
Further information
Full text: Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC): Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union , Council of the EU, press release, published July 7, 2023
https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2023/07/07/democratic-republic-of-the-congo-drc-statement-by-the-high-representative-on-behalf-of-the-european-union/