August, 10 2009, 10:59am EDT
DRC: Clinton Should Highlight Rape and Justice Issues
Need to Protect Civilians Should Top the Agenda During Visit
GOMA
Killings and brutal sexual violence against women, girls and also men have massively increased in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo since the start of military operations in January 2009, the Congo Advocacy Coalition, a group of 88 humanitarian and human rights organizations, said today. The coalition urged Hillary Clinton, the United States secretary of state, who arrives in Congo today, to press the Congolese government and United Nations peacekeepers for more effective measures to protect civilians and to pursue justice for serious crimes.
Since the start of military operations in January, more than 600 civilians have been killed and thousands of women and girls raped by armed rebel groups and government forces. According to UN estimates, the violence has forced more than 800,000 people from their homes, including some 56,000 who fled from Uvira territory, South Kivu, in July.
"The UN-backed offensive that was supposed to make life better for the people of eastern Congo is instead becoming a human tragedy," said Marcel Stoessel, head of Oxfam in DRC. "Secretary Clinton needs to make it very clear that US support for the UN's efforts in Congo is not a blank check and that civilians should be protected."
UN peacekeepers have been backing Congolese military operations, known as Kimia II, against the Rwandan Hutu rebel group, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), since March. This support followed earlier joint operations between the Congolese and Rwandan armies against the rebel group.
Since the US government is one of the main financial backers of the UN peacekeeping force, the Congo Advocacy Coalition called on Clinton to push for a more thorough assessment of the risks to civilians in the UN's operations and concrete action by the UN and the Congolese government to mitigate such risks, with specific attention to protecting women and girls from rape.
Since the start of military operations, the FDLR rebels have carried out widespread retaliatory attacks, brutally killing and raping Congolese civilians. In one recent reprisal attack, on July 20, the rebels killed more than 20 civilians in the village of Manje, in Walikale territory, North Kivu province. As in previous similar attacks, the rebels hacked some victims with machetes, shot others, and burned a number to death in their homes.
The Congolese Advocacy Coalition urged Clinton to press the Congolese and Rwandan governments, the UN and its member states to urgently review their strategy against the FDLR rebels and to plan for a new and more comprehensive approach emphasizing protection of civilians.
"So far, these military operations have brought nothing but horrible suffering for the people of eastern Congo," said Anneke Van Woudenberg, senior Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. "Secretary Clinton should offer high-level US diplomatic engagement to figure out how to address the problem of the FDLR and other armed groups without causing even more harm."
Congolese army soldiers have committed widespread and serious abuses during the military operations, including rape. The majority of sexual violence cases reported in North Kivu since January have been attributed to government soldiers. On July 4, the Congolese government announced a policy of "zero tolerance" for abuses committed by army soldiers and said that commanders who permit their troops to commit such crimes will be held responsible. To date, only a handful of officers have been arrested.
Widespread impunity, the recent integration of 12,000 militia fighters into the army's ranks, and problems with salary payments have all compounded the discipline problems that have plagued the army for many years.
"The increase in rape in an area where already so many women and girls have been victims is deplorable," said Olivia Caeymaex of Enough. "Ending impunity for rape and other serious crimes needs to be at the heart of any strategy to combat sexual violence. Secretary Clinton should ensure US diplomatic and financial assets are focused on bringing to justice those who are most responsible."
The Congo Advocacy Coalition called on Clinton to use her visit to:
- Ensure that the UN Security Council sets out and stands by clear conditions for continued support for the joint operations with the Congolese army, including ensuring that human rights abusers do not take part in military actions, and guaranteeing rigorous monitoring and application of appropriate sanctions for any violations of international humanitarian law.
- Pressure regional governments and the UN Security Council to review the current strategy against the FDLR rebels and urge a new comprehensive approach emphasizing protection of the civilian population, apprehending those wanted for genocide, and a more effective voluntary disarmament and demobilization program, among other measures.
- Urge the Congolese government to bring to justice those responsible for serious human rights abuses, including sexual violence, within the Congolese army, particularly senior officers engaged in the present military operations.
- Urge and offer support to the Congolese government to undertake comprehensive reforms of the security sector and address the structural causes of conflict in eastern DRC, which include the issues of land, livelihoods, and fair representation of all communities.
The Congo Advocacy Coalition is a group of local and international nongovernmental organizations established in 2008 to focus attention on the protection of civilians and respect for human rights in eastern Congo's peace process. The following organizations are members of the coalition's steering committee: ActionAid, Enough, Human Rights Watch, Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam, War Child Holland, Conseil Regional des Organisations Non Gouvernementales de Developpement (CRONGD) - North Kivu, Promotion et Appui aux Initiatives Feminines (PAIF) - North Kivu, Initiative Congolaise pour la Justice et la Paix (ICJP) - South Kivu, and Association des Femmes Juristes du Congo (AFEJUCO) - South Kivu.
Other Signatories:
International NGOs:
Action Against Hunger/Action Contre la Faim (ACF), Beati i Costruttori di Pace (Blessed are the Peacemakers), CARE International, International Crisis Group (ICG), International Rescue Committee (IRC), Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), Light of Africa Network, Mercy Corps, Norwegian Church Aid, Refugees International (RI), Tearfund, Trocaire, VDay
Congolese NGOs:
ACODESK, Action de Promotion et d'Assistance pour l'Amelioration du Niveau des Vies des Populations (APANIVIP), Action des Chretiens activistes des Droits de l'Homme a Shabunda, Action des Chretiens pour l'Abolition de la Torture (ACAT), Action Pour Enfants Oublies ( APEO) Sud-Kivu, Action pour la Lutte contre l'Ignorance du Sida, Actions Globales pour la Promotion Sociale et la Paix (AGPSP), AEPDE (Sud Kivu), ALCM, APED, APIBA, APREDECI, ASPD, Association des Armateurs sur le Lac Kivu, Association des Jeunes Chretiens de l'Eglise Sinai (AJCS)/Sud Kivu, Association des Volontaires du Congo (ASVOCO), Association pour le Developpement dans les Pays de Grands Lacs Africaine (ADGL), Campagne Pour la Paix (CPP), Centre Africain pour la Paix, la Democratie, et les Droits de l'Homme (ACPD), Centre de Promotion Socio Sanitaire (CEPROSSAN), Centre de Recherche sur l'Environnement, la Democratie et les Droits de l'Homme (CREDDHO), Centre d'Intervention et de Promotion Sociale Participative (CIPSOPA), Centre d'Observation des Droits de l'Homme et d'Assistance Sociale (CODHAS), Centre Olame, CIDI/NK, CJP, Coalition Congolaise pour la Justice Transitionnelle (CCJT), Collectif des Associations des Femmes Pour le Developpement (CAFED), Collectif des Chercheurs et Analystes Politiques, Juridiques, et Socio-economiques (CAPJSE), Collectif des Jeunes du Sud Kivu, Collectif des Organisations des Jeunes Solidaires du Congo (COJESKI)/Nord Kivu, Conseil des Facilitateurs des Pays de Grands Lac, Dauphins Muzihirwa-Kataliko, Eglise Independante du Congo (UEIC), Encadrement des Femmes Indigenes et des Femmes Vulnerables (EFIM), GRAM-Kivu, Group d'Assistance aux Marginalises (GAM), Group d'Etudes et d'Actions Pour un Developpement Bien Defini (GEAD), Groupe Hirondelle - Bukavu, HEAL Africa, Heritiers de la Justice, Initiatives ALPHA, La Fondation Mere et Enfant, La Providence, Ligue Nationale et d'Appui aux Initiatives des Jeunes en RD Congo (LINAJEUN-RDC), Maman An'saar du Congo (MAC), Ouvriers du Monde (ODM), PAL, PAMI, Perspectives Monde Juste, PFND, Programme Chretien pour la Protection des Droit de l'Enfant, Programme du Developpement Sociale (PRODES), Promotion de la Democratie et Protection des Droits Humains (PDH), Reseau des Associations de Droits de l'Homme (RADHOSKI)/ Sud Kivu, Reseau Provincial des ONG des Droits de l'Homme au Congo (REPRODHOC), SEDI/Uvira, Solidarite Feminine pour la Paix et le Developpement Integral (SOFEPADI), Solidarite des Familles pour le Developpement (SOFADE), Synergie des Femmes pour les Victimes des Violences Sexuelles (SFVS), Union d'Actions pour les Initiatives de Developpement (UAID), Union des Jeunes pour le Developpement de Bunyakiri (UJDBu), UPADERI, UWAKI Sud Kivu, Villages Cobaye (VICO)
Human Rights Watch is one of the world's leading independent organizations dedicated to defending and protecting human rights. By focusing international attention where human rights are violated, we give voice to the oppressed and hold oppressors accountable for their crimes. Our rigorous, objective investigations and strategic, targeted advocacy build intense pressure for action and raise the cost of human rights abuse. For 30 years, Human Rights Watch has worked tenaciously to lay the legal and moral groundwork for deep-rooted change and has fought to bring greater justice and security to people around the world.
LATEST NEWS
‘Yikes’: New Jobs Data Further Undermines Trump Fiction of Thriving Economy
"The booming job market exists only in Donald Trump's demented head," said economist Dean Baker.
Dec 03, 2025
Economists on Wednesday expressed significant concerns after new data from global payroll processing firm ADP estimated that the US economy lost 32,000 jobs last month.
As reported by CNBC, small businesses bore the brunt of the job losses, as firms with fewer than 50 employees shed a total of 120,000 jobs, more than offsetting the 90,000 in job gains reported by firms with 50 or more employees.
The loss of 32,000 jobs in November marked a major miss for economists' consensus estimate of 40,000 jobs added on the month, and CNBC noted that the total number of jobs lost according to ADP data "was the biggest drop since March 2023."
Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, noted in a post on X that the job losses recorded by ADP were widespread across the US economy.
"Yikes," she wrote in reaction to the report. "Most industries were doing layoffs. The only ones still are hiring are hospitality and healthcare."
Long also said the disparity between small and large businesses in terms of job growth was more evidence that the US is experiencing a "K-shaped" economy in which those at the top of the economic ladder thrive, even as everyone else struggles.
"Larger companies are still hiring," she explained. "Smaller firms (under 50 workers) are doing the layoffs. It's been a very tough year for small biz due to tariffs and more selective spending from lower and middle-class consumers."
Kevin Gordon, head of macro research and strategy at the Schwab Center for Financial Research, observed that ADP hasn't reported such a big drop in small-business employment since October 2020, when the US economy was suffering through the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Alex Jacquez, chief of policy and advocacy at Groundwork Collaborative, cautioned against reading too much into ADP data, although he added that "in the absence of up to date government payrolls, all other signs point to a further deteriorating labor market."
Charlie Bilello, chief market strategist at financial planner Creative Planning, argued that the ADP jobs numbers were part of a negative three-month trend in which the US economy lost an estimated 4,000 jobs per month, which he said was "the first three-month decline since the 2020 recession."
Bilello added that "a year ago, we were adding over 200,000 jobs per month."
Diane Swonk, chief economist at accounting firm KPMG, argued that the ADP report showed job losses in the US economy were "broad based" and "were accompanied by a cooling of wage gains" for workers who still have jobs or are switching from one job to another.
"Those with a job are clinging on, while those without are left wanting," she explained.
Dean Baker, senior economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research, argued that the ADP report blows up President Donald Trump's spin about the health of the US economy.
"The booming job market exists only in Donald Trump's demented head," he wrote.
Keep ReadingShow Less
Pope Leo Presses Trump to End Military Escalation Against Venezuela
"So often, who suffers in these situations is the people, not the authorities," the first American pope said as another regime change war looms.
Dec 03, 2025
Amid escalating threats from the White House in recent days, Pope Leo XIV pleaded for President Donald Trump to pursue diplomacy with Venezuela rather than another regime change war.
"It is better to search for ways of dialogue, or perhaps pressure, including economic pressure," said the first American pope as he returned to Rome from Lebanon.
Since September, the Trump administration has launched airstrikes against at least 22 boats mostly in the Southern Caribbean that have extrajudicially killed at least 83 people. While the administration has claimed these people are "narcoterrorists" from Venezuela, it has provided no evidence to support this.
Trump said he had ordered the closing of Venezuela’s airspace on Saturday, which has left many observers holding their breath in expectation of military action against the South American nation.
As Reuters reported Monday, Trump also offered safe passage to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro last month if he left the country, suggesting that regime change is the administration’s ultimate goal.
"On one hand, it seems there was a call between the two presidents," said the pope, referring to that ultimatum from Trump last month. "On the other hand, there is the danger, there is the possibility there will be some activity, some [military] operation."
"The voices that come from the United States, they change with a certain frequency," Leo added.
The pope has been a frequent critic of the Trump administration’s policies since he was elected earlier this year, with harsh rebukes issued towards the White House's attacks on immigrants.
While the pope did not denounce the idea of US-imposed regime change in Venezuela entirely, he said it should search for other means "if that is what they want to do in the United States.”
The US has notably already applied a great deal of "economic pressure" to Venezuela, via a regime of crippling sanctions that are considered one of the major causes of the nation's economic instability in recent years.
On Tuesday, Abigail Hall, a senior fellow at the Independent Institute, warned that "a US invasion, however framed, would impose steep costs on both nations."
"For the United States, an attempt at regime change in Venezuela would likely be another foray into failed foreign policy, with all the costs that go with it," she said. "A destabilized Venezuela could also trigger another wave of migration across the region, straining neighboring countries and potentially reaching US shores."
"For Venezuelans, the costs would be even greater," she added. "Beyond the immediate human toll of conflict, the long-term costs are incalculable. Even if Maduro were removed, a chaotic transition could destroy prospects for rebuilding Venezuela’s institutions, economy, and civil society."
Amid Trump's latest series of threats, Pope Leo echoed this warning aboard the papal plane. He said Venezuela's bishops are "looking for ways to calm the situation" and pursue "the good of the people, because so often who suffers in these situations is the people, not the authorities."
Keep ReadingShow Less
After Trump's Latest Racist Rant, Ilhan Omar Hopes 'He Gets the Help He Desperately Needs'
“His obsession with me is creepy," said Rep. Ilhan Omar, the first Somali American ever elected to the US Congress.
Dec 03, 2025
Rep. Ilhan Omar, the first Somali American ever elected to the US Congress, said Tuesday that she hopes President Donald Trump "gets the help he needs" after he ended a Cabinet meeting with a bigoted tirade against Somali immigrants.
Trump specifically attacked Minnesota's Somali community—falsely claiming that "they contribute nothing"—and singled out Omar (D-Minn) by name, calling her "garbage" and a "terrible person."
Omar hit back in a brief social media post, characterizing the president's remarks as clear evidence that he's unwell.
"His obsession with me is creepy," Omar wrote.
His obsession with me is creepy. I hope he gets the help he desperately needs. https://t.co/pxOpAChHse
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) December 2, 2025
Trump's comments came as his administration prepared to target Somali immigrants with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in the Minneapolis-St. Paul region. Around 80,000 Somalis live in Minnesota.
The New York Times reported Tuesday that the directive for ICE raids in Minnesota "came immediately after" Trump used his social media platform to launch an appalling attack on Somalis and others in the wake of the shooting of two National Guard members. The man charged with the shooting is an Afghan national who worked as a member of a CIA-backed "Zero Unit" during the war in Afghanistan before resettling in the US.
Kristi Noem, head of the US Department of Homeland Security, has exploited the shooting to ramp up the administration's anti-immigrant agenda, proposing what she called "a full travel ban on every damn country that’s been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies," echoing Trump's white nationalist rhetoric.
Following Trump's latest attack on Somalis, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said in a statement that the president's "disgraceful attacks on Minnesota’s Somali community are injecting more of his poisonous racism into our beloved home state."
"Hearing him single out our people based solely on their race and country of origin is downright disgusting," Ellison said. "Minnesotans stand up for our neighbors when they're under attack. And as Minnesota's attorney general, I will use every tool I have to protect all our neighbors, including our vibrant Somali community, from these dangerous, racist threats. Our neighbors deserve no less."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Most Popular