{"id":6,"date":"2025-02-06T03:08:31","date_gmt":"2025-02-06T03:08:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unsr.albertbarume.org\/site\/?p=6"},"modified":"2025-04-14T04:20:14","modified_gmt":"2025-04-14T04:20:14","slug":"un-experts-call-for-urgent-humanitarian-relief-and-a-political-solution-to-protect-civilians-in-drc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unsr.albertbarume.org\/site?p=6","title":{"rendered":"UN experts call for urgent humanitarian relief and a political solution to protect civilians in DRC"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"GENEVA \u2013 UN experts* today expressed grave concern about urgent protection needs and dire living conditions of displaced civilians in the mineral-rich eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Intensified hostilities between the Rwandan-backed M23 armed group and the armed forces of the DRC, supported by allied militias and mercenary and related actors have displaced at least 700,000 people, killed at least 900 and injured over 2000 in Goma and surrounding areas since early January.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe extend our heartfelt support and solidarity to the hundreds of thousands affected by conflict, many of whom were already in situations of protracted displacement,<\/em>\u201d the experts said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe express our profound alarm at reports of indiscriminate attacks and targeted killing of civilians, including on the basis of their ethnicity, summary executions, grave incidents of conflict-related sexual violence targeting women and girls, civilians being subjected to forced conscription and labour, and the arbitrary arrest of displaced persons mistaken for rebels. We also call for special attention to the exacerbated vulnerabilities of the Indigenous Pygmy Peoples. We demand all parties to the conflict abide by their obligations under international law.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Heavy fighting has occurred near densely populated urban areas and camps housing tens of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs). At least two camps have been bombed. Several displacement sites have been partially or completely emptied as families fled conflict, while others have been forcibly closed by the M23 in flagrant violation of IDPs\u2019 right to safe, voluntary, and dignified solutions. Many IDPs are forced to sleep in makeshift tents or out in the open, as overcrowded displacement camps are unable to accommodate the influx and protection needs of people.<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite the recent unilateral ceasefire, displaced persons have no safe haven left as the humanitarian crisis in eastern DRC takes a deeply alarming turn, in which women and girls are disproportionately represented,\u201d<\/em> the experts said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are severe shortages of food and shelter. There is no electricity or drinking water, heightening the risk of infectious outbreaks in a region prone to epidemics,\u201d they said. \u201cMedical facilities are overwhelmed, and cannot adequately care for the injured, dispose of the dead, and treat survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. The situation is compounded by widespread looting of humanitarian facilities and denials of humanitarian access.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The experts urged the international community to step up efforts and funding to support the Government of DRC to protect and assist displaced persons, while emphasising the need for proper investigations and accountability for the violations committed and a long-term political solution to end this cycle of violence and displacement.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the international community stands by, millions of displaced Congolese continue to endure unimaginable hardship, longing for peace and to rebuild their lives,\u201d<\/em> the experts said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is imperative that international stakeholders provide robust support not only to the humanitarian response, but also to the Nairobi and Luanda processes to broker an inclusive negotiated end to the conflict, and to efforts to ensure accountability and remedy for violations of international law and crimes against the lives of civilians, including through renewed investigations by the International Criminal Court and the upcoming Special Session of the Human Rights Council on the DRC.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The experts called on the M23 to halt further military advances, particularly towards Bukavu where thousands of IDPs have sought refuge. They called on the DRC to intensify efforts to protect and assist displaced persons, and echoed the Secretary-General\u2019s appeal for Rwanda to cease support to M23 and withdraw from DRC territory.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll parties must return to the negotiating table in good faith, for the future of regional peace and security,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n

\n

*The experts: Paula Gaviria Betancur, Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons; Siobh\u00e1n Mullally, Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children; Obokata, Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences; Balakrishnan Rajagopal, Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing; Albert Kwokwo Barume, Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples; Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation; Jovana Jezdimirovic Ranito (Chair-Rapporteur), Ravindran Daniel, Michelle Small, Joana de Deus Pereira, Andr\u00e9s Mac\u00edas Tolosa, Working Group on the use of mercenaries; Laura Nyirinkindi (Chair), Claudia Flores (Vice-Chair), Dorothy Estrada Tanck, Ivana Krsti\u0107, and Haina Lu, Working group on discrimination against women and girls; Reem Alsalem, Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences; Alice Jill Edwards, Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; Nicolas Levrat, Special Rapporteur on minority issues; Morris Tidball-Binz, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; Fortun\u00e9 Gaetan Zongo, Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Burundi; George Katrougalos, Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order; Michael Fakhri, Special Rapporteur on the right to food<\/span> Special Rapporteurs\/Independent Experts\/Working Groups are independent human rights experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council. <\/span><\/p>\n

Together, these experts are referred to as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. While the UN Human Rights office acts as the secretariat for Special Procedures, the experts serve in their individual capacity and are independent from\u202fany government or organization, including OHCHR and the UN. <\/span><\/p>\n

Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the UN or OHCHR.<\/span> Country-specific observations and recommendations by the UN human rights mechanisms, including the special procedures, the treaty bodies and the Universal Periodic Review, can be found on the Universal Human Rights Index https:\/\/uhri.ohchr.org\/en\/<\/span> For more information and media requests please contact: Sofia Palli (palli@un.org) and Krishnan Raghavan (krishnan.raghavan@un.org)<\/span> For media enquiries regarding other UN independent experts, please contact Maya Derouaz (maya.derouaz@un.org) and Dharisha Indraguptha (dharisha.indraguptha@un.org).<\/span> Follow news related to the UN’s independent human rights experts on X: @UN_SPExperts<\/span><\/p>\n

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GENEVA \u2013 UN experts* today expressed grave concern about urgent protection needs and dire living conditions of displaced civilians in the mineral-rich eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Intensified hostilities between the Rwandan-backed M23 armed group and the armed forces of the DRC, supported by allied militias and mercenary and related actors have displaced\u2026 Read More »<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":332,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[3],"class_list":["post-6","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press-releases","tag-drc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unsr.albertbarume.org\/site\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unsr.albertbarume.org\/site\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unsr.albertbarume.org\/site\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unsr.albertbarume.org\/site\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unsr.albertbarume.org\/site\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/unsr.albertbarume.org\/site\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13,"href":"https:\/\/unsr.albertbarume.org\/site\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6\/revisions\/13"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unsr.albertbarume.org\/site\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/332"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unsr.albertbarume.org\/site\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unsr.albertbarume.org\/site\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unsr.albertbarume.org\/site\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}