As the conflict in some areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo intensifies and more people are killed by the country’s atrocities, Collectif of Lawyers, a group of attorneys representing the Hema of Ituri Province, the Banyamulenge of South Kivu Province, and the Tutsi of North Kivu Province in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, has criticised the Congolese army for failing to step in and ensure the safety of its citizens.
During a seminar that was immersed in controversy, one of the collectif’s solicitors, Benard Maingain, said, “We don’t ask for declarations; we want action; they have to give a guarantee of peace and security for each civil person, and our victims have rights to peace and security.”the victims’ harrowing accounts of the atrocities they endured at the hands of the rebels were accompanied by a dismal atmosphere.
The three-day seminar will feature testimonies from the victims who will be recorded and given to the International Criminal Court. It was held in Nairobi because of its proximity to the victims and because Kenya has been a major player in peace negotiations in the DRC.
Due to the constant politicisation of the conflict and its effects on the Congolese people, the conference also aims to give the victims a platform to share their stories and to inform the world of the horrors that take place there.According to Jean Paul Shaka, a member of the New York bar, participants in the armed organisations are responsible for the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Jean went on to say that victims should be the focus of the Congo peace conference rather than armed groups, and their voices should be heard and given a chance to be heard. “It is without a doubt acceptable to bring people with blood on their hands, house them here, and pay them while they wreck havoc back home.” As a result, it has become necessary to hear from the victims about their experiences.
The attorneys have also urged the UN general secretary to look into the behaviour of the During massacres, the MONUSCO stabilisation mission of the United Nations. MONUSCO has been accused of being complacent recently, with local authorities charging that despite being a part of the UN peacekeeping force, it had done little to affect the country’s protracted civil war.
In addition to lawyers from Brussels and the New York City Bar Association, the Collectif of Lawyers is made up of lawyers who are members of the bar associations in Bunia, Goma, Bukavu, and Kinshasa. The lawyers’ pursuit of justice for the war victims began three years ago when a group from Banyamulenge requested legal assistance.
The Collectif observes that the voices of the victims of these atrocities are sometimes disregarded or even unheard, which is why they are often .The victims are now hoping that they will find justice and be restored.
