Since the implementation, a year ago, of this exceptional security regime in two Congolese provinces, the massacres have multiplied.
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In the corridors of the governorate of Goma, one of the main cities in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), men in uniform parade all day. Since the entry into force of the state of siege on May 6, 2021, the military has replaced civilians in the administration and directed the provinces of North Kivu and Ituri.
By signing this order which gave full powers to the Congolese armed forces (FARDC), Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi wanted to end the hundred armed groups who have ravaged the region for over twenty-five years and multiply the massacres of civilians.
A year after the establishment of this special security measure, the situation “improves”, welcomes the army. “No centimeter of the territory will go under the control of any rebellious group,” said General Sylvain Ekenge, spokesperson for the military governor of North Kivu on May 4.
However, reality on the field tells another story. Thus, on March 28 and 29, the armed movement of March 23 (M23) resurfaced after almost ten years of inactivity. This rebellion, mainly composed of former Congolese officers and defeated by the regular army in 2013, attacked the FARDC positions located about 70 kilometers north of the city of Goma. The M23 then occupied several villages in the territory of Rutshuru for a few days in March and April.
Other armed groups continue to rage, such as the Congorative for the Development of the Congo (Codeco) or the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF, according to the acronym in English). The latter, constituted at the origin of Ugandan Muslim rebels whose leaders have made allegiance to the Islamic State organization, fly, have been pillaging and killing for more than two decades. During the state of siege, the ADF expanded their zone of influence despite the launch, on November 30, 2021, of a joint operation between the Congolese and Ugandan armies aimed at tracking them.
“How many groups have been destroyed since May 6, 2021? Zero!” Exasperates Placide Nzilamba, in charge of plea in the International Circle for the Defense of Human Rights, Peace and the Environment based on Goma. “This measure has never been a punishment for these movements. But that’s one for the population,” he continues.
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