Violence Escalating in Northern Equateur Province of Congo

PHOTO: UN peacekeepers move into position to form a rearguard behind fleeing refugees in October of 2008, when a former rebel group advanced to within 7 miles of the provincial capital of Goma in eastern Congo. (AndrewGurwitz)

As the humanitarian catastrophe in the far eastern regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) continues to rage on, another separate conflict is beginning to have a large scale impact on the central African region.

A low-profile conflict is becoming a larger one in DRC’s Equateur province, pushing thousands of civilians across the border into Congo Republic. The fighting began last October, when a fishing dispute led to armed civilians killing over 45 policemen. Since the killings, numerous shadowy and largely unknown “rebel groups” have declared they are rebelling against the government.

A New Situation the DRC Cannot Afford

The low level fighting that is beginning to escalate into larger clashes comes at an extremely bad time for the war-ravaged nation. Government troops and U.N. peacekeepers (MONUC) are preparing for another assault against the murderous Rwandan rebel group the FDLR that could quickly turn bloody as did the last military expedition into the region, which witnessed both government soldiers and the rebels raping, pillaging, and murdering entire villages. With so many forces tied up in the east, both the UN and Congo’s weak government cannot afford to fight additional armed groups in the Equateur province.

The international community must step in now to provide for the tens of thousands of refugees that have been forced to flee their homes to neighboring Congo Republic from the new fighting, while simultaneously working out a solution to getting them safely back to their homes.

Deploying additional UN peacekeepers into the area now as well as sending in investigative teams to learn who these armed groups are and what their demands are can help expedite this process even further. MONUC must remain focused on civilian protection and negotiating a ceasefire that leads to a lasting peace deal. Seeing how some government troops have acted over the past several months in eastern Congo, it would be best if the national troops being sent in to stop the violence are partnered with UN combat forces who would prevent further atrocities being committed. By placing peacekeepers directly on the front lines and not as mere logistical support will help them to better focus on protecting civilians, creating a catalyst towards moving in the direction of a more concrete and permanent peace.