Human Rights Violations In DR Congo Drop By 12%

The number of human rights violations in the Democratic Republic of Congo dropped by 12 per cent in 2021 as compared to 2020, the United Nations announced on Friday, Jan. 28.

The UN also disclosed that there were 6,989 violations and more than 2,000 summary executions.

According to a communique of the United Nations Joint Office for Human Rights (UNJHRO) in DR Congo, this number represents 582 violations per month.

“These figures reflect a reduction in the number of violations and abuses in the provinces of Maniema, South Kivu, Ituri, Tanganyika and North Kivu, but this little drop does not translate into a notable amelioration of the security situation in some of these provinces,” the UNJHRO communique noted.

“The proportion of abuses of human rights by members of armed groups in the provinces affected by armed conflict rose to 60 per cent representing 3,877 abuses, with summary executions of at least 1,585 men and 439 women.”

In North Kivu, rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) and Mai-Mai Nyatura armed groups, “continue to pose serious threats against civilian populations,” the UNJHRO communique revealed, adding that it documented 738 human rights abuses committed by the ADF, which is an increase of 52 per cent compared to 2020.

The ADF, according to the UNJHRO, were responsible for the summary execution of more than 1,259 persons, including 958 men, 262 women and 39 children within one year.

In Ituri province, Cooperative for the Development of Congo (CODECO) fighters were responsible for the summary execution of 253 men, 61 women and 95 children. 

The UNJHR also said in provinces that remain unaffected by the conflicts, violations of human rights committed by state agents have dropped by 4 per cent, adding that the governors of the provinces continue to be authors of human rights abuses “particularly against journalists and defenders of human rights”.