The Representative of the Secretary General on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons concludes his visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo

22 February 2008


“Finding peaceful solutions to the present conflicts, renouncing violence by all parties, and ensuring full respect for all parties’ obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law, as well as a strong determination to fight against impunity, are indispensable for putting an end to the serious human rights violations committed against internally displaced persons in Eastern DRC”. These are the main conclusions of the Representative of the Secretary General on the human rights of internally displaced persons, Mr. Walter Kälin, at the end of his official mission to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which he commenced on 12 February.

The Representative considers the agreements recently reached in Nairobi and Goma on how to sustain peace as an important window of opportunity to seek durable solutions for the internally displaced. He calls on all parties to the conflict to implement them without any further delay and underlines that this process requires unequivocal political will and support by all relevant actors. In this regard, he stresses the necessity to use peaceful means only in order to prevent new large scale displacement. At the same time, the Representative, acknowledging the complexities of the ongoing peace process and the obstacles to overcome them, urges national authorities and the international community to continue providing protection and assistance for the displaced and their host families.

The Representative is concerned by the poor living conditions of internally displaced persons and returnees. As he saw during his field visits, these persons are in a heightened state of vulnerability, suffering from the absence of food security, shelter and access to clean water, as well as health services and education for their children. In many cases, capacities of host families have been exhausted and a general impoverishment of communities can be found in areas affected by displacement. In addition, grave human rights violations such as killings, rape and harassment continue to be perpetrated against the civilian population by not only different armed groups but also members of the national armed forces of the DRC. The Representative is particularly concerned about the forced recruitment of children by armed groups. This situation triggers ongoing displacement and precludes envisaging widespread durable returns for the displaced. This volatile security situation results in a grave protection and assistance crisis for the internally displaced. Although this crisis is mitigated, to some extent, by humanitarian organizations and MONUC, the activities of these organizations, as well as their humanitarian access to persons in need, remain too limited to trigger significant changes. A considerable strengthening of humanitarian presence in areas affected by displacement is therefore necessary.

In this regard the Representative recalls that national authorities have the primary duty and responsibility to provide protection and humanitarian assistance to internally displaced persons. He is concerned about the lack of national capacity or strategy to address the protection of the internally displaced, as well as the absence of a comprehensive legal framework, and calls upon MONUC and other humanitarian actors, as well as donors, to provide the necessary means in order to assist the authorities at the national, provincial and district levels to meet their obligations to the displaced.

The Representative recognizes that a significant number of displaced persons were able to return to their places of origin, in particular in Ituri district and to a lesser extent in the Kivus. He also acknowledges the humanitarian assistance provided to the returnees for a transitional period, but calls on the authorities as well as the international community to increase concerted efforts to enhance early recovery, in particular effective economic reintegration, as well as to resume the provision of basic services and the implementation of development projects. In this context, he underlines that the sustainable return of displaced persons is an essential contribution to peace building.

Honoring an invitation by the government, the Representative of the Secretary General on the human rights of internally displaced persons, Mr. Walter Kälin, carried out an official mission to the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 12 to 22 February 2008. He travelled to Kinshasa and to the provinces of North and South Kivu as well as to Ituri district. During his stay, the Representative met with authorities in charge of issues related to internal displacement at the national and local levels, representatives of the international community, and internally displaced persons and members of host communities.
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This press release aims to inform the general public and does not constitute an official document.