It is estimated that at least 3.5 million people have perished in eastern Congo since 1998. At present, one thousand die there each day as a result of violence, starvation and disease. More than 3 million Congolese, Burundians and Rwandans remain displaced in the region. Furthermore, according to UN estimates, some 20,000-40,000 child soldiers have been recruited into the ranks of warring groups and more than 40,000 women have been victims of sexual violence. Overall, some two-thirds of the population in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) suffers from malnutrition. Approximately 70 per cent of the children in the country do not go to school.

The unrest continues to revolve around the rivalries among the Tutsi, Hutu and other ethnic groups in the area that have been exploited by the governments of the DRC and its neighbours to advance their respective agendas. Porous national borders and ethnic, cultural and historical links between the inhabitants of these countries have transformed intra-state unrest into inter-state conflicts. These have assumed a regional dimension and produced massive population displacements within and across borders.

Concern about continued political instability and population displacement in the region has prompted a number of outside actors to try and contain or resolve the political and humanitarian tragedy. Beginning in 1999, the UN Security Council created a peacekeeping mission (MONUC) for the DRC. The mission’s mandate and size were gradually expanded, and by 2004 it had become the largest UN peacekeeping operation in the world. Furthermore, between 1999 and 2003, mediation efforts led by South Africa prompted neighbouring states such as Angola, Burundi, Namibia, Rwanda, Uganda and Zimbabwe to withdraw their troops from the DRC.

Despite these initial steps, the cycle of violence and displacement in the DRC intensified. The country’s eastern neighbours continued to exploit ethnic cleavages and used Congolese proxies to pursue their objectives. The scale of the fighting and population displacement was particularly extensive in Ituri, adjacent to Uganda. MONUC established a limited presence in Ituri to monitor the situation. But humanitarian agencies in the region faced many obstacles in gaining access to victims because of the vastness of the territory, poor infrastructure, the impenetrability of the rain forest where many displaced people sought refuge, and intimidation and violence by armed elements. Between 1999 and 2003, more than 50,000 people were killed and some 600,000 displaced in Ituri alone, with 10,000 refugees entering Uganda. The population displacement peaked in mid-2003, by which time a total of 3.4 million Congolese had been forced to flee their homes.

A significant milestone was reached in July 2003 with the creation of the Government of National Unity and Transition in Kinshasa which included the various Congolese political factions. This arrangement was brokered with the assistance of South Africa. As a consequence, hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons and refugees returned to their homes. Meanwhile, negotiations between the Burundian government and several rebel groups bore fruit, resulting in a ceasefire agreement that paved the way for the return of thousands of refugees and internally displaced persons.

But in spite of the positive developments, the cycle of violence and displacement in the eastern part of the DRC continued. In South Kivu, a mutiny by Congolese army units in May 2004 prompted tens of thousands of people to flee the fighting, crossing into Burundi and Rwanda. Only weeks later, in July, armed clashes in Ituri between local militias led to the displacement of 35,000 Congolese. Furthermore, when Rwandan forces launched cross-border operations in the DRC to pursue Rwandan Hutu insurgents in late 2004, more than 100,000 people were displaced by the fighting; some 40,000 became refugees in Burundi and Rwanda.

The violence and displacement in eastern Congo continue to threaten regional security and the welfare of the entire population of that area. Some progress is being achieved on the political, humanitarian and security fronts, albeit in a gradual manner. Extricating the region from the spiral of destruction and displacement entails the disarming of militias by the Congolese military and MONUC. Also required are a political process that fosters reconciliation and generous measures of humanitarian assistance and development investment.

Box 3.1 Sexual and gender-based violence

Box 3.3 Security of humanitarian workers